In collaboration with leading venture capital firms, OIST Innovation offers startups and entrepreneurial researchers or students the opportunity to connect directly with venture capitalists for one-on-one mentoring and discussion.
Each round begins with an open seminar-style introduction, where participants can learn about the VC firm's investment focus and characteristics. This is followed by private, closed-door mentoring sessions between startups/researchers/students and the VC representatives.

The featured VC for this round is ON&BOARD.

Registration is required.
If the number of applicants exceeds the available slots, OIST Innovation will select participants based on the information provided in the registration form and the strategic fit with the VC.

[Registration From]

About ON&BOARD

ON&BOARD Inc. is a venture capital firm founded in October 2023 in Tokyo, dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs from the earliest stages. The firm aims to foster the emergence of world-changing startups by providing both investment and hands-on incubation support. Composed of professionals with backgrounds in consulting, IT platform companies, comprehensive trading, law, neuroscience, and data science, their diverse team brings deep expertise to entrepreneurs tackling significant social challenges. ON&BOARD manages its own fund—backed by major financial institutions—investing mainly in pre-seed and seed-stage startups with global ambitions.

A signature initiative is their startup program “Out of BOUNDS,” which offers a comprehensive, risk-free environment for founders to validate their ideas and gain access to committed funding upon selection. Selected entrepreneurs receive dedicated mentoring, operational support, and introductions to investors, greatly accelerating their growth. ON&BOARD’s philosophy centers on partnering closely with entrepreneurs, respecting their vision, and journeying alongside them through the toughest challenges. Their goal is to redefine venture capital in Japan and globally by unlocking the potential of innovative talent and creating impact at scale.

Mentor Profile

Yuki Takeuchi, Tech Executive, ON&BOARD

Originating from Aichi Prefecture, and a graduate of the Faculty and Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Tokyo. During academic years, diverse professional experiences were acquired, including an intern at a venture capital firm. Post-graduation, served as a consultant before co-founding ON&BOARD.
 An integral member of the Beyond AI Institute, leading key research themes under the guidance of Professor Yuji Ikegaya. Research spans neuroscience and artificial intelligence, with affiliations to the  Society for Neuroscience.
 Notable achievements include pioneering the identification of the hippocampal CA2 area using machine learning, a task exceedingly challenging for humans (Takeuchi et al., Front. Neuroanat, 2023; 46th Annual Meeting of the Japan Neuroscience Society, Sendai). Additionally, he developed a Brain Machine Interface that adjusts indoor illumination in real-time based on drowsiness levels, marking a world-first achievement, and presented this innovation at the Society for Neuroscience 2023 in Washington, D.C. Extensive research in circadian rhythms is documented in Ogasawara et al., Sci. Rep., 2024. he has also been honored with the Outstanding Student Presentation Award and the Sadako O. Hirai Ban Award for Young Researchers.
Investment in the deep tech sector spans nuclear fusion, robotics, and AI.

Event Overview

Event Title:
VC Mentoring Hours: ON&BOARD

Date:
Thursday, October 9, 2025
10:00–12:00

Timetable:
10:00–10:30 – Introduction to ON&BOARD / Q&A
10:30–11:00 – Mentoring Session 1
11:00–11:30 – Mentoring Session 2
11:30–12:00 – Mentoring Session 3

Guest VC:
ON&BOARD

Who is elligible:

• OIST Startups
• OIST Innovation Incubator Tenants
• Deep-Tech startups in Okinawa
• OIST researchers or students interested in startup

Language:
English

Registration Form:
https://forms.office.com/r/iqcqjkX30U