Axelspace Corporation, a Japanese space startup and a pioneer in microsatellites, announce after its executive meeting a new management structure beginning from June 1, 2023. According to Axelspace, Yuya Nakamura will henceforth serve as its President and Chief Executive Officer. The company also announced Daigo Orihara as the Executive officer / CFO of the company.
Established in 2008 by a team of three members, Axelspace has built a solid reputation by engaging in the development, manufacturing, and operation of nine microsatellites, including the world’s first Arctic sea ice monitoring satellite WNISAT-1, and RAPIS-1, the first project entrusted by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) to a space startup from development to operation.
According to Axelspace, Daigo Orihara, an MBA from the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business has served Sanwa Bank, and in product management portfolio as a telecommunications equipment manufacturer. He was engaged in financial advisory such as M&A and fundraising at Investment Banking Division at UBS Securities Japan Global Banking.
Later, he was engaged in business strategy planning, hands-on management support, overseas projects, and domestic and international investment at Industrial Growth Platform, Inc. He then joined Innophys, a university-based startup involved in the development of exoskeletons, where he served as CFO, leading fundraising efforts and developing mid-term business plans. After serving as CEO of the company, he joined Axelspace.
Axelspace also announced Makiko Hamada as the Executive Officer / CHRO of the company. Makiko Hamada, a graduate of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies at Keio University, worked for Benesse Corporation and CyberAgent, Inc., where she switched to human resources(HR). She created the HR infrastructure at MicroAd, a CyberAgent group company, and supported business expansion from the administrative side. After that, she led the renewal of the HR system as the head of the HR department at Business Breakthrough Inc. After serving as HR manager in several companies such as an IT startup, she joined Axelspace in September 2022.
Others on the list include Takashi Eishima Executive Officer and o-CTO Spacecraft Technologies. He is a space expert involved in developing the world’s first CubeSat at the University of Tokyo Graduate School. After completing his doctoral degree at Tokyo University in 2006, he worked as a project researcher at the University of Tokyo. He joined Axelspace in 2008 as a co-founder and has consistently led the company in technical aspects, including technology development and satellite project management. As Senior Fellow and Senior Engineering Unit Leader in the Engineering Department, he has been formulating technology development roadmaps and engineer talent development plans. As of June 2023, he holds the position of Co-CTO, responsible for spacecraft technologies.
