KathyMatsui

Kathy Matsui caused shockwaves in 2021 when she left her position as vice chair at Goldman Sachs Japan to found Japan’s first global venture capital fund focused on environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values, MPower Partners. Her impact reverberated far beyond Goldman — she coined the term “womenomics,” the idea that Japan could boost its GDP by bringing more women into the workforce, and something the Shinzo Abe government eventually adopted as part of national policy. Matsui has continued her pioneering streak: MPower’s leadership team is all-female, and targets funding to “infuse ESG into the DNA” of Japan’s startups before they grow. Early investments include IT-systems-for-childcare company UniFa, website localizer WOVN Technologies, and climate risk consultancy Jupiter Intelligence.