Our Team
INVESTMENT PROFESSIONAL
R＆D Director and Principal
KENICHI IMAHASHI
- PROFILE
- CAREER
- MEDIA/PUBLICATION
He joined UTEC as a Venture Partner in 2025 and assumed his current role in 2026.
As an R&D Director, he provides multifaceted value‑add support to portfolio companies from the perspective of R&D strategy. One of his key contributions is enabling the effective use of public funding. Since joining UTEC last year, he has supported EpiFrontier Therapeutics—co‑founded with a national research institute—as well as SOLA Biosciences in securing AMED Venture Ecosystem Enhancement Program grants.
Prior to joining UTEC, he worked at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, where he managed large‑scale collaborative projects with domestic and international academia and industry partners, not only as a researcher but also as a project manager. His experience spans major government‑funded programs, scientific due diligence for licensing activities, and a broad range of drug discovery initiatives. He leverages this background to support portfolio companies in designing and executing R&D strategies toward IPOs and M&A.
As an R&D Director, he provides multifaceted value‑add support to portfolio companies from the perspective of R&D strategy. One of his key contributions is enabling the effective use of public funding. Since joining UTEC last year, he has supported EpiFrontier Therapeutics—co‑founded with a national research institute—as well as SOLA Biosciences in securing AMED Venture Ecosystem Enhancement Program grants.
Prior to joining UTEC, he worked at Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, where he managed large‑scale collaborative projects with domestic and international academia and industry partners, not only as a researcher but also as a project manager. His experience spans major government‑funded programs, scientific due diligence for licensing activities, and a broad range of drug discovery initiatives. He leverages this background to support portfolio companies in designing and executing R&D strategies toward IPOs and M&A.
He launched his scientific career at the U.S. National Institutes of Health, engaging in collaborative publications with prominent U.S. academic partners. He subsequently served as a pharmacologist and discovery scientist in cardiovascular and metabolic diseases at a Japanese pharmaceutical company. During his two decades in industry, he played key roles in large‑scale global academia–industry collaborations, particularly in regenerative medicine and human iPS cell–driven innovation.
He received a Ph.D in medicine from the University of Osaka.
He received a Ph.D in medicine from the University of Osaka.
1. Circulation Research 1999;84:1401.
2. Circulation 2003;108:2304.
3. Cell Metabolism 2007;6:25.
4. Nature Communications 2021;12:3596.
5. Lab on a chip 2025;25:3682.