Akiko Maeda

Akiko Maeda brings over 20 years of business experience across diverse industries, including retail and apparel, food and beverage (F&B), and real estate. She specializes in bridging Japanese headquarters and international markets.

As part of new business initiatives for a publicly listed Japanese company, she led on-the-ground operations as President of its Philippine subsidiary, later serving as General Manager of a Japanese real estate group’s Bay Area office in the United States. Throughout her career in Japan and abroad, she has built startup communities, forged strategic corporate partnerships, and driven business development across multiple countries.

She has a long-standing commitment to supporting entrepreneurs. Through international networking initiatives, she has helped expand support programs for founders and continues to contribute actively to Tokyo’s startup community.

At Bolvance, she supports overseas companies entering and expanding in Japan through market research, partner mapping, business development, and hands-on execution. She is also the founder of Bloom Beyond, a community connecting women in Japan with global opportunities.