Dr. Sakyasingha (Sakya) Dasgupta is the Founder, CEO & Chairman of EdgeCortix, a Japan-headquartered, globally operating fabless AI semiconductor company pioneering energy-efficient computing for the next generation of Physical AI. An accomplished AI technologist, semiconductor entrepreneur, and innovator, he brings nearly two decades of experience translating breakthrough research into commercially scalable technologies. Before founding EdgeCortix, he held research and leadership positions at Microsoft, IBM Research US/Japan, RIKEN, and the Max Planck Institute in Germany. He also played pivotal roles in establishing and scaling technology ventures across Japan and Singapore, spanning AI semiconductors, robotics, autonomous systems, and financial technology.

Founded in 2019, EdgeCortix has emerged as a leading innovator in energy-efficient AI computing, advancing intelligent systems from the edge to complex Physical AI applications. Under Sakya’s leadership, the company has raised over US$100 million in funding, secured multiple multibillion-yen Japanese government-backed semiconductor development projects under METI, and established strategic collaborations across aerospace, defense, robotics, and industrial AI. EdgeCortix became the first Japanese company to receive a Success Memorandum from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Innovation Unit (DIU), marking a historic milestone in U.S.-Japan dual-use technology cooperation. Building on its SAKURA family of AI processors, the company unveiled RAIDEN in 2026, its next-generation chiplet-based computing platform designed to accelerate the Physical AI revolution. Sakya’s leadership and contributions have earned international recognition, including the 2024 U.S.-Japan Innovation Award for groundbreaking advances in energy-efficient edge AI and semiconductor technology, and recognition as a World Economic Forum Technology Pioneer in 2024. He has also been a member of the Forbes Technology Council since 2025.

Sakya holds a PhD in Physics of Complex Systems from the Max Planck Institute in Germany and a Master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence from the University of Edinburgh, UK. He also completed entrepreneurship studies at MIT Sloan School of Management. An inventor and researcher, he holds over 20 patents worldwide, with his scientific publications garnering more than 1,000 citations.

Akira Takata currently serves on the Board of Directors of SiTime, the market leader in the MEMS based precision timing market. Previously, he was the President and CEO of MegaChips Corporation, from 2011 to 2019, the second largest fabless semiconductor company based in Japan. During his three decade tenure at MegaChips, Mr. Takata ascended the ranks of the company, from a member of the MegaChips founding team, through various senior positions, including director of Business Unit, director of production management, officer of alliance strategy office and officer of business strategy office, ultimately to the role of CEO. During his tenure, he facilitated the transformation of the company from a largely Japan focused business into a leading, global fabless semiconductor company. From 2014 to 2019, Mr. Takata also served on the Board of Directors of Global Semiconductor Alliance, a leading Semiconductor industry organization. He will serve as EdgeCortix Semiconductor Sector Advisor.

Shri Dodani is a veteran executive of the high tech and communications industries and a Founding Partner at Global Hands-On VC (GHOVC). Prior to GHOVC, Shri was the President & CEO of VERA Security (acquired by Fortra), a leading next-generation data security company. Shri was the president & CEO at StrataLight (Acquired by Opnext, now Lumentum), VxTel, a Silicon Valley Voice-over-IP silicon and software start-up (acquired by Intel). Before VxTel, Shri was the Vice President of Engineering and Operations, at Carrier Access Corp. (IPO: CACS and now part of Dell), with responsibility for engineering, product development, manufacturing and market introduction activities. He also served as an executive with major companies such as Intel and Alcatel/Nokia.

At Renesas, Mohammed is the Head of Global Business Development, AI Centre of Excellence and the Technology Ecosystem. He is responsible for driving new product concepts, promotion and business expansion of Renesas embedding processing portfolio and other key products. He is instrumental in driving the Embedded Processing portfolio's multi-billion-dollar business growth including innovative product roadmap, building ecosystem partnerships, and devising effective GTM strategies worldwide. Additionally, Mohammed is responsible for the global AIOT Centre of Excellence, leading the SW, tools and new AI/ML solution developments related to Voice, Machine Vision and Real-time Analytics.

Before joining Renesas, Mohammed held leadership, marketing and engineering positions at NEC Electronics covering a wide range of products including microcontrollers, microprocessors, A&P and communication devices. Prior to joining NEC Electronics, Mohammed worked for several technology and leading industrial companies, including LEM Heme and Rockwell Automation, where he was responsible for digital transformation and industrial automation technologies covering Engineering, Applications, and Business Development functions.

Mohammed holds BEng (Hons) in Electronics & Information Engineering from the University of Huddersfield and gained Project Management qualifications linked to an MBA from the Open University in the UK.

Educated as a lawyer and trained as a banker, Ken now runs his own family office investing in deep tech startups and hedge funds. Previously he was the founder and managing partner of East Gate Capital Pte. Ltd which over the course of 16 years managed major China pre-IPO funds backed by Japanese institutional investors. Prior to that Ken spent over a decade in the banking industry in roles such as the Asia Pacific Head of Barclays Capital and Asia Pacific Head of Structured Finance at JP Morgan, both based in Tokyo. Between 1998 and 2001, Ken was the managing director of Bear Stearns in Tokyo. During his extensive banking career, Ken has also served as the head of Asia Pacific for structured products of Warburg Dillion Read, specializing in equity, forex trading and quantitative derivative, as well as regulatory arbitrage. From 1989 to 1992, he worked for Allen & Gledhill as a corporate lawyer in Singapore. Ken graduated from the University of Singapore with a Bachelor’s Degree in Law and also holds a Master’s Degree in Law from Cambridge University, England.

Ankur Saxena is an Investment Director at TDK Ventures, leading the company’s investment activities in artificial intelligence, advanced computing, and connectivity. With over a decade of experience in venture capital investing, Ankur has built a successful track record in identifying, investing in, and nurturing high-potential technology startups.

Prior to joining TDK Ventures, Ankur played a pivotal role at Cisco Investments, spearheading investments across AI, machine learning, cloud infrastructure, IoT, and robotics. His strategic insight has driven notable investments and successful exits, earning him recognition as one of Global Corporate Venturing’s Top 50 Emerging Leaders in 2023. Ankur holds an MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management and a bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur.

Outside of his professional endeavors, Ankur enjoys mentoring young professionals, reading biographies, and watching war movies. A passionate cricket fan, he actively follows the Indian cricket team. Above all, Ankur treasures spending quality time with his wife, toddler, and their Shih Tzu.