Zehitomo
Zehitomo is a Tokyo-based two-sided marketplace, founded in 2015, that uses AI-powered matching to connect Japanese consumers with independent professional service providers across home, lessons, lifestyle, business, and event categories, charging pros per initial message while keeping the service free for consumers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2015
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Zehitomo does
Zehitomo (ゼヒトモ) is a Tokyo-headquartered two-sided marketplace, founded in 2015 by two American co-founders (Miura and McCarty), that connects Japanese consumers with professional service providers (pros) across five horizontal categories: home services, lessons, lifestyle, business, and events. The platform's core product is an AI-powered matching engine branded 'Speed Match' (スピードマッチ), which automatically proposes up to five relevant professionals in response to a consumer's free request. Pros are onboarded through a separate registration portal (zehitomo.com/pro), accumulate review history on their profiles, and can answer consumer questions in an integrated Q&A community that doubles as a top-of-funnel content and SEO asset. The technology stack is a standard web platform augmented by AI-assisted matching, with social-login integrations for LINE and Google — the two dominant consumer identity providers in Japan.
The business model is a freemium marketplace: consumers submit requests and receive proposals at no cost, while professionals pay a per-message fee starting at ¥167 (tax included) for the first outreach to a prospective customer, with no registration, monthly, or transaction-commission fees. Go-to-market is product-led via the consumer-facing site and a parallel pro-facing portal, supplemented by organic social channels (Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram) and content marketing through the Q&A community and category blogs. The company has scaled to roughly 25,000+ monthly service requests, with category-specific pro populations disclosed in the thousands (e.g., 3,921 personal trainers and 7,064 renovation/remodeling pros); an illustrative case shows a professional achieving ¥2.8M in monthly sales through the platform. Zehitomo is venture-backed by a broad syndicate that includes DG Daiwa Ventures, Susquehanna International Group (SIG), Coral Capital (formerly 500 Startups Japan), Kakao Investment, SMBC Venture Capital, PERSOL Ventures, ANOBAKA, Environmental Energy Investment, Darjiun Venture Corporation, Resona Capital, En Japan, Mitsubishi Estate (三菱地所), Vektor, and AirTrip, with no parent company or controlling entity identified. Operations remain Japan-domestic, with no disclosed international expansion.
Zehitomo firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Zehitomo
- Legal name
- 株式会社Zehitomo
- Website
- https://zehitomo.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2015
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Zehitomo is a Tokyo-based two-sided marketplace, founded in 2015, that uses AI-powered matching to connect Japanese consumers with independent professional service providers across home, lessons, lifestyle, business, and event categories, charging pros per initial message while keeping the service free for consumers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Zehitomo industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Services Marketplace
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Services & Experiences Generalist Marketplaces (CRAFAAAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs) (BPAMAHAK)
Keywords
Where Zehitomo is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Zehitomo business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Operations
Revenue model
- Professional messaging fees: Professionals (プロ) pay a fee for each initial message sent to a potential customer. This is the primary revenue stream. No commission on completed transactions, no monthly fees, no registration fees.
- Free for consumers: Platform is completely free for consumers who submit requests and receive proposals from professionals.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free registration and monthly usage for professionals |
| Freemium | Monthly | Free for consumers |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Zehitomo product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Zehitomo operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects consumers seeking professional services with local professionals across categories including home, lessons, lifestyle, business, and events. The platform uses AI-powered matching to pair service requests with qualified professionals, is free for consumers, and professionals pay per initial message received from prospective customers.
Product overview
Zehitomo is a two-sided marketplace platform that connects consumers seeking professional services with skilled service providers (pros). The platform operates across five main service categories: Home Services (住宅), Learning/Lessons (フォリオ), Lifestyle (暮らし), Business Services (ビジネス), and Event Services (イベント). The core platform leverages AI-powered smart matching to automatically connect users with up to 5 suitable professionals based on their specific requirements. For professional service providers, Zehitomo offers a separate web marketing platform where pros receive approximately 25,000 monthly customer requests and can use AI-powered 'Speed Match' automatic matching. The platform is free for consumers to use, while pros pay a fee per initial message sent to prospective clients (starting from 167 yen per message).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Zehitomo Service Marketplace Platform A two-sided online marketplace platform that connects individual consumers with local professional service providers through AI-powered matching; the platform is free for consumers and generates revenue from professionals who pay per initial message exchanged with prospective customers.
- Home Services Matching A vertical category within the Zehitomo platform that matches consumers needing home-related services (cleaning, repairs, renovations) with qualified local home service professionals.
- Lessons Matching A vertical category within the Zehitomo platform that connects consumers seeking private lessons (music, language, academic tutoring) with local instructors and teachers.
- Lifestyle Services Matching A vertical category within the Zehitomo platform connecting consumers seeking personal lifestyle services (beauty, fitness, wellness) with local professionals.
- Business Services Matching A vertical category within the Zehitomo platform that connects businesses and entrepreneurs seeking professional services (consulting, marketing, IT, etc.) with qualified local providers.
- Events Services Matching A vertical category within the Zehitomo platform that connects consumers planning events (weddings, parties, corporate gatherings) with local event professionals and vendors.
Quantifiable outcome
- 25,000+ monthly service requests processed
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Zehitomo
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Zehitomo technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability4 records
Feature1 record
Zehitomo partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Zehitomo competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Angi (formerly Angie's List): Leading US-based home services marketplace connecting consumers with local professionals (plumbers, electricians, contractors). Highly comparable to Zehitomo's home services category and similar two-sided marketplace model with pay-per-lead dynamics.
- Thumbtack: US-based horizontal marketplace for local professional services across 1,000+ categories (home, events, lessons, business). Closest international analog to Zehitomo's horizontal five-category structure and per-message pro pricing model.
- Mitsumore (ミツモア): Direct Japanese competitor operating a similar AI-powered marketplace for local professional services. Comparable horizontal coverage across home, business, and lifestyle categories with free consumer access and pro-paid lead pricing.
- HomeAdvisor: US home services lead-generation marketplace (now part of Angi Leads). Comparable pro-paid lead model in home improvement categories including renovation, repair, and cleaning.
- Houzz: Home design and renovation platform with a pro marketplace connecting homeowners with contractors and design professionals. Overlaps significantly with Zehitomo's home/renovation segment (7,064+ pros).
- TaskRabbit: Two-sided marketplace for local task-based services (cleaning, handyman, moving). Comparable marketplace structure with per-lead pricing for service providers and free consumer access.
- Care.com: Marketplace connecting families with caregivers, tutors, and household service providers. Similar horizontal marketplace model with per-lead pro monetization, comparable to Zehitomo's lifestyle/lessons categories.
- Lancers (ランサーズ): Japanese crowdsourcing/freelance marketplace for online professional services (design, IT, consulting, translation). Overlaps with Zehitomo's business services category and shares the same domestic market.
Regional players
- Suumo (スーモ): Major Japanese real estate and home services portal operated by Recruit. While primarily a real estate listing platform, its home renovation and pro-search features overlap with Zehitomo's home services category in the Japanese market.
Broad incumbents
- Yelp: Broad incumbent in local business discovery and reviews with a Request-a-Quote feature that competes in adjacent local services lead generation. Larger player with broader scope than Zehitomo's service categories.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Zehitomo social profiles
Digital presenceZehitomo financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Zehitomo leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Zehitomo funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors18 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Zehitomo M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Zehitomo
What does Zehitomo do?
Zehitomo operates a two-sided online marketplace that connects consumers seeking professional services with local professionals across categories including home, lessons, lifestyle, business, and events. The platform uses AI-powered matching to pair service requests with qualified professionals, is free for consumers, and professionals pay per initial message received from prospective customers.
Is Zehitomo a public or private company?
Zehitomo is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Zehitomo founded?
Zehitomo was founded in 2015. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Zehitomo based?
Zehitomo is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Zehitomo make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Professional messaging fees are the primary driver. The others are free for consumers.
Who are Zehitomo's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Angi (formerly Angie's List), Thumbtack, Mitsumore (ミツモア), HomeAdvisor, Houzz, TaskRabbit, Care.com and Lancers (ランサーズ). Suumo (スーモ) is listed as a regional player. Yelp is listed as a broad incumbent.
Does Zehitomo have an API?
No public API is recorded for Zehitomo.
What industry is Zehitomo in?
Zehitomo's product category is Online Services Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAAAD, Local Services & Experiences Generalist Marketplaces, with a secondary code of BPAMAHAK, Local Experiences & Event Services Marketplaces (Photographers, Caterers, DJs). Its NAICS code is 519290 and its SIC code is 7361.