George Hara

Managing Partner - DEFTA Partners

Mr. Hara has been active in venture capital and high technology global alliances since 1984. He is internationally known as a leading edge venture capitalist and visionary leader in information technology. Mr. Hara is responsible for helping portfolio companies build international business alliances that aim to generate substantial revenue growth particularly in the US, UK, Israel and Japan.

Mr. Hara has managed his venture capital funds (DEFTA VENTURE FUNDS) for US, UK and Israeli startups mainly in the areas of software, telecommunications and Internet. He has served as Chairman of Borland Co. Ltd., and has been a board member and major investor of many successful ventures such as Picturetel (the largest video conference system manufacturer), ZORAN (one of the most successful Israeli ventures), OREN Semi-conductor and TRADEX (eCommerce).

In 1990, Mr. Hara became a General Partner with Accel Partners at Accel Japan, where he developed many successful strategic alliances such as PictureTel/NTT, First Virtual /NTT, Wollongong/NTT Data, and Borland/RIOS. Prior to Accel, Mr. Hara co-founded Japan Incubation Capital with Masayoshi Son of Softbank, Japan's first independent venture capital firm in 1985.

Mr. Hara was appointed advisor to the Governor of Osaka in 1986/87, where he helped develop plans for Japan's first business park specially designed to help foreign companies launch operations in Japan. He is currently policy advisor to the Governor of Gifu Prefecture. He is also Chairman of the Alliance Forum Foundation, an organization that helps build US/APEC high tech industry alliances and Chairman of ATRE, the Asia Technology Roundtable Exhibition. He has served as an advisory committee member of the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications and the Ministry of Finance, Member of the Keizai Doyukai (Committee for Economic Development) of Japan, Vice Chairman of International Committee, YPO, Japan Chapter and is a member of the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) of the US.

Mr. Hara holds a LL.B. from Keio University, and an MS from the School of Engineering at Stanford University.