Cando Pacific Advisors supports its clients on international business development, strategic alliance and investment, focusing on Japanese market.  Its principal, Chako Ando, has advised her clients in the following areas:

• Japanese market business development, strategy and market research
• Corporate round venture funding from Japanese strategic investors
• Cross-border strategic alliance, strategic investment and M&A

In particular, we are currently focused on supporting U.S. based cleantech companies in their effort to locate strategic partners, as well as strategic and financial investors from Japan.

Management and Startup Experience:  Ms. Ando was the founder/CFO of TWikiNet Inc., a collaborative software company that features a popular open-source web based collaborative application, TWiki.  Before that, Ms. Ando was Chief Operating Officer and Vice President, Business Development of Fitech Laboratories, a cross-border software startup based in San Francisco and Tokyo, which developed large-scale Internet trading system for Japanese financial institutions.  Recently she worked on a technology market report on biometric security systems.

Financial Expertise:  From 1997 to 1999, Chako was with The Industrial Bank of Japan in San Francisco, initiating and overseeing the Bank’s venture capital fund investment program.  Prior to that, Ms. Ando was a vice president at Sumitomo Bank Capital Markets, where she managed the Credit Control Department.  From 1989 to 1993, Ms. Ando was a vice president of Mergers and Acquisitions at Daiwa Securities America.

Ms. Ando holds a BA from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, and an MBA from Stanford University.  Other coursework includes software product management, project management, software programming (C) and E-Commerce Business and Technology. She is a CFA Charter holder.