From a Fortune Global 500 Company to Co-CEO of EMURGO Middle East & Africa

Helping to drive Africa’s adoption of the Cardano blockchain ecosystem, we speak to EMURGO Middle East & Africa co-CEO Yosuke Yoshida as part of the “My Journey to EMURGO” series in which we highlight various talents at EMURGO.

Yoshida talks about his career working as a manager at Fortune Global 500 company, what led him to transition his career to Cardano and the blockchain industry, and other insights about EMURGO Africa.

At the bottom, you can also apply for remote Cardano blockchain jobs at EMURGO Africa!

Q&A with EMURGO MEA co-CEO Yosuke Yoshida

Hello Yosuke. Please introduce yourself.

Yoshida: Hi. I’m Yosuke Yoshida, EMURGO Middle East & Africa co-CEO. EMURGO MEA is a regional entity of Cardano blockchain founding entity EMURGO.

Tell us about your career until now.

Yoshida: It’s been 20 years since I started my career. Before transitioning to blockchain and Web3, I used to work as a manager at a Fortune 500 Global company in Japan focusing on mergers and acquisitions (M&A) and cross-border trading for many years.

I’ve been with EMURGO since nearly the beginning when EMURGO first launched in Japan. I was the previous CEO of EMURGO’s Japan office leading business development with local enterprises and fostering greater awareness of EMURGO and Cardano with the local blockchain community.

What led you to change your career and work in the Cardano blockchain ecosystem?

Yoshida: About 7 years ago, I started to become interested in blockchain technology and how it had the potential to disrupt many traditional industries and create new business opportunities. Shortly after, I was lucky enough to meet some of the Cardano co-founders including EMURGO founder Ken Kodama through my own interest and personal network. This started my journey into Cardano. We discussed the vision and plans for Cardano and how it could be a technological platform on a global scale for businesses and users to access a wide variety of economic benefits that had been previously inaccessible due to many technological reasons.

How does EMURGO Africa differ from other companies?

Yoshida: I’m able to give keen insights into this as my career has spanned both the large corporate world by working at a Fortune Global 500 with a company history dating 150 years and now leading a Web3 startup. The worlds are completely different as one could imagine.

At EMURGO Africa and EMURGO, we are empowered to take active roles in shaping and achieving our tasks. This means taking the initiative to communicate with employees and external stakeholders and getting things done on time. We encourage employees to share ideas, and their tasks, and take pride in their work.

As Web3 as an industry is still nascent, there is a lot of opportunity to shape not only the company itself, but the entire industry with new products and services, partnerships, and other impactful initiatives.

How has working in blockchain and Web3 benefited your career?

Yoshida: Financially, I would have earned much more by continuing my previous career as a manager at a Fortune Global 500 company, but it is not only about the money. I strongly believe that blockchain technology and Cardano have a bright future to create the next truly decentralized global economy and that is more valuable and a priceless opportunity.

What’s been your best work moment at EMURGO Africa so far?

Yoshida: There have been many but it’s always the excitement of seeing what else is in store for such a nascent but fast emerging technological field such as blockchain.

At EMURGO Africa, we’ve been able to forge partnerships to invest in Africa’s Web3 companies, launch Cardano accelerators, host community events to build local awareness of Cardano, and meet with local government and business leaders to educate them on how to provide support to Web3 founders can help deliver technological solutions that can empower local communities.

What’s your favorite EMURGO Africa employee benefit and why?

Yoshida: We have fortunate opportunities to meet the coolest people who are bringing real innovation, all over the world, through Cardano and Web3. There are so many talented and young entrepreneurs, especially in Africa, who are learning and excited about not only Cardano but blockchain in general. These are the talents that we want to support to build socially impactful solutions that can change societies for the better.

Any advice for those who want to work at EMURGO Africa?

Yoshida: If you think you have helpful talents you can bring to EMURGO Africa and help drive Cardano adoption in Africa, then let’s work together.

Tell us three fun facts about yourself!

1. A proud father of three kids.

1. I have stayed more than 100 nights in 8 different countries.

1. I loved backpacking when I was younger.

Interested in helping drive Cardano adoption in Africa? Join EMURGO Africa!

Apply now to EMURGO Africa

Want to work in the Cardano ecosystem and help drive Cardano and Web3 in Africa?

Then, EMURGO Africa is the right place for you to start your blockchain career.

Visit EMURGO Africa’s Careers page here to apply for remote blockchain jobs or reach out directly.

EMURGO Africa is a subsidiary of EMURGO Middle East & Africa, a regional entity of Cardano founding member EMURGO. EMURGO Africa invests in and accelerates Africa-based Web3 startups to build socially impactful solutions on the Cardano blockchain.

With offices in Dubai, Nairobi, and partner offices across Africa, EMURGO Africa offers several work perks and benefits for its employees including remote working opportunities and a chance to support the development of the Cardano ecosystem in Africa’s rapidly growing Web3 scene.

About EMURGO Middle East & Africa