Funding the Commons Tokyo 2024

Audrey Tang

Plurality.net

🇹🇼 Cyber Ambassador, 1st Digital Minister (2016-2024) & 🌐 1st 🏳️‍⚧️ cabinet minister.

E. Glen Weyl

Plurality Institute

A political economist and social technologist, earned his Ph.D. in Economics from Princeton University just one year after graduating undergraduate. After completing a fellowship at Harvard University, he spent three years as an Assistant Professor at the University of Chicago, focusing on research and teaching. He later joined Microsoft Research and currently serves as Research Lead of the Plural Technology Collaboratory, having advised senior leaders on geopolitics, macroeconomics, and the future of technology

Aya Miyaguchi

Ethereum Foundation

Executive Director of the Ethereum Foundation, where she guides initiatives to support activities within the Ethereum ecosystem, including core research and development endeavors and multifaceted educational programs. Her vision is to preserve Ethereum's essence as the Infinite Garden - a dynamic, open-source, inclusive, and permissionless hub of innovation

Yuko Koshiba

Philanthropy Advisors

After working for GE Japan's leadership program, she pursued her masters from Columbia University's School of International Public Policy (MPA). While in New York, she interned at Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and worked at George Soros' Open Society Foundations as a consultant.Upon returning to Japan, she joined the Nippon Foundation. She was then seconded to Social Innovation and Investment Foundation (SIIF), where she made impact investing to social entrepreneurs, worked on impact measurement, and managed a venture philanthropy fund. In 2020, she became the first Japanese person to earn the CAP© U.S. Philanthropic Advisor certification. She then founded Philanthropy Advisors, Inc. in 2023 together with her co-founder.

Masahiro Fukuhara

ONGAESHI Founder & Evangelist

Ethereum Foundation Next Billion Fellow. Before founding IGS, Fukuhara was Managing Director at asset management firm BlackRock where he made investment decisions based on computer-driven models. Fukuhara earned his Bachelor's degree in Economics from Keio University and MBA from INSEAD. He holds a Master's degree (with Honors) in International Finance from Grandes Ecoles HEC and a Ph.D. from Tsukuba University Graduate School of Business Sciences. He is currently a Project Professor at the Economics Department at Keio University, a Visiting Professor at Tokyo University of Science, and a Project Professor at Hitotsubashi University Graduate School.

Cheeky Gorilla

Protocol Guild

As a full-time contributor to the Protocol Guild, Cheeky spends their time building norms around setting aside a portion of Ethereum's ecosystem revenues to fund core protocol work.

Ryota Kanai

CEO / Director Araya Inc., Ai Alignment Network

After graduating from the Faculty of Science at Kyoto University in 2000, he received his PhD (Cum Laude) in 2005 from Utrecht University in the Netherlands, where he studied human visual information processing mechanisms. After working as a researcher at California Institute of Technology in the U.S. and University College London in the U.K., and as a JST PRESTO researcher and Associate Professor (Reader) of Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Sussex in the U.K., he founded Araya, Inc. and worked full time since 2015. He is engaged in research on the principles of consciousness in the brain and machines through the fusion of neuroscience and AI technologies. He has been also working on the translation of AI and neuroscience into industrial applications as the primary business of Araya. He has received many awards, including the Young Scientist Award from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, the JEITA Venture Award (2020), the ET (Embedded technology)/IoT Technology Award (2019) among others. Since 2020, he has been working on the development of next-generation AI-assisted brain-machine interfaces (BMI) as a Project Manager of the Moonshot Project in the Cabinet Office.

Masaaki Taira

House of Representatives, Head web3 Project Team

平　将明 衆議院議員 自民党web3プロジェクトチーム 座長 〈現在〉 自民党AIプロジェクトチーム 座長 自民党フュージョンエネルギープロジェクトチーム 座長 自民党東京都支部連合 政務調査会長 〈略歴〉 元・経済産業大臣政務官 元・内閣府副大臣（防災、IT政策、科学技術イノベーション政策、宇宙政策、クールジャパン戦略、地方創生、国家戦略特区等担当)> Masaaki Taira Member of House of Representatives Head, web3 Project Team, LDP ＜Current Position＞ ・Head, Project Team on the Evolution and Implementation of AI, LDP ・Head, Fusion Energy Project Team, LDP ・Chairperson, Policy Research Council, Federation of Tokyo Prefecture LDP Party Branches ＜Career History＞ ・Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry ・State Minister of Cabinet Office (in charge of disaster prevention, IT policy, Promotion of Science and Technology and Innovation, space policy, Cool Japan Strategy, local development, National Strategic Special Zones, etc.)

Christopher Szymczak

Lead, Digital Public Goods, UNICEF Innovation

Chris works at the intersection of international development, technology, youth, and startups. Chris leads the Digital Public Goods team at UNICEF’s Office of Innovation. He works with and supports social impact startup ecosystems from UNICEF programme countries, and young people that (still) believe in the positive value of tech. He cares about the notions of intergenerational equity, digital sovereignty, and open tech. He leads UNICEF’s engagement in the Global Digital Compact consultations – a document that will outline global digital policy principles and commitments for the next decade, to be signed in September 2024 by the UN Member States. Previously he held roles at UNICEF’s HQ in New York and UNICEF's Country Office in Ghana. In Ghana he managed UNICEF StartUp Lab, an accelerator for social impact startups and entrepreneurs, and led country-level efforts for the Giga initiative to connect every school to the internet. Prior to his work in international development, he worked 10 years in advertising, including at Google. Chris holds MA in Law from University of Warsaw, MA in Media Studies from The New School, and MSc in International Development from SOAS, University of London. Chris publishes &quo Humanitarian Unknown &quo, a weekly newsletter on LinkedIn. Talk to Chris how to help and what helping means.

Cheryl Ng

Portfolio Manager, UNICEF Ventures

Digital Public Goods Capacity Building Adviser | Impact Venture Building & Investing at UNICEF Office of Innovation

Tshilidzi Marwala

Rector, United Nations University

Tshilidzi Marwala Rector of the United Nations University; Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. He holds a PhD degree from the University of Cambridge (UK), a Master of Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Pretoria (South Africa), and a Bachelor of Science degree (magna cum laude) from Case Western Reserve University (USA). He also completed management and leadership programmes at the Columbia Business School and Harvard Business School. Prof. Marwala is the author of more than 25 books, including Leadership Lessons from Books I Have Read (2021) and Leading in the 21st Century: The Call for a New Type of African Leader (2021); dozens of book chapters, journal papers, and conference papers; and more than 250 magazine articles and newspaper op-eds. Among the awards that Prof. Marwala has received are the Order of Mapungubwe (South Africa’s highest honour) and the Academy of South Africa’s Science-for-Society Gold Medal. He was named the 2021 IT Personality of the Year by the Institute of IT Professionals South Africa.

Kiki Bowman

Head of Communications, United Nations University.

Kiki is a communications and operations specialist with 14 years in the industry. She is currently the Head of Communications at United Nations University in Tokyo, Japan. Before working within the United Nations system, Kiki worked in New York and Tokyo at creative agencies that focused on advertising, marketing, branding and digital.

David Casey

Co-founder, Funding the Commons

Beth McCarthy

Research Lead, Funding the Commons

Estefano Pinilla

Science Co-lead, AthenaDAO

I am a postdoctoral researcher specializing in Cardiovascular Pharmacology at Aarhus University in Denmark and the Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute in Australia. I was an early contributor to VitaDAO even before their token auction, where I assisted with science evaluation and project sourcing. I also hosted and co-led the Longevity Journal Club for two seasons. One year ago, I joined AthenaDAO as the Science & Dealflow Co-Lead, where I co-designed the evaluation process for applications and coordinate various initiatives within the working group. I am passionate about translating insights from the lab bench to patients in an open and democratic manner, involving them as key stakeholders in decision-making. I am working on DeSci because I believe it offers us the best opportunity to achieve this goal.

Gimmy Chang

Co-founder, FAB DAO

Gus Domel

Principal, Boost VC

Gus is a Principal at Boost VC, a California-based pre-seed deep tech VC fund. Boost VC has been very active in the DeSci community, having invested in Molecule, ResearchHub, HairDAO, and Data Lake. Before joining Boost VC, Gus completed his PhD at Harvard and Postdoc at Stanford developing multiple deep technologies, and was previously the Chief Scientist & Director of Product at a brain health tech startup. His various works have been featured in National Geographic, Newsweek, and The New York Times.

Kazuya Saginawa

CEO, bitgrit Inc.

Founder of IT startups bitgrit and DataGateway, he is passionate about building communities for engineers in the fields of AI, blockchain, and cryptocurrency. He is highly motivated to discover ways to maximize the use of the latest technologies to help IT engineers. Kaoriya Mukonawa founded bitgrit in Japan in 2017 after gaining experience as a patent engineer in the Intellectual Property and Legal Division of Canon Inc. bitgrit strives to democratize AI by enabling an AI marketplace and currently manages a community of over 30,000 data The company is a member of the Japanese Association of Scientists. Recognizing the value and importance of data at bitgrit, he founded DataGateway in Japan in 2019 to return data sovereignty to the individual and enable the use of data based on the principle of self-sovereign identity. In 2021, following bitgrit's selection for the Hub71 cohort 2021, the company moved to ADGM. After being selected for the UC Berkeley Blockchain Xcelerator 2021, DataGateway moved to Singapore.

Kotaro Okada

Representative Director @ De-Silo / B-Side Incubator

Eri Kawai

Community Manager of SINRA

Born in Fukuoka and raised in Tokyo, she graduated from the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University, majoring in International Relations, Gender Studies, and Critical Theories. She loves nature, good food, and wine. Since 2023, she leads a nature restoration project, SINRA, via regenerative NFTs as a community manager in paramita, Inc. Eri’s diverse experiences and commitment to community and environmental initiatives reflect her dedication and thoughtful approach to her work.

Fumitaka Watanabe

Kyoto University, Beyond2050 Design Office

Fundraising professional and researcher. He obtained a Ph. D. in Management Science in 2023 from the Graduate School of Management at Kyoto University, Japan. He is interested in philanthropic fundraising for social common capital, such as research institutions, schools, and hospitals. He is also a TOC (Theory of Constraints) consultant for private and public organizations.

Mari Uzawa Urabe

President, Uzawa Kokusai Gakkan

The President of Uzawa Kokusai Gakkan, a role she assumed in 2014. She is fervently committed to sharing the economic theories “Social Common Capital” of her father, world-renowned economist Hirofumi Uzawa. These theories aim to cultivate an abundant life. Through lectures, symposiums, and the publication of books and essays, she tirelessly propagates Uzawa's insightful theories. In 2022, Dr. Urabe co-founded the Research Division on Social Common Capital and the Future at Kyoto University's Institute for the Future of Human Society. This division is dedicated to pursuing a more prosperous future by synergistically advancing theoretical understanding and practical implementation. Since 2018, she has been a driving force in the Japan Medical Association Global Health Committee, advocating for Universal Health Coverage and leading international cooperation to combat Covid-19. Throughout a medical career spanning over 30 years, Dr. Urabe has made significant contributions to healthcare and societal progress. She has passionately dedicated herself to revitalizing local communities with a strong emphasis on healthcare. She served as a family doctor for more than 15 years and accumulated extensive experience as an occupational and elementary school doctor.

Scott Moore

Co-founder, Public Works

Scott Moore is a co-founder of Gitcoin and GP at Public Works, an open source ecosystem fund. He's also a key steward and advisor to projects like ENS, Nebra, and Optimism. In his spare time, he produces ambient music and writes on internet subcultures.

Mark Melnykowycz

DeSci DAO Architecture Design and Roadmapping @ CerebrumDAO

Mark holds degrees in materials science (MSc. Michigan State University) and mechanical engineering (Dr. sc. ETH Zurich). He has worked in the development of various technology and sensor products including smart catheter (Medyria AG), connected car (Carhub / Mullen Technologies), wearable strain sensors (Empa) and patient journey characterization based on artificial intelligence. As Lead Product Developer at IDUN Technologies he is focused on the interface between humans and technology, building brain-computer interface earbuds that combine user experience, sensors, and artificial intelligence to deliver new and enhanced experiences based on in-ear EEG sensor technologies. He is engaged with Web3 communities through Decentralized Science (DeSci) DAOs and the Foresight Institute where he works on generative AI knowledge tools and product architecture design for the deal flow process at CerebrumDAO.

Patrick Joyce

Community Lead, ResearchHub

Don Gossen

Co-founder, Nevermined IO

Data and Analytics expert with extensive global experience, Don is presently playing an active role in driving the adoption and progression of decentralized technologies. Breadth of knowledge extends to every facet of Web3.0 and the Data, AI and Analytics landscape, from large scale Data Federation, ML/FL/AI to Big Data and Digital Transformation. Before Don became CEO of Nevermined, he co-founded Keyko and Ocean Protocol and gathered a wealth of data experience at NTT Data, amongst others. After studying Computer Engineering at the University of Alberta, he worked in LA, Tokyo, London and Berlin. Don is a sought-after speaker and has been invited to speak at leading conferences and events around the world like EthDenver, NFT.NYC, Lisbon Blockchain Week, on the potential of decentralized technologies in Data & AI. He is also a prolific writer, contributing articles to top tier industry publications, like Nasdaq and Coindesk, on topics ranging from the technical details of blockchain to the social implications of decentralized systems. As a speaker, Don is engaging, inspiring and will leave the audience with new insights and a chuckle or two.

Paul Kohlhaas

CEO, Molecule DAO