After 30 years in Japan, former Goldman Sachs vice chair Kathy Matsui, known for research that shifted government policy on women at work, is starting a venture fund that could help put some of her ideas into practice.
Matsui, who left Goldman Sachs Group Inc. at the end of 2020, has teamed up with three other experienced female financial executives to build a fund that aims to invest $150 million (¥16.4 billion) in sectors including health care, fintech, the environment, as well as next-generation work and education. The MPower Partners Fund, a rarity in Japan for its female leadership, will seek to secure high returns while imbuing startups with environmental, social and governance values, Matsui said.
"Our thesis is that for Japanese startups to really go global and to scale, one of the missing links is actually ESG,” she said in an interview last week. "We believe strongly that integrating ESG into their business strategies, good companies can become great companies and sustainably growing companies of the future.”