Ryota Sekine is a startup founder based in Chicago. When he was an undergraduate student at the University of Chicago, he cofounded Cubii, a fitness brand for baby boomers & beyond. After the business was acquired in late 2020, he has been mentoring early-stage founders, helping brainstorm their “different” that would give them a shot at being positioned in the 1% of their niches. He is currently experimenting with concepts such as space tech, web3/alt gov and bioengineering for his next venture. He graduated from the College in 2013 with a degree in Biology. Ryota enjoys sharing Japanese culture, and is a dedicated member of the U.S.-Japan Council and TOMODACHI Initiative.