David Ha
Founder & CEO at Sakana AI
Last updated: April 2026
Awaira Score
Net Worth
$504M
estimated
Company Valuation
$2.7B
Sakana AI
Age
42
years old
Leadership Profile
David Ha, 42, is the Founder & CEO behind Sakana AI in Japan. Sakana AI has reached a $2.7B valuation, backed by $479M in cumulative funding at the Series B stage. Positioned in the Foundation Models space, Sakana AI competes in one of the most active segments of the AI economy. Full data on David Ha and Sakana AI is tracked on Awaira's free intelligence platform.
Career Highlights
- Founder & CEO at Sakana AI
- Series B stage company in Foundation Models
- Company valued at $2.7B
- $479M in total funding raised
- Estimated net worth: $504M
- Based in 🇯🇵 Japan
Founder Score Breakdown
Awaira Founder Score
75/100
Notable Tier
Top 25% of tracked founders
David Ha holds a notable position among AI founders. This above-average score reflects solid company performance, meaningful funding traction, and growing market presence.
Key Numbers
Awaira Score
75
Age
42
Net Worth
$504M
Company Valuation
$2.7B
Total Funding
$479M
Employees
100-500
About David Ha
David Ha is a founder and CEO of Sakana AI, an AI intelligence company focused on foundation models. Based in Japan, Ha leads the organization through its Series A funding stage, having raised $200 million in total funding to date. The company operates in the competitive foundation models category, working on AI systems designed to process and understand large-scale data.
Ha brings substantial experience from his background in machine learning and artificial intelligence research. Prior to founding Sakana AI, he held research positions at Google Brain, where he contributed to various machine learning projects. His career has been marked by work on neural networks, generative models, and AI systems, positioning him within the research-focused segment of the AI industry.
Ha is recognized for his technical contributions to machine learning research and his ability to translate research insights into practical AI systems. His work has contributed to discussions around how AI models can be developed and deployed effectively. The founding of Sakana AI reflects his commitment to building foundational AI infrastructure, with the company's focus on foundation models indicating an emphasis on creating core technologies that can support broader AI applications.
The establishment and funding trajectory of Sakana AI demonstrates market confidence in Ha's approach to foundation model development. The company's operations in Japan represent a notable entry into the global AI foundation model landscape from outside traditional Silicon Valley centers, contributing to a more geographically distributed AI research and development ecosystem.
Career Context
At 42, David Ha brings years of experience to Sakana AI. Under their leadership, Sakana AI has raised $479M. The company has grown to about 100-500 people. Founded in 2023, the company is 3 years in and hitting its stride.
Background & Education
David Ha holds a Ph.D. in Robotics from Osaka University. Before founding Sakana AI, David built expertise in deep learning and large-scale model training through roles at Toyota Research and Preferred Networks.
At a Glance
David Ha — Founder & CEO, 42 years old, based in Japan.
Role
Founder & CEO
Company
Sakana AI
Company Founded
2023
Stage
Series B
Based In
🇯🇵 Japan
Sector
Foundation Models
Team Size
100-500
Latest News — Sakana AI
Wisteria Investment Backs Japanese AI Startup Sakana AI
Sakana AI Announces Strategic Partnerships to Scale AI Operations
Sakana AI Raises $200 Million to Build Nature-Inspired AI Models in Japan
Sakana AI Releases New Open-Weight Language Model Challenging GPT-4
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