Meet Maki

Maki is the founder of Tampopo, a marketing agency for lifestyle brands that nourish, teach, and move people. With 15 years spanning political campaigns and global technology marketing, she brings a rare combination: the strategic rigor of B2B growth marketing and the trust-building instincts of someone who started her career knocking on doors and listening to constituents.

She's worked across three continents — building go-to-market strategy, brand positioning, and partner programs for global technology companies scaling into new markets. She holds an MSc in Applied Corporate Brand Management with Distinction from Brunel University London and a BA in Economics and Political Science from the University of Washington. She speaks English, Japanese, and Italian.

She's also a mom of two — which is how she learned that the best products are the ones kids refuse to put down.

Maki started Tampopo because she believes the best brands grow like dandelions — rooted deep, spreading far, and finding opportunity where others write off.