TEAM
MEMBER
Global Representative
Yosuke Kurihara
Born in 1985, Yosuke comes from Chigasaki in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. He lives and works in London. Yosuke joined Dentsu Inc. in 2008, after graduating from the State University of New York. In 2015, he joined the Uhuru Corporation and became the Representative Director of the Overseas Headquarters based in London. He was engaged in capital and business partnerships with sensing-related businesses and the development and implementation of IoT, DX and other data enterprises for private companies and government agencies. In 2020, he co-founded ARK Inc. with Koyo and Isamu and was appointed as Chief Sustainability Officer. His hobbies include bushcraft camping and Muay Thai. His favourite fish is the Japanese char.
Japan Representative
Takeshita Koyo
Born in 1981, Koyo comes from Kanoya City in Kagoshima Prefecture, Japan. He obtained a Master of Engineering degree in the field of Robotics and Biomedical Engineering. He has been involved in product planning, development, and production technology at hardware start-ups, and has authored numerous articles and patents on IoT. He joined Uhuru Inc. in 2016, where he has served as evangelist and technical manager. In 2020, he co-founded ARK and became its representative. His favourite fish is horse mackerel. He is currently training to compete in an aquathlon.
Board Member/CAO
Yoshida Isamu
Isamu comes from Hiratsuka City in
Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. While working in waterworks, repairs, and building maintenance, he taught himself programming and became a software engineer. Later, he achieved top sales at hardware start-ups and major manufacturers, and the IoT gateway he designed achieved the top share of the Japanese market. As Chief Aqua Officer, he is responsible for aquarium equipment and breeding, drawing on his experience and passion for collecting and breeding tropical fish from his free diving excursions. His favourite fish is blue-striped angelfish.
Co-founders
Member
Manufacturing Department Manager
Makoto Munesima
Born in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, he accumulated over 20 years of experience as an SE in a technical trading company before transitioning to become a leisure boat manager at a marina. He holds a boat licence and owns a boat, enjoying fishing in his spare time. He joined ARK in 2022, leveraging his experience in marina boat maintenance to develop expertise in manufacturing technologies such as resin and metal welding.
Manufacturing Department
Yosuke Niimura
Yosuke was born in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture. Since 2002, he has worked as an infrastructure SE, designing and building servers and network equipment for major corporations and public institutions. In 2023, he joined ARK Corporation and currently works in the
manufacturing department. In his spare time, he practises free diving, collecting and rearing tropical fish. His favourite fish are horse mackerel and angelfish.
Sales Department Manager
Ryuichi Chiba
Born in Machida City, Tokyo, he spent a decade as an SE at a business company before investing in and contributing to a startup management. Subsequently, he held roles as a sales manager at an enterprise software maker and as a BizDev manager at an UX consulting firm. In 2022, he joined ARK, where he now oversees domestic sales and marketing. Outside of work, he enjoys fishing and camping, his favourite fish being sea bass.
Research and Development Department
Yoshida Miho
Born in Yachiyo City, Chiba Prefecture, she has an unconventional career path, transitioning from a corporate executive secretary to a software engineer. Her hobbies include free diving, and she has over 40 years of experience in breeding various organisms such as marine and freshwater fish, small animals, reptiles, insects, plants, and algae. With her expertise in animal husbandry, she plays a pivotal role at ARK as a "living creature specialist," responsible for cultivated fry, breeding research, and microbial cultivation. Her favourite fish are the oriental butterflyfish and the diadem dottyback.
Marine Biologist/MSc
Joris Jeursen
Born in The Netherlands and grown up in Belgium. Joris gained extensive experience as an aquarist at the Lisbon Aquarium and the Budapest Aquarium, then worked for a Belgian premix producer VDS in the development of shrimp feeds. He is an aquaculture researcher specialising in shrimp and fish nutrition and RAS-based feed development and production. Besides Dutch and English, he speaks a bit of French, Portuguese, and Spanish. His favourite fish is the ram cichlid.
Researcher, Growth Department
Fumika Yamashina
She was born in Takehara City, Hiroshima Prefecture. After completing her doctoral program at the University of the Ryukyus, she joined ARK in 2024 to conduct research on the growth of living organisms. Through her study of the lunar spawning rhythms of fish in subtropical regions, she has acquired expertise in the cultivation techniques and water quality management of malabar grouper. Her hobbies include snorkelling and travelling. Her favourite fish are pirarucu and coelacanth.