Speaker Bio
George is responsible for leading a team of professional investors to identify, invest in, and partner with global technology companies that can support and accelerate Toyota’s mission to build the safest mobility in the world.
Prior to joining Woven by Toyota, George was one of the founding members of Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley, Inc., where he initially served as the COO & General Partner for three and half years, before serving as the CEO & Managing Director for one and half years. He also launched the Yamaha Motor Exploratory Fund, a $100M early-stage fund, and he initiated and led Yamaha Motor’s investment and partnership activity in agricultural automation and robotics.
Before Yamaha, George served as a Managing Partner at 500 Startups, one of the most active early-stage investors in the world. In earlier roles, he served as the Managing Director of Dell Japan’s consumer business, as the VP of International Business Development at Yahoo! JAPAN, and as Corporate Counsel at Yahoo! Inc.
George received his Juris Doctor degree from the University of California Berkeley School of Law, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy from the University of Hawaii at Manoa. He also served as a Firefighter and Rescue Crew Chief in the United States Air Force and as a Combat Medic in the United States Army Reserves. In his free time, George loves to go surfing, sailing and snowboarding whenever he can.