# DEFTA Partners

DEFTA Partners is a Private Equity based in San Francisco, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Private Equity
- **Headquarters:** San Francisco, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** 111 Pine Street, Suite 1410, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
- **Founded:** 1980
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** www.deftapartners.com

## Regulatory record

- **Reports private funds:** No

## About

DEFTA Partners invests in early-stage healthcare, biotechnology, and ICT companies in the US and internationally. The firm focuses on growth and expansion of its portfolio companies. Founded in 1985 in San Francisco, California, DEFTA Partners has made 46 investments and had 6 portfolio exits.

## Sectors

- Digital Health
- Enterprise Software
- Healthcare Services

## Offices

- Yokohama, Japan

## People

- George Hara — Group Chairman & CEO
- Satoshi Tsubotani — General Manager of Business Development, DEFTA Capital
- Takeo Sako — Deputy General Manager of Business Development, DEFTA Capital
- Kyoko Watanabe — Managing Director, DEFTA Corporation
- Baldev Madahar — CFO, DEFTA Corporation
- Masahide Isono — Principal, DEFTA Corporation
- Susumu Kaminaga — Board Director, DEFTA Capital
- Mikio Tanji — Executive Officer, DEFTA Capital
- May Takahashi — Investment & Business Development Manager, DEFTA Corporation
- Yoshiko Kumachi-Takaike — Director of the Board, DEFTA Capital
- Yoshiyuki Katsuragi — Director of Business Development, DEFTA Capital

## Questions

### Who runs investment decisions at DEFTA Partners?

George Hara, as Group Chairman & CEO, leads the firm's overall investment direction and strategy. The investment and business development functions are managed by a team that includes Satoshi Tsubotani (General Manager), Takeo Sako (Deputy General Manager), and Masahide Isono (Principal), operating from both the San Francisco and Yokohama offices. The firm does not publicly detail investment committee structure or voting protocols.

### How does DEFTA Partners source its deal flow?

DEFTA's sourcing model relies on George Hara's long-standing networks in technology and government, particularly in Japan and the US. The firm's dual presence in Silicon Valley and Yokohama provides access to both Western innovation clusters and Asian corporate partnerships. Its unusual relationship with BRAC in Bangladesh also creates proprietary infrastructure and tech-enabled service opportunities that most venture firms never see.

### Which sectors does DEFTA Partners explicitly avoid?

DEFTA's public statements do not list explicitly excluded sectors. The stated focus is on information and communication technology, biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare, with a recent pivot toward advanced therapeutics and health IT. Sectors outside these domains — such as heavy industry, commodities, or consumer goods — appear absent from their portfolio, but no formal exclusion policy is disclosed.

### Does DEFTA Partners participate in fund commitments or only direct deals?

The firm's public materials describe direct investments in over 100 companies, without mention of fund-of-funds commitments or LP positions in other venture firms. The bracNet joint venture in Bangladesh demonstrates a willingness to use operating-company and project-level structures, but evidence of fund investments in third-party managers is not publicly available.

## Related profiles

- [DD Venture Capital](https://altss.com/profile/dd-venture-capital)
- [Delos Capital Partners](https://altss.com/profile/delos-capital-partners)

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Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

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