Mission
Extend human potential with AI
Vision
Become the No.1 global Business AI company
through creating disruptive innovations continuously
Values
Be the No.1 team of innovation that revolutionizes every industry in the world
- Grit
- Stretch Yourself
- Leadership-Driven Teamwork
COMPANY
| Company Name | Cinnamon, Inc. |
|---|---|
| HQ Address | 3-Chome-19-13 Toranomon, 6F Spirit Building, Minato, Tokyo. 105-0001, Japan |
| Incorporation | Oct 5th, 2016 |
| Representing Director | Miku Hirano |
| Board of Directors | Director Yoshimitsu Kaji Director Yoshiaki Ieda Outside Director Makoto Takano（linkties Chairman and Publisher of Forbes JAPAN, D4V(Design for Ventures) Founder and CEO） Outside Director Dr. Hiroaki Kitano（President & CEO at Sony Computer Science Laboratories, a Senior Vice President at Sony Corporation） Outside Director Aki Mori Audit & Supervisory Board Member Masaru Yamazaki Audit & Supervisory Board Member Eriko Kosaka Audit & Supervisory Board Member Makiko Tsuda |
| Main Investors | FinTech Business Innovation LPS（SBI Investment） SBI Venture Investment Revitalization Tax System LPS（SBI Investment） FFG Venture LPS 1（FFG Venture Business Partners） ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation Sony Innovation Fund TIS Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership Ⅱ (SPARX Group) Nomura Incubation Investment Limited Partnership（Nomura Holdings） Sumitomo Corporation Next-Gen Corporation Supporting Ⅰ Investment Limited Partnership (SMBC Venture Capital) MT Partners D4V Fund I L.P.（D4V) Monex Edison Investment Business Limited Liability Partnership（Monex Ventures) Vector RPA Holdings |
TEAM
CEO
Miku Hirano
Serial Entrepreneur. MSc, in Artificial Intelligence, from Tokyo University. Engaged in research on Recommendation Engine, Complex Network, Clustering. Won the Innovative Software Creation Program (Super Creator Award) under Information-technology Promotion Agency Japan (IPA) in 2005 and 2006. Started her first business to create the middleware which enables to develop iOS / Android / Feature Phone simultaneously, and sold the company to mixi.inc. Founded Cinnamon in Singapore in 2012. She has received various awards, including St. Gallen Symposium Leaders of Tomorrow, Forbes Japan "Entrepreneur Ranking 2020" BEST10, Woman of the Year 2019 Innovative Entrepreneur Award, and Veuve Clicquot Business Woman Award 2019 New Generation Award. She has also been a keynote speaker at AWS Summit 2019, Milken Institute Japan Symposium, 45th Japan-ASEAN Management Conference, Bloomberg The Year Ahead Summit 2019, and etc. She has been a member of the IT Strategy Office, Cabinet Secretariat and a special member of the Tax Commission, Cabinet Office since 2020. In 2021, she has become an expert member of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy, Cabinet Office. She is the mother of two children.
CAIO
Dr. Hajime Hotta
Serial entrepreneur and Angel Investor. PhD, in Neural Network, from Keio University. Engaged in research on Recommendation Engine, Neural Network. In 2005, joined Sirius Technologies Inc. and in charge of developing AdLocal, a geo-targeting digital advertising network. Won the Innovative Software Creation Program (Super Creator Award) under IPA in 2005 and 2006. Exited his companies 3 times in Japan. Founded Cinnamon in 2012.
COO
Yoshiaki Ieda
Serial entrepreneur. 15 years of experience in Global Business and Entrepreneurship in Internet & FMCG industries including start-up experience. Previously, led global expansions of one of the billion-dollar Procter & Gamble brands in Singapore. Providing consulting services on New Business Creation and Product/Service Design by connecting true business needs and technical solutions.
Board of Director
Makoto Takano
Mr. Takano joined Daiwa Securities after receiving his master’s degree from Waseda University and later joined Daiwa Institute of Research where he was head of the strategist team. He was seconded to Daiwa Securities’ United States office in 1991 where he co-developed asset management models with Nobel Economics Prize Winner Harry Marcovitz. He joined Goldman Sachs Asset Management in 1997 and served as Head of Marketing as well as Operating Officer and Chief of Planning and Research before joining PIMCO Japan Ltd. in 2001. Mr. Takano served as President of PIMCO Japan for 13 years. In 2014, Mr. Takano moved on to the publishing industry and joined Atomixmedia Inc. (currently linkties Co., Ltd.) and serves as Chairman and Publisher of Forbes JAPAN. He also co-founded D4V (Design for Ventures, a venture capital formed in partnership with IDEO) in 2016 and currently serves as its CEO. Mr. Takano serves on the board of a number of organizations, including GHV Accelerator, Endeavor Japan, Japan Venture Capital Association, UWC ISAK Japan, Asia Pacific Initiative, and Human Rights Watch. Mr. Takano has also published extensively on capital markets including his contribution to the Nikkei newspaper. In 1992, he was awarded Securities Analysts Journal Prize by the Securities Analyst Association of Japan. He holds master’s and undergraduate degrees in engineering from Waseda University.
Board of Director
Dr. Hiroaki Kitano
After graduating from International Christian University in 1984 with a degree in Physics, he joined NEC Corporation, where he worked in the Software Production Technology Laboratory. He was a visiting researcher at Carnegie Mellon University in the U.S. He received his Ph. D. in Engineering from Kyoto University in 1991, joined Sony Computer Science Laboratories in 1993, Senior Researcher in 1996, Deputy Director in 2002, Director in 2008, President and Representative Director in 2011, Corporate Executive Officer and Corporate Executive of Sony Corporation in 2016, Managing Director in 2020, CEO of Sony AI Inc. in 2020. From October 1998 to September 2003, he also served as the general manager of the ERATO Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project of the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST.) From October 2003 to September 2008, he was the principal investigator of the Kitano Symbiotic Systems Project (ERATO-SORST), a continuation project of ERATO-SORST. In April 2001, he founded the Systems Biology Research Organization, a non-profit organization, and serves as its chairman. He is also a professor at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University and a Founding Trustee of the RoboCup International Committee. He has served as Group Director of the Disease Systems Modeling Research Group at the RIKEN Center for Integrative Bioscience, Director of the Systems Biology Division at the Cancer Institute, Visiting Professor at the University of Tokyo, and Visiting Professor at Keio University. He has received the Computers and Thought Award (1993), Prix Ars Electronica (2000), JCD Design Award (Japan Commercial Environment Designers Association) (1996), Japan Culture Design Award (Japan Culture Design Forum) (2001), and Nature Mentor Award Mid-Career Award (2009). Invited to exhibit at the Venice Architecture Biennale, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York, and other venues. He was elected as an AAAI Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence (2021).
Board of Director
Aki Mori
Mr. Mori is an experienced professional in finance. He has been a member of board of directors at Cinnamon since 2017. Mr. Mori is currently serving on board of directors at various startup companies.
Mr. Mori used to work for Renova, Icn., a Japanese renewable energy operator listed on the 1st section of Tokyo Stock Exchange, as the CFO. Before joining Renova, Mr. Mori worked for Goldman Sachs as an investment banker both in New York and Tokyo. He started his career at KPMG Japan as a CPA.
Country Manager in Vietnam
Bach Nghiem Xuan / Erik Nghiem
He is Country Manager of Cinnamon in Vietnam since January 2017. On the behalf of Cinnamon, he has been speakers in several technical conferences such as Vietnam Frontier Summit, Hi-Tech Konec AI, Techtalk… in which he shared on applying AI in business, trends of market and development of AI startups. From 2015 – 2016, Erik was project manager of Cinnamon focused on building image-sharing social networking mobile app for the Taiwan market. From 2013 – 2015, he worked as Senior HR Specialist at JW Marriott Hanoi. In 2012, Erik was Vice President of Human Resource of AISEC Hanoi, a branch of International AISEC – the world's largest student-driven organization.
Advisor
Oki Matsumoto
Born in 1963. BA in Law from the University of Tokyo (1987). Began his career at Salomon Brothers and joined Goldman Sachs in 1990. He was the head of their fixed income and currency business in Asia and became General Partner in 1994 at the age of 30, the youngest ever at that time. In 1999, he founded Monex which was jointly capitalized with Sony. Monex Group, Inc. is listed on the 1st section of Tokyo Stock Exchange where he is presently Chairman & CEO. He served as Financial Counsel to the Prime Minister and also as outside directors of several companies including Tokyo Stock Exchange from June 2008 to 2013. He presently is an outside director of MasterCard, Incorporated. and UZABASE Inc., also a Vice Chair of Human Rights Watch.
Advisor
Mamoru Taniya
Mr. Mamoru Taniya has broad range of investment experiences, he became the youngest managing director in Asia and led the proprietary trading division for Japan and Asia at Salomon Brothers.
And he set up Asuka Asset Management Co.,Ltd.
As a venture capitalist, he initiated the launch of Lifenet Insurance Company, the first online insurance company, studio yoggy which is pioneering yoga studio and Campus for H Inc which is health care company that promotes well-being including mindfulnnes, and founder of Money Design Inc which is first robo advisory company and D4V corporate venture capital with IDEO.
As a NGO/NPO,he also serves as Representative founder of International School of Asia, Karuizawa (ISAK), the first international boarding school in Japan.Also he is Vice Chair Person of Human Rights Watch , Director of Asia Pacific Initiative Foundation and Director of Endeavor Japan.
OUR OFFICES
TOKYO
3-19-13 Toranomon,
6F Sprit Building,
Minato City,
Tōkyō-to 105-0001, Japan
Tel 03-6807-4091
Fax 03-6807-4092
HANOI
10th floor, Geleximco building,
36 Hoang Cau, Dong Da district,
Hanoi
Tel +84 24 3266 9077
VIEW MAPHo Chi Minh
VIC3-40, Riverview 5,
Vinhomes Golden River,
No.2 Ton Duc Thang,
Ben Nghe Ward, Dist.1,
Ho Chi Minh, 70000
Tel +84 24 3266 9077
VIEW MAP