Atomico Announces Opening Of Tokyo Office, To Be Headed By Shinichi Iwata

Atomico, the technology investment firm founded by Niklas Zennström, also known as a co-founder of Skype, today announced the hiring of Shinichi Iwata, former President of Skype Japan, to head up their new Tokyo office. Shin joins Atomico’s growing network of Market Expansion Professionals, and will focus upon Japan.

Atomico invests in technology companies around the world, primarily in the internet area, and has made more than 50 investments on four continents. It looks for companies that have remarkable growth prospects and outstanding management teams. The firm is headquartered in London and has offices in São Paulo, Beijing, Istanbul, and now also Tokyo.

Niklas Zennström, CEO and Founding Partner of Atomico, said: ‘We’re delighted to be focusing more closely on new partnerships in Japan. Having been in the market for a number of years, we’ve seen increased interest and activity with portfolio companies entering Japan. I believe that with Shin’s experience and knowledge we can continue building on the strong relationships we have within the region in order to facilitate business opportunities between our portfolio companies and established partners in Japan. We also anticipate to find globally competitive technology firms in Japan that Atomico can partner with to go global’.

Prior to joining Atomico, Shin was President of Skype Japan K.K. During that period he successfully helped launch Skype in Japan and was also involved in key global partnerships, often contributing to media coverage commenting on various industries from lifestyle to technology.

Commenting on his new position at Atomico, Shin said: ‘I’m very excited to have the opportunity to work with Niklas and the Atomico team, many of whom I’ve worked closely in the past. I’m confident that Atomico’s international presence, coupled with its global investment expertise, will continue to bring growth and success to the technology sector within the Japanese market’.