Kei Shibata is a distinguished Tokyo-born travel and technology entrepreneur with over 20 years of expertise in the global digital landscape. Based between Singapore and Tokyo, Kei has a formidable track record of navigating complex corporate milestones, having led his ventures through an IPO, a Management Buy-Out (MBO), two successful exits, and a strategic acquisition. As the founding CEO of Venture Republic, he oversees an elite portfolio of travel media, including TRAVEL.jp—Japan’s largest travel metasearch platform—and Trip101, a premier international travel guide based in Singapore.

Under his strategic vision, Venture Republic went public in Japan in 2008 and later secured a transformative partnership with LINE Corporation, one of Asia’s dominant messaging platforms. Beyond his corporate achievements, Kei is a pillar of the travel-tech community as the co-founder and co-organizer of WiT Japan, a leading regional conference. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BA from Keio University, where he continues to foster entrepreneurship through his work with alumni startup founders. An advocate for the “workation” lifestyle, Kei balances his professional rigor with a passion for backcountry snowboarding, jazz, and the evolving future of remote work.