Nick Sugie

Founded independent cross-border advisory practice July 2012, formally incorporated November 2013
• Led corporate development and strategic investments across Asia, Europe, and North America, enhancing cross-border partnerships.
•Cross-Border M&A & Growth: Advised leading Japanese corporations on international expansion and M&A strategies, managing approximately $300M in transaction volume.
•St

Founded an independent cross-border advisory practice, leading corporate development and strategic investments across Asia, Europe, and North America. Managed approximately $300M in transaction volume and executed major corporate M&A deals.

• Led U.S. market entry and corporate structuring to target high-barrier sectors, including DoD and state agencies.
• Navigated federal and defense contracting, achieving full “contract-ready” status through CAGE/SAM certification.
• Built a strategic network across Tier-1 primes and federal advisory services to enhance market access.

Co-Founder, part-time / Full-time operator / Advisor2021 – Present
• Co-founded Closer Robotics Inc., scaling the company from an R&D concept to a METI-certified J-Startup.
• Successfully raised over $10M in VC and government funding to drive growth and innovation.
• Led market validation through 100+ customer interviews, refining product offerings to address labor shortages.
• Established k

-Strategic Board Advisory & Channel Innovation: Conducted market research and presented a board-level case identifying long-term declines in physical retail; spearheaded the shift toward automated vending channels to secure independent, direct-to-consumer access ahead of digital market shifts.
-M&A & IP Asset Acquisition: Spearheaded the buyback of strategic publishing rights from Nintendo for gam

-Capital Formation & Venture Growth: Built financial models, pitched institutional investors, and successfully raised $6M USD in market-entry funding to capitalize the regional entity and scale APAC commercialization.
-APAC Entity Launch & Corporate Setup: Executed full entity incorporation and operational setup in Singapore, including office launching, banking/accounting infrastructure, cross-bor

• Conducted valuation and provided strategic insights on TMT companies, facilitating successful deal execution.
• Developed financial models to guide M&A and capital-raising decisions, enhancing decision-making processes.
• Played a key role in high-impact client pitches, significantly improving win rates for advisory mandates.
• Analyzed market trends in tech, media, and telecom sectors to

Studied business and managerial economics at International Christian University from 2000 to 2004.