Shinji Ochiai

Shinji A. Ochiai was born and raised in Tokyo, Japan. When he was six years old, his family moved closer to the US Military controlled Yokota Air Force Base where he was exposed to American customs. Since then, he always wanted to experience a life inside the United States.
Ochiai is an entrepreneur with myriad of experiences ranging from building businesses to organizing and developing children’s attractions around the world. Having keyed in on the globalization in Japan in the 1980s, Ochiai started his first advertising company in Tokyo at the young age of twenty. From there, his most significant achievements include starting a new bank and becoming a public company president. In 2007, Ochiai moved to the US to study at University of New Mexico, and he discovered the different ways the Japanese and American children were taught in schools. His keen interest in the different educational systems helped influence his new business projects. Currently, he runs teamLab Kids, a company that makes children’s attractions, and he manages the exhibitions located in Dubai, Italy, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, USA, and other countries. teamLab Kids is innovating educational programs through technology, delivering an immersive and visually interactive art experience for the young and the young at heart. Ochiai’s passion for learning has led him to professional and personal success. He is still motivated by his childhood rugby coach’s advice: «Don’t stop believing!».
Ochiai currently resides in El Paso, Texas. He is happily married with five children: three boys and two girls. He has two master’s degrees (MBA and MA in Economics) and was accepted into a Ph. D. program in Statistics from University of New Mexico. Putting his potential doctoral studies aside, Ochiai chose to pursue his businesses and to enjoy his growing family. Nonetheless, Ochiai has not lost his love for learning; he believes that education can ensure the bright futures of the young by unraveling the world’s challenges one by one.