I'm currently a Managing Partner at Crystal Tech Fund, an early stage seed fund based in Washington DC, and before that I was a Managing Partner at 500 Startups, where I advised and invested in hundreds of early stage startups around the world.
I lived and worked in Japan for over 10 years in a variety of public and private sector jobs. Postions held included GM of Dell Japan's consumer business, VP of International Business Development at Yahoo! Japan, and Coordinator for International Relations with the Ibaraki Prefectural Government.
I have over 15 years experience in cross-border business development with positions at Yahoo! Inc., Yahoo! Japan, Experian Interactive, and Interchange Corporation. I've also worked as a consultant to various companies engaged in international expansion, including Zynga, SurveyMonkey, and Pikum.
I'm a Managing Partner at Crystal Tech Fund, which is seed fund based in Washington DC, and I was also a Managing Partner at 500 Startups, where I advised and invested in hundreds of startups around the world.
I'm a California attorney with years of experience representing early stage startups and large multinationals like Yahoo! and Yahoo! Japan.
George sees the big picture and is very focused and realistic in reaching his goals. I've seen that he's a real strong team leader (and he's got a sharp legal mind as well). It is really nice to work with him.
George is terrific. In addition to his broad experience in legal, tech, & biz dev, George brings many skills to the table including his extensive familiarity with Japan (& fluent Japanese), corporate transactions, working with startups, even real-life fire-fighting and medical EMR! Simply amazing all around.
George was a very dependable and insightful advisor to me when I sat on the Livedoor Holdings board with him. His broad experience; perceptive, analytical approach; and "salt of the earth" character and high ethical standards, made frequent consultations with him both a pleasure and indispensable at the same time. If I had to choose someone to join me "in the trenches" again, George is one of the few people I would call.
George was a very good business partner when we worked together in Asia in 2008-2009. He is creative and very out-of-the box when designing partnerships and alliances. George was always willing to listen to ideas from other groups to improve his business and to make hand-offs across our teams easier. I always found him putting his customer's needs in front of everything else, and that attitude will serve George well whereever he goes!
George is a uniquely dimensional business person - unlike anyone you have ever met. He thrives on learning, challenge, and difficult problems; is loyal; is one of the best, most thoughtful writers I have ever encountered; and as a leader, he will give everything he has for the company. He will tell you what he thinks, and if you put him an environment where you need people to excel and take risks, he will perform way beyond what you expect. Years ago and almost entirely by himself, George negotiated a complex technology, co-development, and marketing transaction with a major sports league's General Counsel and Commissioner (both of whom were quite aggressive at the time). A new attorney locked by himself for days in a room with people of decades' more experience, George navigated some of the most complex transactional and technology issues we at Yahoo! faced at the time. He's been a firefighter, he taught himself Japanese, and he's led significant businesses. In a world where many are simply hoping not to get blamed, George is constantly seeking growth and challenge. He will deliver for you.
George is a very knowledgeable business leader who is well versed in the Internet sector, both domestically and abroad. George was a key member in leading our expansion strategy into new geographies where he served as the in-market subject matter expert on Asia Pacific. Even though I did not report directly to him, George is a team player who taught me extensively about the online space and International markets. I highly recommend George and would work with him again in a heart beat!
I have had the pleasure of working with George several times. He was a tough, but fair and very skilled negotiator on Yahoo Japan's behalf when we structured the Overture search partnership in 2001/2 (this was one of Yahoo Japan's largest deals ever, and George led the entire negotiation with Overture and Google on YJ's behalf). And he was a trusted advisor that helped us think through and set up the complex legal structure for Pikum! in 2007/8. George is a force of nature. Highly analytical, he has the ability to go straight to the core of an issue. He is relentless and won't give up until he achieves the best possible result. He thinks two steps ahead at all times. And he is forceful and persuasive in making his case. I would be pleased to work with George again in the future.
George is very enthusiastic and encouraging person. He demonstrated very high standard of professionalism and integrity when we worked together. It was great experience and I'd love to work with him going forward, anytime.
