Hiroshi Matsushima, investment director at Sony Ventures, is one of our top 50 Emerging Leaders in corporate venturing for 2025.
Hiroshi Matsushima is an investment director at corporate VC unit Sony Ventures. Launched in 2016, the CVC unit manages $430m for Japanese conglomerate Sony.
After nearly two decades at the parent firm in various roles including corporate human resources, first-party game studio, PlayStation Store and third-party relationships, Matsushima joined Sony Innovation Fund in 2019 as an investment manager.
In his current role, Matsushima’s focus areas include gaming, sports, animation, music and food technologies. He has helped Sony Ventures invest in 12 startups globally. Out of seven investments in Japan, two portfolio companies achieved successful initial public offerings: Sun Asterisk, a software development company that undertakes creative development for B2B clients, and MonoAI Technology, a metaverse gaming technology developer.
“I play video games and watch films regularly because it is the fastest way to keep up with industry trends”
Matsushima is interested in investing in AI, especially looking at how creators can enhance their work using these tools. “I would like to help creators create whatever they want, so I am looking at middleware in this area,” he says.
He maintains an extensive communication network within the company’s business divisions and subsidiaries and supports the growth of the portfolio companies, bringing strategic benefits to the CVC unit, the business division and the portfolio companies.
Matsushima also holds a concurrent assignment within one of Sony’s entertainment groups, which helps to strengthen the collaborative relationship between the Sony Ventures team and the business unit.
Matsushima stays up to date as an investor by reading industry-relevant articles and networking. But one other key thing is being a regular gamer. “As I focus on entertainment, it is also important for me to consume content,” he says. “I play video games and watch films regularly because it is the fastest way to keep up with industry trends.”
See the full list of Emerging Leaders 2025 here.
