Meet the Team
Dr. Sachiko Kuno is a scientist, entrepreneur, and philanthropist whose work bridges science, innovation, and social impact across the United States and Japan.
Dr. Kuno is best known in the pharmaceutical industry as a co-founder of Sucampo Pharmaceuticals, where she served as the company’s first CEO. Sucampo successfully developed Amitiza, a treatment for chronic idiopathic constipation and irritable bowel syndrome, reflecting Dr. Kuno’s long-standing commitment to translating scientific research into therapies that improve quality of life. She has also co-founded multiple life-science ventures, including R-Tech Ueno and VLP Therapeutics, advancing innovations in ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and vaccines.
Beyond her entrepreneurial achievements, Dr. Kuno has devoted more than two decades to philanthropy centered on global leadership, cross-cultural exchange, and impact-driven innovation. In 2000, she co-founded the S&R Foundation in Washington, DC, originally envisioned as a private foundation operating from the historic Evermay estate in Georgetown. In 2014, Dr. Kuno launched Halcyon, an incubator dedicated to supporting impact-driven entrepreneurs addressing social and environmental challenges through innovative business models. Halcyon later became an independent organization and has since supported nearly 600 entrepreneurs from more than 50 countries, fostering a global community of changemakers.
Dr. Kuno’s broader philanthropic and civic engagement includes co-founding WE Capital, a female-led investment fund in Washington, DC, and Phoenixi Co., Ltd. in Japan, which operates a Kyoto-based residential incubator for corporate intrapreneurs and social entrepreneurs. She also serves on the Management Policy Council at Kyoto University, supporting international collaboration and institutional advancement.
Dr. Kuno has received numerous awards over the years, including the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the Greater Washington Area in the Life Sciences category (2007), recognition as one of the 25 “Women Who Mean Business” by The Washington Business Journal (2009), one of Forbes Magazine’s Top 50 America’s Richest Self-Made Women (2015), and the World’s 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes Japan (2015). Dr. Kuno has been awarded Stateswoman of the Year 2016 by the Harvard Business School of Japan, received the AVON Awards to Women 2016, and was listed as one of Washingtonian’s 2017 Tech Titans.
Through her philanthropy, Dr. Kuno continues to champion innovation, leadership, and global dialogue as essential tools for addressing the challenges of the future.
