Christos Makiyama
About Christos Makiyama
Christos Makiyama is based in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. According to the Ireland Japan Chamber of Commerce, he was born in Japan and raised in Greece and Cyprus. His LinkedIn lists Osaka Institute of Technology under education.
He founded Silicon Planet, a venture development firm, in February 2001 and is its President. The firm works with technology innovators to evaluate market opportunities and build business models around their technologies. Clients have included NTT, Oki Electric, Paltek and ImageOne. He has also helped overseas startups with business development and Japan entry strategy.
In 2004 he joined Helic, an electromagnetic analysis startup for wireless and high-speed IC design. He led its Japanese market development until February 2019, when Ansys acquired it. Fujitsu and Magma Design made a strategic investment in Helic in 2008. His LinkedIn also lists him as co-founder and President of Loctio, which develops ultra-low power positioning technology for IoT devices. He is on the advisory side at InAccel, and he mentors young entrepreneurs through Reload Greece.
His best-documented angel investment is Think Silicon, a Patra, Greece company building ultra-low power GPU and display controller technology. He worked with it from late 2014 and was an angel investor and Director of the Board. Applied Materials acquired Think Silicon in April 2020.
Crunchbase shows 1 investment, 1 portfolio company, 0 lead investments and 1 exit (0 by IPO). Crunchbase also describes him as an investor in Fieldscale. His LinkedIn names Fieldscale among the companies he has worked with, alongside Vidyo, Jungo Networks, Irida Labs and others. LinkedIn lists his Fieldscale roles as Advisor to the CEO from April 2019 and Chief Innovation Officer from June 2020, both ending April 2023. Round dates and amounts are not public.
No dedicated AI investments are documented in the sources reviewed. His public bios say his venture development work has covered startups in computer vision and AI, among other areas. His LinkedIn lists Irida Labs, an edge computer vision company, among the companies he has supported. Whether any of this involved an investment is not stated.
His public work centers on deep technology: networking and communication, semiconductors, video communications, computer vision, IoT and AI. His LinkedIn describes him as a venture developer and tech ecosystem strategist who connects deep-tech ecosystems in Japan and Europe. He has strong ties to Japan and Greece. He has not published a check size, preferred stage or investment thesis.
- Think Silicon: Greek developer of ultra-low power GPU and display controller IP. He was an angel investor and board director from late 2014, and Applied Materials acquired it in April 2020.
- Fieldscale: Crunchbase lists him as an investor. LinkedIn lists him as Advisor to the CEO and later Chief Innovation Officer and Partner until April 2023.
- Loctio: IoT positioning technology company that he co-founded, per LinkedIn and Crunchbase.
Investing activity
Christos Makiyama has made 1 investment according to Crunchbase across 1 portfolio company, and has seen 1 exit.
Deals
Frequently asked questions about Christos Makiyama
Who is Christos Makiyama?
He is the founder and President of Silicon Planet, a Japan-based venture development firm started in February 2001. He is also an angel investor and a co-founder of Loctio.
Does Christos Makiyama invest in AI startups?
His bios say he has supported startups in computer vision, IoT and AI. No specific AI investments with dates are public.
What is Christos Makiyama's check size?
No check size or investment range is public.
What is Christos Makiyama's track record as an angel?
He was an angel investor and board director of Think Silicon from late 2014, and Applied Materials acquired it in April 2020. Crunchbase lists 1 investment and 1 exit.
Where is Christos Makiyama based?
He is based in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. He also works closely with the Greek and European deep-tech community.
Where can founders find Christos Makiyama online?
He has a LinkedIn profile, a Silicon Planet website and a Substack blog. No X account was found.
Is Christos Makiyama an angel investor?
Yes. Christos Makiyama invests personally as an angel. Crunchbase counts 1 investment and 1 exit.
How can founders reach Christos Makiyama?
Founders on Lounge can see Christos Makiyama's contact details in AI Investor Contacts (paid plans), check for a warm introduction through members who worked with them under Warm Paths, and add Christos Makiyama to their Investor Pipeline to track the conversation.