Team Spotlight on Takako: The creative and dependable driver of collaboration, who brings the community together with ambition and warmth
Prioritizing customer success at the center of every interaction she has, Takako finds that working with intelligent and like-minded individuals inspires and upskills her. Takako is our Platform Manager here at DNX; she creates a warm, welcoming environment for our DNX community members. While she spent some time growing up in California, she was born and raised in Japan. After attaining her undergraduate degree at a liberal arts college in Boston, she found herself back in Japan, starting a career in account management and sales at Expedia and Criteo. Later, Takako worked at Plug and Play (Sunnyvale, CA) in a corporate innovation role, which saw her introduce pairings between Fortune 500 companies and startups, to help them pilot startup projects within their organizations. This exposure to the entrepreneurial space led Takako to join DNX, where she now engages in supporting and serving the portfolio founders’ needs by identifying lucrative ideas and actions that will induce company growth. She also focuses on DNX’s marketing strategy, making sure that she is bridging the gap between the US and Japan as well. She is certain that the skills she is gaining at DNX will propel her toward this personal dream.
What sectors or market trends excite you?
I am a big believer in prioritizing sustainability, given that this is something that affects every industry and should be central to both individual and corporate decisions. Furthermore, e-commerce is an exciting growth area — both in the retail and food sectors. It is undoubtedly the future of consumption, so I am intrigued by the retail and supply chain sectors as well.
What is your advice to entrepreneurs?
I would encourage entrepreneurs to talk about their ideas to others. Don’t be afraid to share what you have in mind. Frequently share, learn from others and take on feedback and advice. That’s advice I learned from an entrepreneur I once worked with, and I can’t agree more.
What are your must-read books or must-listen podcasts?
I tend to read more non-fiction books, but one of my favorite novels is Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. It’s about a Korean immigrant family in Japan. My family’s background is exactly that, I am third-generation in Japan, so it felt like I was reading about my background and perhaps a bit of family history as I turned the pages of that book. I definitely recommend it if you are an immigrant.
As for must-listen podcasts, it’s not related to venture capital or investments, but I enjoy listening to Shawn Johnson and Andrew East’s “Couple Things.” They talk all things about couples and relationships. I like learning about how relationships are built and nurtured, whether applied to romance, friendship, or profession. Having a sales and account management professional background, I’ve always been people-oriented, and relationships really mattered in my previous jobs. Also, I always like to intentionally think through and build relationships with people I come across in my personal life.
What do you enjoy doing while you’re not working?
When shelter-in-place started with COVID, I started working on DIY projects, whether that’s making a painting or painting the garage wall or making modern furniture out of used, old furniture pieces. I enjoy creating things with my hands, and I love to cook. Growing up, I enjoyed baking, primarily for friends and family and school bake sales, but now I tend to make more savory meals. I always found food to be an important intersection of culture and people’s backgrounds, so I enjoy learning about food, ingredients, nutrition, and their origin. I hope that in the future I can found my own food-related business!
