What Laboro.AI does

Laboro.AI is a Tokyo-headquartered custom AI development firm founded in April 2016 that designs and deploys bespoke machine learning systems for Japanese enterprises. The company serves named clients across manufacturing (NGK Insulators, Omron, Toyota, Murata Manufacturing, Oki Electric, Obayashi), consumer products and beverages (Ajinomoto, Sapporo Holdings), insurance (Meiji Yasuda Life), transportation (Shikoku Passenger Railway), public sector (Yamaguchi Prefecture), and staffing/HR technology (Persol Cross Technology, Geotechnologies). Engagements are delivered end-to-end under a proprietary "Solution Design" framework covering problem identification, data analysis, model development, MLOps, and ongoing system operation, spanning natural language processing, computer vision, reinforcement learning, generative AI, optimization, anomaly detection, and recommendation systems.

The underlying technology stack combines in-house Japanese-language model development (Japanese BERT, DistilBERT-Japanese) with publicly contributed research assets such as the LaboroTVSpeech speech corpus, Laboro-ASV speaker verification dataset, and Laboro Tomato agricultural image dataset. Beyond pure custom development, Laboro.AI has productized several offerings: Brand Dialogue AI and DDDAI Planning (co-developed with strategic partner Daiko for the marketing vertical), an AI Menu Planner/Menu Creation Engine, Kachii-meshi AI for food service, Railway Defect AI for infrastructure inspection, and Mirai Research for future-domain opportunity analysis. The firm holds ISO 27001 certification and is a member of the NVIDIA Inception Program.

Laboro.AI operates a B2B project-based professional services model in which each engagement is priced around custom development effort, with an emerging shift toward recurring revenue via productized/SaaS-style offerings (notably DDDAI Planning and the AI Menu Planner). The company went public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (code 5586) on July 31, 2023, having previously taken an investment from Global Brain in September 2022. It is led by CEO Tetsuo Shiibashi (formerly of Boston Consulting Group) and COO/CTO Hiromasa Fujiwara (PhD from Kyoto University, formerly of AIST and BCG), and has added a CFO and CHRO in 2024 to support post-IPO scaling. With 51–100 employees, Laboro.AI competes as a research-grade boutique against larger Japanese system integrators and global AI consultancies.

Name

Laboro.AI

Legal name

株式会社Laboro.AI

Website

https://laboro.ai

Company type

Public

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Laboro.AI is a Tokyo-headquartered custom AI development firm founded in 2016 that builds bespoke machine learning solutions for Japanese enterprises across manufacturing, transportation, marketing, and public-sector applications.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Custom AI Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services (BPAEAHAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent) (HDAAACAF)

Keywords

• Custom AI development
• Machine learning solutions
• Generative AI services
• AI consulting services
• Enterprise AI solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom AI Development Services: Bespoke AI solution development tailored to client business challenges. Projects include requirements definition, AI development, implementation, and ongoing optimization. Revenue recognized through project-based engagements.
2. AI Consulting and Strategy: Solution design consulting helping clients formulate AI adoption strategies, identify use cases, and plan implementation roadmaps.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Laboro.AI is a Tokyo-based custom AI development company that designs, builds, and implements bespoke artificial intelligence and machine learning solutions for enterprise clients. Its core service covers four domains: optimization (scheduling, routing, layout, resource allocation), AI agents and generative AI (multi-persona agents, brand dialogue), R&D support (AI-assisted scientific research), and other AI solutions (anomaly detection, text classification, matching, vibration control). Engagements span the full project lifecycle from problem definition and strategy through development, deployment, and ongoing optimization, delivered by in-house solution designers and ML engineers.

Product overview

Laboro.AI is a Tokyo-based custom AI development company offering bespoke AI solutions (カスタムAI開発) as its core service, complemented by a portfolio of named AI products, solution modules, and open-source resources. The core service covers four domains: (1) Optimization (最適化領域) — using AI for scheduling, routing, layout, and resource allocation; (2) AI Agent/Generative AI (AIエージェント／生成AI領域) — building autonomous agents and generative AI systems; (3) R&D Support (研究開発支援) — AI-assisted scientific research; and (4) Other AI Solutions (その他のAIソリューション) — covering anomaly detection, text classification, matching, and vibration control. Named AI products include: 未来リサーチ (Mirai Research) — an AI simulation-based market research service; Brand Dialogue AI — a brand personality-reflecting generative AI for customer dialogue; DDDAI Planning — a multi-persona AI agent for advertising proposal generation; 献立作成エンジン (Menu Creation Engine) — a nutritional meal plan generation engine; 勝ち飯AI (Kachii-meshi AI) — an athlete-specific personalized menu app; and 線路設備不良判定AI — an automated railway track defect detection system. Solution modules include: 不良・異常検出ソリューション (Anomaly Detection), 文章分類・評価ソリューション (Text Classification/Evaluation), マッチングソリューション (Matching), and 振動制御ソリューション (Vibration Control). Open-source contributions include Japanese NLP models (Laboro BERT, Laboro DistilBERT), speech datasets (LaboroTVSpeech v1 and v2, Laboro-ASV), and a tomato image detection dataset (Laboro Tomato). The company operates from a Tokyo office and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (Securities Code: 5586).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• カスタムAI (Custom AI): The company's primary service offering - bespoke AI solution development for enterprise clients
• 未来リサーチ (Mirai Research)
• DDDAI® Planning

Products and services

• Custom AI Development (カスタムAI開発) Bespoke AI solution development service tailored to individual enterprise client business challenges. Covers four domains: optimization (scheduling, routing, layout, resource allocation), AI agents/generative AI (multi-persona agents, brand dialogue), R&D support (AI-assisted scientific research), and other AI solutions (anomaly detection, text classification, matching, vibration control). Delivered by in-house solution designers and ML engineers as end-to-end projects.
• Mirai Research (未来リサーチ) AI simulation-based market research service that uses large language models to predict consumer responses to product concepts. Designed to replace or supplement conventional questionnaire-based quantitative research, achieving an average error rate of 3.7% versus traditional surveys in a deployment with Sapporo Holdings.
• Anomaly Detection Solution (不良・異常検出ソリューション) Deep learning image recognition solution that detects defects, cracks, and anomalies in factory products and building structures. Automatically identifies areas requiring inspection, reducing manual workload and eliminating quality variance between human inspectors.
• Text Classification and Evaluation Solution (文章分類・評価ソリューション) Natural language processing solution that classifies, tags, and scores documents based on AI-learned classification criteria. Supports Japanese, English, Chinese, French, Spanish, Portuguese, German and other major languages. Enables efficient use of large-scale document archives and targeted information retrieval.
• Matching Solution (マッチングソリューション) Neural network-based matching engine that learns relationships between candidates and job postings from historical successful placement data. Combines structured data, free-text, numerical, image, and categorical variables to predict placement success probability for optimal person-job matching in recruitment and HR.
• Vibration Control Solution (振動制御ソリューション) Reinforcement learning-based AI solution that learns optimal vibration control patterns through simulation, achieving control effects exceeding conventional methods. Applied to high-rise building earthquake/wind response, transportation comfort, precision machinery, and industrial robot control.
• Brand Dialogue AI (ブランド ダイアログ エーアイ) Customized ChatGPT-based text generation engine that reflects brand personality for one-to-one marketing communications. Built on GPT 3.5 turbo API with dynamic prompting technology that switches prompts based on user attributes and conversation content. Developed in collaboration with Daiko Co., Ltd.
• DDDAI Planning (DDDAI® Planning) AI agent-based advertising proposal draft generation system using multi-persona AI (project leader, marketer, data scientist, creative director) that autonomously debates and brainstorms to produce structured proposal documents with 10-20 components. Registered trademark of Daiko Co., Ltd., co-developed with Laboro.AI.
• Menu Creation Engine (献立作成エンジン) AI engine that creates meal plans satisfying nutritional conditions and individual user preferences by combining Ajinomoto's 10,000+ recipe database with health and nutrition expertise. Powers the Mirai Kondate (未来献立) web service.
• AI Menu Planner (AI献立プランナー) - Commercial Version Commercial version of the AI Menu Planner developed in collaboration with Ajinomoto Co., Ltd., extending the earlier Kachii-meshi AI and Menu Creation Engine work for athlete and general consumer nutrition support.
• Kachii-meshi AI (勝ち飯AI) Personalized menu proposal app for athletes developed with Ajinomoto Co., Ltd., using the Victory Project nutrition algorithm and AJINOMOTO PARK recipe data. Machine learning generates daily meal plans based on individual athlete input and training data.
• Railway Track Equipment Defect Judgment AI (線路設備不良判定AI) Automated defect judgment AI for railway track equipment combining object detection and anomaly detection technologies. Covers 10+ component categories (bolts, sleepers, fastening devices, rail pads) and 8+ defect patterns. Achieves 80%+ screening efficiency for some component types, reducing monthly manual review workload by approximately 100 hours. Developed with Japan Track Technology Co., Ltd.
• Laboro Japanese BERT Model Original Japanese BERT model pretrained by Laboro.AI on large-scale Japanese text data, released as open source in April 2020. Foundation model for Japanese NLP tasks.
• Laboro DistilBERT Distilled and accelerated lightweight version of Laboro Japanese BERT model, released December 2020 as open source. Offers faster inference with reduced computational requirements while maintaining strong NLP performance.
• LaboroTVSpeech and LaboroTVSpeech2 Large-scale Japanese speech corpus automatically constructed from one-segment TV broadcast recordings (~2,000 hours in v1, ~6,000 hours in v2). Includes audio and subtitle text pairs for automatic speech recognition research. Released for academic research.
• Laboro-ASV Japanese speaker verification dataset containing Japanese speaker voice recordings, provided free of charge to support advancement of speaker recognition technology. Released January 2024.
• Laboro Tomato Dataset Image object detection dataset for tomato images, released as open source for agricultural and computer vision research. Released July 2020.

Quantifiable outcome

• Data processing capacity increased approximately 60% for non-destructive inspection
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability39 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mitsui ChemicalsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMitsui Chemicals involved alongside Global Brain in supporting Laboro.AI's growth. Nature of strategic collaboration not detailed in available sources.
• 株式会社大広coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint development of DDDDAI Planning system for automated proposal generation. Co-hosted AI recruitment strategy meetup events. Development of Brand Dialogue AI for brand-consistent customer communication.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ABEJA: Tokyo-based AI company offering a combination of MLOps/data platform (ABEJA Platform) and custom AI solution development for Japanese enterprises — directly comparable to Laboro.AI's custom AI services plus productized offerings model.
• ALBERT: Japanese data analytics and AI solutions company listed on TSE Growth (3906), providing custom machine learning, deep learning, and data science consulting to enterprise clients — closely comparable in service mix, customer profile, and Japanese listing status.
• FRONTEO: Japanese AI company (TSE: 2158) specializing in natural language processing and custom AI solutions for legal, healthcare, and enterprise clients — comparable in custom AI development focus and Japanese-listed growth-company profile.
• Preferred Networks: Tokyo-based deep learning and AI company working on foundation models and applied AI for industry — directly comparable to Laboro.AI in deep learning capabilities and Japanese enterprise AI engagements, though more research-oriented.
• Mathematical Systems Inc. Japanese consulting and software firm providing statistical/mathematical modeling and AI solutions to enterprises across industries — directly comparable custom AI services targeting Japanese corporations.

Emerging players

• Sakana AI: Tokyo-based foundation model research company applying AI to enterprise use cases in Japan — adjacent comparator as a Japanese AI company with significant enterprise ambitions and growing custom AI offerings.

Broad incumbents

• NTT DATA: Large Japanese IT services and consulting conglomerate with a substantial AI/digital practice — competes with Laboro.AI for enterprise AI transformation budgets while offering broader systems integration capabilities.
• Accenture: Global management and technology consulting firm with a large applied AI practice — competes for the same custom enterprise AI engagements; notably, Laboro.AI's CEO and CFO both came from Accenture/BCG advisory background.
• DataRobot: Enterprise AI/ML platform company offering automated machine learning, MLOps, and AI applications — competes for the same enterprise AI dollars with a more productized platform approach versus Laboro.AI's custom services.
• Palantir Technologies: Enterprise data analytics and AI platform serving large institutions with custom AI deployment — comparable in serving sophisticated enterprise customers with tailored AI implementations, though at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@LaboroAI
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/laboro-ai
• Xx.com/laboroai

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Laboro.AI