M&A Cloud

What M&A Cloud does

M&A Cloud (株式会社M&Aクラウド) is a Tokyo-headquartered two-sided M&A and capital-matching marketplace founded in December 2015. The core platform enables sellers — typically Japanese SMEs, startups, and business owners facing succession gaps — to register and post their offerings for free, while buyers (3,100+ active corporate and financial acquirers) pay listing fees and success-based transaction fees upon deal closure. Notable buyer-side users include Tokyo Gas, freee, Crowdworks, Neo Career, Vector, and Agaroot, and the platform claims penetration of over 35% of listed Japanese IT companies. Matchmaking features include a direct-approach mechanism where sellers initiate contact with buyers who have publicly disclosed acquisition criteria, a Scout function for inbound interest, and structured seller tools such as free Information Memorandum templates and a downloadable M&A research library.

The company operates a multi-product portfolio. The flagship M&A Cloud marketplace is complemented by Funding Cloud (資金調達クラウド), which applies the same matching model to minority equity investments with 2,000+ registered capital-seeking companies. MACAP (M&A Cloud Advisory Partners) is a high-touch advisory service for large or complex deals, and in 2025 the company launched M&A Cloud Agent, pairing technology with human advisors to serve Japan's estimated 1.27 million business owners lacking successors. The technology stack is a proprietary online marketplace with no disclosed AI/ML models, APIs, or SDKs; matching is described as platform-mediated rather than algorithmically differentiated.

M&A Cloud is a privately held company (no public ticker) that has raised approximately $14.3 million across four disclosed rounds (2017 seed, 2020 Series 2, 2024, and 2025 Series 3), with the 2024 round anchored by SMBC, Mizuho, Kiraboshi, Shizuoka, and Japan Finance Corporation. Revenue derives from buyer-side success fees on completed transactions (e.g., ~5.4M yen vs. ~20M yen for traditional intermediaries on a 100M yen deal, a ~75% cost advantage), recurring listing fees from buyers, and MACAP advisory fees. The company employs 51–100 people and is led by Chairman & CEO Oikawa Atsuhiro, CTO Kazuhei Arai, COO Maekawa Takuya, and Director Takafumi Ochiai.

Name

M&A Cloud

Legal name

株式会社M&Aクラウド

Website

https://macloud.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

M&A Cloud operates a two-sided Japanese M&A and minority-investment matching marketplace connecting thousands of SME sellers and startups with 3,100+ corporate buyers, monetizing via buyer-side success and listing fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Marketplace Platform

SIC

Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

M&A / Corporate Finance Finders (Deal Origination) (FSAEAMAD)

Keywords

• M&A marketplace
• Business succession platform
• Deal matching platform
• M&A advisory services
• Company acquisition matching

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Success-based fees from buyers: Buyers pay success fees when transactions are completed through the platform. The platform operates on a freemium model for sellers - free registration and use, with fees only charged to buyers upon successful deal closure. This creates a two-sided marketplace where the revenue comes exclusively from the buyer's side.
2. Listing fees from buyers: Buyers pay to list their M&A and investment needs on the platform, enabling them to attract sellers. This is a key revenue stream alongside success-based fees.
3. MACAP Advisory Services: Large deal advisory services provided through M&A Cloud Advisory Partners (MACAP), offering hands-on M&A advisor support for more complex transactions requiring professional assistance

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

M&A Cloud operates an online matching platform that connects Japanese companies seeking to sell or find business succession with potential acquirers and investors. Beyond the core matchmaking platform, the company offers MACAP (M&A advisory and intermediary services), Shikin Cloud (a funding matching service for capital raising), and M&A Cloud Agent (an AI-driven succession matching service that introduces candidates from outside the standard platform flow).

Product overview

M&A Cloud operates as a multi-product portfolio centered on a matching platform model. The core M&A Cloud platform connects sellers with over 3,100 M&A-active buyers and 600 published acquisition targets, enabling direct negotiation at no cost to sellers. Its sister platform 資金調達クラウド (Funding Cloud) applies the same matching logic to minority equity investments with over 2,000 registered companies seeking funding. MACAP (M&A Cloud Advisory Partners) provides full-service advisory for larger or more complex transactions, while a new 2025 service, M&Aクラウドエージェント, addresses Japan's business succession crisis by pairing owners with advisors supported by technology. The ecosystem is further supported by free downloadable resources including IM (Information Memorandum) templates and a library of industry research reports.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 資金調達クラウド: M&Aクラウドと同じ仕組みで資金調達を行うプラットフォーム。M&Aクラウドと同じ仕組みで資金調達支援を提供。
• MACAP（M&A Cloud Advisory Partners）

Products and services

• M&A Cloud Online matching platform that connects Japanese business owners seeking M&A exits or business succession with potential acquirers. Sellers register for free; buyers subscribe for access to listings and use a scout function to proactively identify targets.
• MACAP Advisory and intermediary service providing professional M&A consulting support for transactions handled through the M&A Cloud platform.
• Shikin Cloud (Funding Cloud) Online matching platform that connects Japanese companies seeking capital with investors, addressing funding needs alongside the M&A offering.
• M&A Cloud Agent AI-driven service that supports business succession by actively introducing buyer candidates to sellers, supplementing organic matches from the main M&A Cloud platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average time from inquiry to first meeting: ~10 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ZUU: Japanese fintech with online M&A matching and corporate advisory services targeted at SMEs and startups. Comparable product mix and customer segment, though M&A is one of several lines rather than the core focus.
• Acquire.com: Online marketplace for acquiring startups and SaaS businesses, primarily serving US and global English-speaking markets. Comparable marketplace model for online business acquisitions but serving a different geography and segment (tech startups vs. Japanese SMEs).

Broad incumbents

• Funai Soken Holdings: Public Japanese consulting group with an established M&A advisory practice serving SMEs. Competes in the same Japanese SME M&A market but as part of a broader consulting and information services portfolio rather than as a pure-play marketplace.
• Nihon M&A Center: Japan's largest dedicated SME M&A intermediary, publicly listed with thousands of completed deals. Competes broadly with M&A Cloud in the same Japanese succession and SME M&A market but through a traditional human-advisor-led model rather than a self-serve marketplace.

Direct peers

• M&A Research Institute: TSE-listed tech-enabled M&A advisory in Japan with a hybrid digital-plus-advisor model targeting SME M&A. Most direct competitor given overlapping product approach (technology + advisors), customer segment (Japanese SMEs and corporates), and fee structure.
• BATONZ: Japanese M&A matching platform focused on SMBs and startups, operating a similar two-sided online marketplace model. Directly comparable in product mechanism, customer base, and Japan-only focus.
• M&A Capital Partners: Japanese M&A advisory firm serving mid-market and SME sellers. Competes for the same Japanese SME succession and business sale deals that M&A Cloud targets, with a more traditional intermediary model.
• M&A Best Way: Japanese M&A intermediary and online matching platform serving SME and mid-market sellers. Operates in the same domestic Japan market with overlapping customer segments and a comparable mix of marketplace plus advisory services.
• Tranzack: Japanese online M&A matching platform connecting SMEs with acquirers. Directly comparable in product category (online matching), target market (Japan SME M&A), and business model (transaction-fee based).

Others

• Empire Flippers: Online marketplace for buying and selling internet businesses and SaaS assets globally. Adjacent in applying marketplace mechanics to business transfers, though focused on smaller online-business M&A rather than the SME corporate sales that M&A Cloud handles.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks3 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/macloud_news

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors15 records

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 M&A Cloud