Path’s growth trajectory is leading it to Asia: CEO Dave Morin said that people in Japan and Korea were behind the mobile social network’s second wave of new users after the release of Path 2.0, that China is the app’s second-largest market after the U.S. and that it’s adding more users in Asia than it is in Western markets. Now Path is capitalizing on all that by building out its operation in the region, appointing Kimihiko Shindo as its new general manager for Japan/Asia.
The news was made public on Shindo’s LinkedIn profile one day ago. [Update: Path has confirmed it, too. “Asia is our fastest growing region but no other stats to share at this time,” a spokesperson said.]
Path, which most recently reported it has over 3 million users, is following through on plans it announced in April this year, when the startup raised $30 million in funding and said part of it would be used for international expansion.
As a counterbalance to the stereotype that startups are staffed mainly by young people, Shindo is a seasoned tech veteran, with more than 30 years in the industry under his belt.
His experience is in working for U.S. tech companies in their international operations. He comes from Amazon, where most recently he was senior manager for Audible, having joined audiobooks company before its acquisition by Amazon in 2008. Other past roles include time at RealNetworks (MD running its Japan office). In the past he also worked for Apple and then Steve Jobs’ post-Apple company, NeXT.
Not a whole lot of social media/photo-video experience, but there is a focus on consumer products and mobile, multimedia communication, and partnerships with other companies to deliver services (including B2B services). In short, growing in a grown-up way.
It’s tempting to wonder how and if his extensive experience in audio technology will fit into the mix at Path, which currently lets users share movie, book and music choices.
As you can see by the job title, and the inclusion of Japan and Asia, it looks like he will have a regional remit beyond a single country focus. We’ve reached out to Shindo and Path to get more details about the role and what he and Path plan to do next.