Noriaki Hirao

Noriaki Hirao, a seasoned professional with a diverse background, has had an accomplished career in various industries such as entertainment, semiconductor, IoT, and cybersecurity.

With a strong educational foundation in aero-space engineering, organic chemistry, and marketing from institutions in the United States, Noriaki has showcased his expertise through multiple successful ventures and projects.

Having started his journey with SOFTBANK in 2008, he quickly made his mark by winning national mobile sales contests and earning recognition through in-house awards, eventually moving on to the Business Promotion Division where he spearheaded innovative projects related to MVNO partnerships and new business developments in sectors like agricultural IoT and mobile healthcare.

His commitment to cutting-edge technology led him to sign a significant joint development and research agreement with Tohoku University in 2011, focusing on patent strategies for next-generation semiconductors and technologies.

After a short-lived experience with company liquidation in 2014, Noriaki joined Sercomm Japan Corporation as a Business Development Manager, followed by a role as a New Business Innovation Officer for IoT at WirelessGate, a top-performing company in Japan.

In 2015, undeterred by challenges, he founded Planetway, a global start-up dedicated to the advancement of Internet and universal ID technologies, raising a substantial amount of funds over the years to drive the company's vision and mission.