John Roos

John V. Roos is the Founding Partner at Geodesic Capital, a venture capital firm that bridges Japan and Silicon Valley by investing in growth-stage technology companies and helping them with market entry, strategy, and overall operational support in Japan. He is a member of the Board of Directors at Salesforce.com and the Board of Directors at Rakuten, Group Inc. Ambassador Roos is a Senior Advisor at Centerview Partners, a preeminent mergers & acquisitions advisory firm. He is an advisor to the Toyota Research Institute and serves on the Board of Directors of The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation. Additionally, Ambassador Roos is an Advisory Board member at the Stanford Center for Asian Health Research and Education. Previously, Ambassador Roos served as Chief Executive Officer and Senior Partner at Wilson, Sonsini, Goodrich, & Rosati, the leading law firm in the United States in the representation of technology, life sciences, and emerging growth companies. In addition to previously serving on the Global Advisory Board of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Ambassador Roos served on the Board of Sony Corporation from 2014-2020.

From 2009-2013 Ambassador Roos served as the United States Ambassador to Japan. On August 6, 2010 he became the first sitting U.S. Ambassador ever to attend the commemoration ceremony of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima. Ambassador Roos’ service in Tokyo coincided with the devastating 9.0 earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear crisis on March 11, 2011. Following this tragedy, Ambassador Roos led the American effort on the ground in support of Japan’s response to the multi-dimensional and unprecedented disaster. After the crisis, Ambassador Roos led the creation of the TOMODACHI initiative, a public-private partnership that has established more than 320 exchange programs. In May 2022, Ambassador Roos was recognized for his contributions and ongoing commitment to relations with Japan and was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun, the highest honor to be given to a foreign national.

Ambassador Roos is a graduate with honors and distinction from Stanford University and from Stanford Law School where he was Order of the Coif.