# Taku Harada

> Taku Harada is the New York-based co-founder and CEO of Peatix. A Yale graduate whose career included Sony Music, Amazon Japan, Apple and YOOX Japan, he helped launch Peatix in May 2011. His work connects a lifelong interest in music with tools that help independent organizers bring people together.

- **Role:** Co-founder and CEO at Peatix
- **Organizations:** Peatix, Sony Music Entertainment, Amazon Japan, Apple, YOOX Japan, Orinoco, FullCourt
- **From:** Tokyo, Japan
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree in History, Yale University
- **Known for:** Helped launch and market Japan’s iTunes Music Store in 2005., Co-founded Peatix, launched in May 2011., Led Peatix through its 2015 Series B financing.

## Career timeline

- **1997** — Graduated from Yale University and joined Sony Music Entertainment, working on international contracts.
- **2001** — Joined Amazon Japan; responsibilities included its entertainment business.
- **2005** — Joined Apple to help launch and market the iTunes Music Store in Japan.
- **2006** — Returned to Amazon Japan, overseeing marketing and mobile.
- **2008** — Became representative director of YOOX Japan.
- **2009** — Established Orinoco, according to the biography accompanying his 2014 Peatix interview.
- **2011-05** — Co-launched the Peatix event-management and ticketing platform in Tokyo.
- **2011-12** — Became CEO of the US-incorporated Peatix Inc., according to his 2014 biography.
- **2026-09** — Spoke on the September 3 Kokusai Startup Meetup panel at Wantedly’s office.
- **2026-10** — Appeared on Renita Kalhorn’s The High-EQ Founder podcast to discuss Peatix, community and its business model.

## Achievements

- Helped launch and market Japan’s iTunes Music Store in 2005.
- Co-founded Peatix, launched in May 2011.
- Led Peatix through its 2015 Series B financing.
- An October 2026 interview described Peatix as operating in 22 countries, with 5.6 million people gathering through it annually.

## Latest updates

- **2026-10** — Featured on The High-EQ Founder with Renita Kalhorn on October 1, discussing community, revenue models and learning from mistakes.
- **2026-09** — Participated as a panelist at Kokusai Startup Meetup on September 3; Peatix published a recap on September 18.
- **2026-01** — Published a January 5 New Year message prioritizing platform improvement, community value and team culture.
- **2025-06** — Peatix published his Lil’ Bites Big Ideas conversation with Resobox founder Takashi Ikezawa.

## Links

- Website: https://peatix.com
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/takuharada
- Twitter/X: https://x.com/takumeister
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/taku.harada

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/taku-harada
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-26