Averon’s team thrives on creativity, and Taro provides the cohesive leadership that brings together our collective imaginations to make Averon shine. 

His wide range of successes include writing a series of New York Times best-selling books on Eastern wisdom that have been published in seven languages and sold more than two million copies (including Living Wabi Sabi and Open Your Mind, Open Your Life); a popular music career as a singer-songwriter in Japan; and cofounding transformative tech startups in California such as eVoice (acquired by AOL) and Teleo (acquired by Microsoft).

Taro earned the distinction of becoming the first American man to graduate from Soka University of Tokyo, where he studied economics, psychology and philosophy, graduating summa cum laude. His postgraduate education included international relations at the University of Salamanca in Spain, and computer graphics and graphic design at UCLA.

A lifelong vegan, he enjoys practicing yoga, meditating daily, and volunteering for humanitarian and animal welfare charities. He is a frequent speaker, participant and local leader in communities including DLD Munich and Tel Aviv, Burning Man, and the SGI-USA.

Taro’s philanthropic efforts include the private sponsorship of underprivileged students in the US and South America, and he’s a proud founding supporter of The Trevor Project, which focuses on suicide prevention among America’s youth.