STEVE POLLOCK

Steve Pollock leads the Turnstone Ventures team. He has more than 25years of relevant business and personal history that combine a deep understanding of US-Japanese business with rich hands-on experience as the leader of successful entrepreneurial business ventures in the US. 

Steve started his career with Mitsubishi International Corporation in New York. In a strategic business development role, he oversaw company-wide initiatives that gave him broad exposure to the company’s many product divisions and various market development approaches. He also served in the heavy machinery division, where he facilitated the negotiation and implementation of large-scale construction projects involving Japanese lenders, equipment vendors and US customers in the steel industry. 

After attending Stanford business school, Steve co-founded WetFeet, Inc., a pioneering firm in the recruitment software and services industry and co-led the firm for more than 12 years, from start-up through growth and acquisition.  As president of WetFeet, Steve oversaw many corporate functions, and led its consulting and research practice that advised top employers such as Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, UBS, Ernst & Young, Boston Consulting Group, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly-Clark, HP, and others.   

Steve holds a degree in East Asian studies, summa cum laude, from Harvard and an MBA from Stanford, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar (top 10%).  He has lived, worked and traveled extensively in Japan and speaks, reads and writes Japanese. 

In his spare time, Steve enjoys spending time with his family and pursuing a variety of sports and outdoor activities, including camping, hiking, golfing, jogging, softball, and cycling. He volunteers with AFS International Exchange Program, Stanford Graduate School of Business and the PTA. He is also a member of a member of Vistage, the world’s leading CEO organization.