Taisuke Isono

Taisuke Isono is the Head of Nikko Innovation Lab at SMBC Nikko Securities Inc., driving the advancement of open innovation through the fusion of finance and technology. After joining the firm in 2012, he spent approximately eight years in the investment banking division, working on domestic and international M&A and capital-raising transactions. He was subsequently selected for "Nikko Ventures," a company-wide internal pitch project reporting directly to the CEO, where he launched the open innovation team "Funder Storm." Leveraging the resources of a securities firm, he has led diverse projects to build ecosystems transforming Japan's future, including the next-generation innovator development program "Kosen Inter-College Challenge," a new donation-based crowdfunding scheme, "NEO KYOTO NFT ARTs" combining Web3 and art, and the establishment of Proof of Japan Inc. He has also contributed to innovation domestically and internationally through a partnership agreement with the National Institute of Technology, investment in Web3-focused VC "Hashed," and the global hackathon "Protocol Camp."