Upward
UPWARD Corporation is a Tokyo-based AI sales engagement platform for field and outside sales teams. Its patented GPS stay-detection technology auto-captures field activity into Salesforce or Dynamics 365, serving roughly 450 enterprise customers across Japanese manufacturing, finance, and real estate verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersNihombashi-hamacho, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Upward does
UPWARD Corporation (株式会社UPWARD) is a Tokyo-based private software company that provides an AI-powered mobile sales engagement platform purpose-built for outside and field sales teams. The platform's core is a proprietary, patented GPS-based stay/presence detection technology that automatically records when a sales representative arrives at a customer location and aggregates visit history, call records, conversation notes, photos, and business card data into Salesforce Sales/Service Cloud or Microsoft Dynamics 365 without manual input, directly addressing the chronic low-CRM-adoption problem among mobile field sellers.
The product suite spans AI Visit Recording and AI Meeting Minutes (generative AI summaries of conversations), AI Speech (patented auto-recording of face-to-face meetings), AI Scan (business card and object image analysis), Geo AI Scheduler (AI-driven route and visit-priority optimization), Map Display and Visualization, UPWARD CONNECT (Microsoft Teams integration), and the optional UPWARD DATA layer, which embeds Zenrin Residential Maps and Blue Maps plus 100M+ global / ~8M Japan commercial facility records. The company operates a three-tier per-seat SaaS model (ESSENTIAL, STANDARD at ¥11,600/user/month, AI EDITION quote-based) plus a CRM-Integrated plan (¥2,400/user/month) and All-in-One plan (¥7,600/user/month); a ¥100,000 one-time setup fee applies and a 25-seat minimum is enforced. AI Speech hours and business card scan packs are usage-based add-ons.
UPWARD sells through direct enterprise field sales and an inbound inside-sales motion, with channel/SI partners (Salesforce Japan, Seraku CCC, CEG) and GTM partners (PwC Consulting, KDDI, NEC, EY) co-selling and co-hosting webinars. Approximately 450 enterprise customers have adopted the platform, including Kubota, Daihatsu, KDDI, Rinnai, Tosoh, The Bank of the Ryukyus, Proto Corporation, Kureha, and Hanamaru, across manufacturing, financial services, real estate, healthcare, trading/wholesale, and consumer verticals; the company reports a 99.0% contract renewal rate through the COVID-19 period. Founded in July 2016 and headquartered in Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, UPWARD has raised approximately $19.5M cumulatively, including a $8.16M Series A in July 2025 from J Growth, Nippon Venture Capital, and Salesforce Ventures.
Upward firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Upward
- Legal name
- UPWARD株式会社
- Website
- https://upward.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- UPWARD Corporation is a Tokyo-based AI sales engagement platform for field and outside sales teams. Its patented GPS stay-detection technology auto-captures field activity into Salesforce or Dynamics 365, serving roughly 450 enterprise customers across Japanese manufacturing, finance, and real estate verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Upward industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Sales Engagement Software
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Customer Success & Account Management CRM (HDAEAFAD)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB), Customer Journey Orchestration & Campaign Management (BPAFAFAF)
Keywords
Where Upward is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Nihombashi-hamacho
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Upward business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscription (Per-Seat): Monthly or annual subscription license priced per user; three editions (ESSENTIAL, STANDARD, AI EDITION) with escalating feature sets; optional add-ons for AI speech hours and business card scans billed per unit.
- Setup and Onboarding Fees: One-time initial setup fee of 100,000 yen (excluding tax) applies to all plans; onboarding and implementation support included.
- Optional Add-Ons: AI speech analysis (billed per usage hour beyond the included 20 hours); AI business card scanning (billed per 30-card pack beyond included 30 cards); Zenrin residential map data; Blue Map data.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | ESSENTIAL: Core field sales data capture and CRM sync at a base price. |
| Subscription | Monthly | STANDARD: Adds AI speech analysis and map visualization to ESSENTIAL. |
| Subscription | Monthly | AI EDITION: Full AI feature set including route optimization, business card scanning, and image analysis. |
| Per seat | Monthly | CRM-Integrated Plan (for customers with existing Salesforce/Dynamics 365). |
| Per seat | Monthly | All-in-One Plan (for customers without a CRM). |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | AI Speech Analysis Add-On (excess usage beyond included 20 hours). |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | AI Business Card Scanning Add-On (excess usage beyond included 30 cards). |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Upward product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UPWARD provides an AI-powered mobile CRM and field sales engagement platform that automatically captures outside sales activity via patented GPS-based stay detection, syncing visit, call, and conversation data to Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 without manual input. It bundles generative AI for visit reports, AI speech analysis, business card scanning, route optimization, and Zenrin map data to give field sales teams and managers real-time visibility into field activities.
Product overview
UPWARD is a Tokyo-based AI sales support company offering a field sales engagement platform. The core product is the UPWARD AI Agent for outside and door-to-door sales, which uses proprietary presence detection technology to automatically record field activities without manual input. The platform operates on a three-tier pricing model (ESSENTIAL, STANDARD, AI EDITION) and integrates natively with Salesforce and Microsoft Dynamics 365. Add-on modules include UPWARD AI Speech for meeting recording/analysis, AI Scan for business cards and images, Geo AI Scheduler for route optimization, and UPWARD DATA for Zenrin map integration. UPWARD CONNECT enables Microsoft Teams integration. The platform is designed to transform field sales operations by automating data collection, visualizing customer information on maps, and providing AI-powered insights for visit optimization.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- UPWARD Field Sales AI Agent (Core Platform) Mobile CRM and field sales engagement platform that uses GPS-based stay detection to automatically capture outside sales activity and sync data to Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 without manual entry; designed for enterprise field sales organizations across manufacturing, financial services, construction, real estate, healthcare, and trading.
- UPWARD Sales Engagement Platform (All-in-One)
Quantifiable outcome
- Activity entries increased approximately 60%; reports after 5 PM decreased 50% (Tosoh)
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use Upward
Customer profileNamed customers14 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Upward technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
AI capability11 records
Feature10 records
Upward partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Zenrin (株式会社ゼンリン)coreZenrin provides 'Zenrin Residential Maps' (ゼンリン住宅地図) and 'Blue Maps' (ブルーマップ) as options integrated into UPWARD DATA. Enables field reps to view address information, resident names, building details, and land parcel data on mobile during customer visits. Addresses needs for BtoC field sales, real estate, and financial industry users who need to identify properties and owners by lot number.
- Salesforce JapancoreNative integration with Salesforce Sales Cloud, Service Cloud, Lightning Platform, and Partner Community (Enterprise Edition and above). UPWARD provides mobile field sales layer on top of Salesforce CRM for companies already invested in Salesforce.
- Microsoft (Microsoft Dynamics 365, Microsoft Teams)coreUPWARD integrates with Microsoft Dynamics 365 for companies using Microsoft CRM stack. UPWARD CONNECT product integrates with Microsoft Teams for collaboration features. Both enable field sales data to flow into Microsoft-based CRM environments.
- PwC Consulting (PwCコンサルティング合同会社)minorCo-hosted webinar on SFA success for corporate sales titled 'Ironclad SFA Success Guide for Corporate Sales', focused on data-driven sales and DX implementation, positioned as co-hosts for thought leadership.
- KDDI CorporationminorKDDI shared its sales engagement DX journey at UPWARD-hosted webinar, demonstrating how a 2,000-person daily CRM platform was launched. Featured as a reference customer and co-presenter at sales engagement DX events.
- NEC CorporationminorNEC co-hosted a seminar on visit sales DX titled 'Visit Sales DX Practice - Obstacles and Keys to Success', sharing insights on field sales transformation challenges.
- セラクCCC (Seraku CCC)minorCo-hosted seminars focused on Salesforce adoption and utilization. Provided SFA templates for Power Platform combined with UPWARD for low-cost, rapid CRM deployment and utilization promotion.
- 株式会社シーイーシー (CEG)minorCo-hosted 'Map-integrated SFA' webinars and developed Power Platform SFA templates integrated with UPWARD for sales efficiency and activation.
- EY Strategy and Consulting (EYストラテジー・アンド・コンサルティング)minorEY Strategy and Consulting co-presented at sales transformation webinar, explaining challenges and solutions for sales DX from a consulting perspective.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Upward competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Salesforce: The dominant global CRM platform with which UPWARD natively integrates. Comparable as both a partner and a potential competitor because Salesforce's own Field Service, Maps, and Einstein features overlap with UPWARD's value proposition for field sales organizations.
- Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales: Microsoft's CRM and field-service suite that UPWARD integrates with via Dynamics 365 and Teams (UPWARD CONNECT). Overlaps in mobile field-sales enablement and represents both a distribution channel and a competitive threat.
- Pega Sales Automation: Enterprise CRM and sales automation suite from Pegasystems with AI-driven next-best-action and field engagement capabilities. Overlaps with UPWARD's predictive visit prioritization and account-management positioning in large enterprises.
Direct peers
- Outreach: US sales engagement platform focused on outbound sequencing, call recording, and AI-driven seller workflows. Comparable in the sales engagement / rep productivity category, particularly against UPWARD's AI Speech and visit automation features.
- SalesLoft: Sales engagement platform competing with Outreach on cadence, dialing, and conversation intelligence. Direct comparable for the AI-powered sales workflow and field rep productivity layer that UPWARD delivers in Japan.
- Sansan: Japan-listed business contact management and sales DX platform with overlapping business card scanning, contact database, and enterprise sales workflows. Closest Japan-native comparable in target customer (Japanese field sales orgs) and product category.
- HubSpot Sales Hub: Global CRM and sales engagement suite with mobile capabilities, sequence automation, and AI-assisted outreach. Comparable as a sales-engagement / SFA competitor targeting SMB and mid-market, and a benchmark for PLG-led growth that UPWARD cannot fully replicate with its 25-seat minimum.
Others
- Mapbox: Geospatial platform that underpins location-aware applications. Comparable as the enabling mapping/infrastructure layer for UPWARD's geo features (analogous to its Zenrin partnership), and a benchmark for the value of location-data in field operations.
- Zenrin: Japan's leading map data provider and UPWARD's core data partner for residential maps and Blue Maps. Comparable as an enabling ecosystem participant that supplies the address, parcel, and resident data feeding UPWARD's field workflows.
Emerging players
- monday.com: Work management platform with CRM-like work os capabilities and growing sales template offerings. Comparable as an emerging, broader-platform alternative that Japanese enterprises sometimes evaluate against vertical field-sales tools.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Upward social profiles
Digital presenceUpward financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Upward leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Upward funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds7 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Upward 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 Upward
What does Upward do?
UPWARD provides an AI-powered mobile CRM and field sales engagement platform that automatically captures outside sales activity via patented GPS-based stay detection, syncing visit, call, and conversation data to Salesforce or Microsoft Dynamics 365 without manual input. It bundles generative AI for visit reports, AI speech analysis, business card scanning, route optimization, and Zenrin map data to give field sales teams and managers real-time visibility into field activities.
Is Upward a public or private company?
Upward is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Upward founded?
Upward was founded in 2016. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Upward based?
Upward is headquartered in Nihombashi-hamacho, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Upward make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscription (Per-Seat) is the primary driver. The others are setup and Onboarding Fees and optional Add-Ons.
Who are Upward's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Salesforce, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Sales and Pega Sales Automation. Direct peers are Outreach, SalesLoft, Sansan and HubSpot Sales Hub. Others are Mapbox and Zenrin. monday.com is listed as an emerging player.
Does Upward have an API?
No public API is recorded for Upward.
What industry is Upward in?
Upward's product category is Sales Engagement Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAEAFAD, Customer Success & Account Management CRM, with a secondary code of HDAEAFAB, Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM. Its NAICS code is 518 and its SIC code is 7372.