Born in Osaka, Japan. Ryo completed the master's program in Sustainability Studies at The Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo. He spent his elementary school years in the US and became interested in water problems during middle school. He studied environmental engineering (water treatment) and sustainability studies (including research in Southeast Asia and Africa). After finishing graduate studies, he worked on supporting social entrepreneurs in Japan and abroad at the non-profit organization ETIC., launching a social startup accelerator program called "SUSANOO". After founding WOTA in 2014, Ryo has worked in multiple roles including procurement and product development (was lead product development engineer for WOSH and WOTA BOX), and is currently in charge of overseas market development and government relations.