The Team

The Team

 

Shohei Kaneko

Founder and Managing Director
415-222-6961
[email protected]

Shohei Kaneko has broad experience in international business development and management consulting in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and other Asian countries. His background includes active involvement in high technology assignments for companies in the computer hardware, software, telecommunications, data communications and semiconductor industries.

In addition to his high-technology experience, Mr. Kaneko has also advised clients on international expansion in other fields including specialty retailing, food and beverage, and consumer products.

Prior to founding PacificVision, Mr. Kaneko worked for a management consulting firm in Silicon Valley for 8 years. Mr. Kaneko established its Tokyo office and was instrumental in the firm’s growth throughout the last decade. He provided strategic consulting services to the U.S startup companies as well as large Japanese fortune 500 type of companies. Before embarking on his consulting career, Mr. Kaneko worked for several US and Japanese high-tech corporations in various management and engineering positions, which includes GE Plastics in Pittsfield, MA and Pioneer Electronics in Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. Kaneko holds a bachelor of engineering degree in electronics from Sophia University (Jochi Daigaku) in Tokyo, and a master of business administration degree from Cornell University’s Johnson Graduate School of Management in Ithaca, New York.


Patrick Bray

Director
415-222-6966
[email protected]

Patrick Bray is Director of PacificVision Partners. Before joining PacificVision Partners, he was a co-founder of IBT Ventures, a consultancy and co-investor with large Japanese firms into emerging U.S. and Japanese IT companies. Previous to IBTV, Mr. Bray worked as Director of Business Development for the Japan External Trade Organization’s (JETRO) San Francisco office. Working for JETRO since 1989 he became a leader in JETRO’s efforts to promote US business and investment in Japan and rose to become one of only three of JETRO’s non-Japanese directors in the world.

He has advised numerous U.S. and Japanese companies on strategic partnering, acquisitions, corporate and venture investment, international business development, formation of overseas subsidiaries, and restructuring of international operations. He has also been active in the management of companies he has worked with, recently as President and COO of a U.S. subsidiary of a leading force in Japan’s mobile wireless industry – where he oversaw formation of its subsidiaries in the US and the EU, and then as Managing Director of a US software company in Japan – where he engineered their strategic partnering, directed the opening of their Japan office, and managed their Japanese corporation.

Mr. Bray received a BS degree in Management at Sacramento State University and an MBA from San Francisco State University. He also studied at METI’s Institute for International Studies and Training in Japan. He speaks regularly on trade and investment issues for academic and business audiences in the US and Japan, and has served on the board of several Japanese and US companies.


Edward Ifshin

Consultant
415-387-6406
[email protected]

Edward Ifshin has had extensive experience in international business development & ventures with established and emerging companies and technologies in the US, Japan and SE Asia.

Most recently, Mr. Ifshin has been involved with leading companies in data visualization software technology; broadband digital entertainment & education/training projects; mobile interactive services and technologies and mobile wireless security technologies.

In addition to this, he is advising on an international project supported by the Ford & Rockefeller Foundations focusing on creativity, emerging technologies and new business models and is an advisor to ZERO 1: The Art & Technology Network, in San Jose, California.

He has also written articles on interactive digital media for several Japanese publications; has participated as a speaker and panelist at information technology and high-technology corporate venturing business seminars in the US and Japan and worked with US and Japanese companies in developing and implementing market entry and strategic investment initiatives in both markets.

Mr. Ifshin has a graduate degree from the University of Chicago in Political Science and as a former U.S. diplomat has had assignments in Japan, SE Asia and Western Europe. He is proficient in Japanese, Malay, Thai and Dutch.

 

 

PacificVision Partners LLC (PVP), is a professional firm assisting North American and Japanese companies in broad Industries in developing new business or restructuring existing business internationally.

We help companies forge strategic alliances as well as establish a direct presence overseas. We maintain an expansive network of highly placed, well-informed professionals and venture capitalists in both the U.S. and Japan.