Mika Onishi

Past Teams

Follow Beauty (Co-Founder, Guthy-Renker Beauty Incubator), Clique Brands (Who What Wear, Byrdie, MyDomaine – Founding Exec / President & Publisher, Acq. by Future), UPTOGOOD (Co-Founder), Disney / ABC TV Digital Media, Sony Pictures, Walt Disney Internet Group, Dentsu / MMG (MPEG, TV Anytime, SDMI), Sony Development, Square USA

Education

BS Business Administration, University of Southern California; MBA, University of California, Los Angeles, Anderson School of Management UCLA; Fulbright Scholarship Award Recipient

BIO

Mika Onishi is General Partner at PORTAL. She brings her over 25 years of experience as a multi-functional and multi-sector entrepreneur, operator and innovator in technology, media and consumer brands to investment decision making and advisory.

Previously, Mika was Co-Founder, COO and CFO of Follow Beauty, an incubator and operator for digitally disruptive creator-led beauty brands funded by Guthy Renker. Portfolio brand, Dragun Beauty, was nominated as finalist for the 2020 Streamys Brand Awards for best creator beauty product of the year.

Mika is the former President, Publisher & COO / CFO / Founding Executive of Clique Brands (Who What Wear, Byrdie, MyDomaine) which was sold to Future Publishing. There, she established and scaled the strategy and operations of the company from the ground up at a time when brand safe digital lifestyle content was scarce relative to print. As an entrepreneurial executive with both financial and marketing acumen and a creative eye, Mika thrives in being at the forefront of disrupting legacy business models and identifying early shifts in market environments. Mika led the team at Clique Brands to develop integrated native advertising, affiliate marketing, and highly curated influencer programs leveraging an in-house creative services agency and influencer network, which she conceived and established, before such programs became more commonplace.

Mika also co-founded UPTOGOOD, a video based crowdfunding and social action platform and was honored as a UN 70 Digital Leader and spoke at TEDx.

She previously was recognized as an expert in early decentralized blockchain technology, smart contracts (Permission Codes), digital rights management, digital identity, content distribution and advanced advertising models and participated as part of an exclusive group of C-level global business leaders, world-class intellectuals, and futurists, legal experts, technologists, media, and strategy delegates to MPEG (Motion Pictures Experts Group), TV Anytime, SDMI (Standard Digital Music Initiative), the Digital Media Project and other international technology standards organizations, representing the interests of Dentsu, a leading international media and advertising conglomerate based in Japan.

Earlier in her career, Mika produced, and for select projects, directed and wrote, PROMAX/BDA award-winning film promotion sites, behind-the-scenes bonus content, location-based entertainment (3D film rides), CGI and video games for Square USA, Sony Development, Sony Pictures, Disney, and others.

Mika is originally from Japan, and holds a B.S. in Business Administration from the University of Southern California and an MBA from UCLA Anderson, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship.

Heartstrings

Called to be a bridge between higher consciousness, technology and business leadership, and to support entrepreneurs from a multidimensional, 360 degree perspective as an advisor and ally. An advocate for heart-centered, transformative leadership.

Fun Facts

Gifted energy healer and coach called to facilitate leaders of leaders to be in remembrance of their sovereign selves, activate their innate potential, and lead with heart to create legacy. Originally from Tokyo, came to the U.S. to study English at 16, and have stayed in the states since. Doting mom to teacup pomeranian, Coconut. Voted most likely to start a fashion trend in college. Was the translator for the cult classic Japanese manga: Sailor Moon. Foodie with a preference for foods with high umami profiles.