Memori Yamato is a name synonymous with innovation, resilience, and transformative leadership. With a Master of Public Policy from the University of Tokyo, where she graduated with an Excellence Award and a full scholarship, Memori has carved a remarkable path across finance, technology, and the arts.
As the founder of DIVA, a technology venture born from her philanthropic response to the COVID-19 pandemic, she has redefined the intersection of art and innovation. With over 30 years of industry experience, Memori’s leadership extends beyond DIVA, having served as a board member, US CEO of a space technology company, and Chief Business Officer of a generative AI firm. Her journey is a testament to the power of purpose-driven leadership, making her a true vanguard in the world of CEOs to watch in 2025.
Welcome, Memori, to CEO Scoop. Let’s dive into your inspiring story.
Memori, could you share the beginning of your career journey with us?
“My career journey began at the age of 7 when my mother took me to a professional ballet school in Japan. A teacher said, the school was for students who have a strong will to become a professional dancer. Eventually I got some ‘job’ opportunity of child roles in professional performances through auditions. The entertainment world is really unique in a way that children could become professional businessmen.
There are some backgrounds that paid the way for entrepreneur, but I was so fortunate to make adventures from an early stage of my life. At age 10, I attended training at National ballet academy of Ukraine. It was around the time the first McDonald’s opened in Moscow.
At age 15, I was accepted by a prestigious ballet academy in Russia, but decided to join its sister school in Washington D.C. Going abroad was such an adventure then as we didn’t have the technology we have now. I barely had VAIO on my way to the States only because my aunt was a secretary of Mr. Akio Morita, founder of SONY. Today, learning abroad is not an adventure anymore as you can see the student life on Instagram, attend some classes online, and even meet future classmates before your departure.
Without email, without website, without google map, without any public reviews, you never know what you encounter abroad. What made the foundation of my career is experience throughout the childhood. I encountered a stern-faced teacher upon arrival and survived what seemed like a never-ending service in a jail, surrounded by talented students who eventually won at international competitions.” – Memori Yamato
What were the most challenging obstacles you’ve encountered in your career?
“When I became 18, I was out of a ‘jail’ training and ready to join a professional ballet company. Nobody told me before, however, that professional ballerinas in Japan are not paid at all. I was devastated by the fact that the expectation was rather to become a sponsor of the company, especially to become a prima ballerina. The reality until today is that artistic companies manage to survive with government subsidies and limited sponsors.
If you want to become a Hollywood actress, you probably imagine your early days to be working in a restaurant in LA while auditioning and making small parts. What if, even a red-carpet actress is not paid at all and donating to the movie production instead?
All of sudden, I was at lost and found myself sitting at a couch in university campus. It was a disaster to lose your nearly 20 years of training and objective of life since early childhood.
Since then, I could never stop questioning the fundamental structure of the industry – what makes artists so poor?
Almost everyone advised me to join a ballet company. However, it was not the way I wanted to fight in my life. It brought me an aspiration to study the fundamental cause. The following stages of my days, studying public policy at University of Tokyo and working at investment bank provided deeper insights for the above question. I was always thinking about the possible money flow for the traditional art industry.
When we saw pandemic, a sudden inspiration came and it told me you have to do something. Theatres worldwide closed almost for the first time in the history. Even during World Wars, theatres continued operation and it was an important source of entertainment. It was an unprecedented time in art society.
I once gave up my dream for a financial reason, but this time, I found myself giving up a well-paid job at investment bank to support artists who were struggling financially to pursue their jobs. What followed upon foundation of DIVA was a development of web platform which was a hell, something I would never do by myself again.
We got 600 calls upon launch of our service under the pandemic situation. I was speechless when ballerinas visited our website to keep their dreams.” – Memori Yamato
Who has been the most significant source of inspiration in your life?
“I didn’t have a role model for me, and rather struggled with the originality of my life. It required a lot of energy for me to move my career stages, from ballet to investment bank, then to an entrepreneur.
Nobody would believe me saying this now, but I once attended tap dance class while working for the investment bank and ended up attending 11 classes a week. Moving away from Broadway energy to settle in a static, quantitative, and logical world of Wall Street was quite a challenge in early days. Then, entrepreneurship is a totally different experience from taking a leadership position in established companies. A founder CEO needs to take an ultimate responsibility under your own name. It brings you to a situation of “Society vs You.” While I learned professionalism on stage or at a bank, it’s different from making the best of best performance in your given positions or continue it as a marathon. When I founded amid Covid, I followed my heart of “do the right thing”, but what follows until now is the process of “make it a right thing.” Innovation means it’s not established in the society.
A quote that possibly guided me towards entrepreneur was:
There are some people who live in a dream world, some face reality and there are those who turn one into the other. – Douglas Everett
This is a quote that I found it on the website of The Actors Studio. It stirred my performer spirit, and I thought this is a plot of my life. The role of entertainment is to give light to people’s everyday life. While performers give hope to the audience from stage, entrepreneurs can solve the fundamental issue and bring a game change. The performers receive spotlight. I give spotlight to performers.
If I name one entrepreneur whom I respect, I would say, Walt Disney. Not everyone connects him with the world of art behind the iconic character, but he is one-and-the only-entrepreneur who achieved the integration of classical Art and Business.
Many of Disney’s classic films referenced classical arts as well as fairy tale. For example, Sleeping Beauty in ballet was created as early as 1890. The original theatre production was made by Russian choreographer under the age of Czarism.
It was Disney movie that made story and music accessible to the people.
Today we see endless production of Aurora princess products, but it was only through Disney that people connect their personal lives and dreams with the story.” – Memori Yamato
Could you highlight the key offerings of your company?
“Our mission is to create a world where human can embrace own life with technology and art.
We were founded in 2020 with an objective to create jobs for the Art society under the pandemic.
What I persisted was to make it an enterprise with a social objective. It would have been much easier to act as NPO or government funding, but it does not solve the fundamental issue. My aim is to create a new capital flow to the world of art society.
The name DIVA represents our respect for the Divinity of art. It reflects the spirit and mindset I have learned from the art society from an early stage of my life.
There are two key offerings of DIVA. During Covid, we launched B to C platform for artist community. We believe it was the first platform that covered arts society across fields – opera, drama, musical, music, dance, paintings and so on.
The new offering is under development, but our service has evolved over the years as well as society has transformed. There was a sudden boost of NFT art. We loved the concept of bringing art into a financial platform. Yet, our concern was lack of governance and methodology for the fair value of Art. While it generated amazing stories like a family-owned local photo shop or a child’s art work were sold at an outrageous price, we are yet to see a stable cash flow to the art society.
Then the revolution of AI brought an anxiety to artists as it proves that AI can take on creative works.
Those events just strengthened our conviction for our purpose and value position to the society.” – Memori Yamato
Notable recognitions and accreditations
Memori Yamato has been recognized with several prestigious accolades that highlight her leadership and innovation in the technology and entrepreneurial space. In 2024, she was honored as the Young Business Leader of the Year in Technology at the Forttuna Global Excellence Awards. Her contributions also earned her a spot among the first entrepreneurs to participate in a leadership program hosted by the Spanish government in 2023.
That same year, she represented the startup community at the Saudi-Japan Business Forum, showcasing her commitment to fostering international collaboration. Additionally, Memori was a finalist at the Emerging Tech Showcase in 2022, further solidifying her reputation as a forward-thinking leader in the tech industry. These achievements reflect her dedication to driving innovation and creating meaningful impact across industries.
What are your long-term goals, and where do you envision yourself in the coming years?
“In the long term, I aspire to work in government and engage in policymaking, drawing on my graduate studies in public policy, where I focused on addressing social issues and increasing ‘social utility’ in economics. The growing complexity of managing social agendas, especially with the rise of AI and robotics, raises fundamental questions about human rights and what it means to be human.
In the short term, my goal is to expand DIVA’s services further. As we transition from the pandemic era into a world dominated by AI, we are developing new solutions to generate greater cash flow for the art community. Another priority is taking DIVA global, as our value proposition is universal, and we are actively exploring ways to internationalize our operations.
I firmly believe that art will be essential in the next-generation society, where AI and robotics play a central role in daily life. As humanity navigates an increasingly digital and autonomous world, the need for art and entertainment to fulfill our human experience will only grow.
Navigating this evolving landscape requires embracing both technology and art. I am committed to continuing my journey, challenging myself to make an impact through both the private and public sectors.” – Memori Yamato
Memori Yamato’s journey is a testament to the power of resilience, vision, and the relentless pursuit of bridging art and technology for a better future.
