What Zenkigen does

Zenkigen is a Tokyo-based AI technology company founded in October 2017 that builds HR and recruitment software for Japanese enterprises. It is organized around two core product lines: the harutaka recruiting DX platform (a SaaS suite including web video interviews, AI-powered interview assessment via harutaka IA, recruiting business intelligence via harutaka BI, a generative-AI conversational interviewer, employer branding/recruitment marketing services, and an AI-driven harassment-prevention module with bundled Tokio Marine litigation insurance) and Koredou 目標設定 (an AI-powered individualized goal-setting and tracking system launched in March 2025). Supporting offerings include revii (1-on-1 meeting analysis), ENTAS (cross-departmental AI matching/shuffle talk), and Mirai Shukatsu (an AI interview-practice service for job seekers).

Underlying technology combines computer vision, speech/audio processing, generative AI (Gemini via Google Cloud/Vertex AI), recommendation engines, predictive analytics, and anomaly detection across a multimodal pipeline that has processed 15 million+ data points and approximately 15 million interview videos. The platform is built on Google Cloud infrastructure and informed by joint research with Kobe University (Hattori Lab and the new EMREC center), Aoyama Gakuin University, Keio University SFC, and Nihon Institute of Technology. The company holds ISO 27001 (cert no. IS 702166), GDPR/CCPA compliance, a paid employment placement business license, and has been recognized at the 7th, 8th, and 10th HR Technology Awards.

Revenue mechanics are B2B SaaS subscriptions sold via direct enterprise field sales, with additional consulting-based recruitment branding services. Customer count reached 700+ enterprises by May 2025, with named deployments including Otsuka Corporation (offer acceptance rate +~20%), Transcosmos (HR Technology Award winner), Nishimatsuya Chain (new-graduate human-AI hybrid selection), and academic users Komazawa University and International Christian University. In February 2026, Zenkigen entered a capital and business partnership with Link and Motivation, followed by an OEM contract in May 2026 that embeds Zenkigen's technology into a larger HR services platform, signaling a pivot toward scaled distribution. The company maintains a small headcount (11–50) with a Tokyo headquarters (Shiroyama Trust Tower) and a satellite office in Chigasaki.

Name

Zenkigen

Legal name

株式会社ZENKIGEN

Website

https://zenkigen.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Zenkigen is a Tokyo-based AI technology company, founded in 2017, that provides AI-powered recruitment DX and HR software — chiefly the harutaka suite (video interviews, interview assessment, business intelligence, AI interview, and harassment prevention) and Koredou goal-setting — to 700+ Japanese enterprise customers via B2B SaaS subscriptions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR Technology Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design Services (541512)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI Governance, Risk & Compliance (GRC) Platforms (HDAAAMAA), AI Observability, Monitoring & Evaluation Platforms (Drift, Quality, Safety) (HDAEANAF), Enterprise Foundation Model Integration & APIs (Connectors, Governance, Deployment) (HDAAACAO)

Keywords

• Recruitment AI software
• Video interview platform
• HR analytics solutions
• Talent assessment technology
• Goal setting platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. harutaka Subscription Services: SaaS-based recruitment DX service subscription model providing web video interview platform, AI analysis, and interview quality improvement tools on a recurring subscription basis.
2. Koredou Goal Setting Subscription: Subscription-based AI goal setting and achievement support service, offering individualized guidance for team members with progress visualization and feedback capabilities.
3. harutaka Branding Services: Recruitment experience design services helping companies create branded candidate experiences, working as a partner for employer branding.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ZENKIGEN builds and sells an AI-powered HR technology platform that combines IT, Science, and Design (ZENKIGEN Technology). Its flagship product is the harutaka recruitment DX suite, which provides web video interviews, AI-driven interview assessment, recruiting business intelligence, AI conversational selection, employer branding, and AI-based hiring harassment prevention. The company also sells KoreDou Goal Setting, an AI-powered individualized guidance system for SMART goal achievement, along with supporting offerings such as ENTAS (AI cross-department communication matching) and revii (1-on-1 meeting improvement AI).

Product overview

ZENKIGEN is an AI tech company offering a platform-plus-modules product architecture centered on two core offerings: the harutaka recruiting DX platform and the KoreDou goal-setting system. The harutaka suite covers the full recruitment lifecycle with multiple integrated modules — harutaka Web面接 (web video interviews), harutaka IA (interview assessment/video analysis), harutaka BI (recruiting business intelligence), harutaka AI面接 (AI-driven conversational selection), harutaka 採用ブランディング (employer branding/candidate experience design), and harutaka セーフティ (hiring harassment prevention with bundled insurance). A separate core product, KoreDou目標設定, is an AI-powered individual goal achievement guidance system for post-hire performance management. Supporting offerings include revii (1-on-1 improvement AI), ENTAS (cross-departmental communication matching), and the ZENKIGEN Lab research initiative. The company also offers AI interview practice for job seekers throughミライ就活.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• harutaka: Recruitment DX service providing web video interview, AI interview, interview assessment (harutaka IA), and business intelligence (harutaka BI) solutions for corporate hiring processes.
• コレドウ目標設定 (KoreDou Goal Setting)
• revii (リビー)
• ENTAS (エンタス)
• ZINZIEN
• ミライ就活 (Mirai Shukatsu)

Products and services

• harutaka (ハルタカ) SaaS recruitment DX platform enabling companies to conduct web-based video interviews, analyze candidate performance using AI, and improve hiring quality through data-driven insights across the recruitment lifecycle.
• harutaka IA (Interview Assessment) AI-powered interview assessment module that automatically collects, visualizes, and analyzes interview videos to help interviewers improve hiring decisions.
• harutaka BI (Business Intelligence) Business intelligence module for recruiting that quantifies interview videos and visualizes interviewer behavior and candidate responses for data-driven hiring decisions.
• harutaka AI面接 (AI Interview) Conversational AI selection system that autonomously conducts dynamic interviews with candidates, generating personalized questions and scenarios based on each applicant's characteristics and responses.
• harutaka 採用ブランディング (Recruiting Branding) Candidate experience design and employer branding service that helps companies create personalized employer brand experiences to attract and engage top talent throughout the recruitment process.
• harutaka セーフティ (Safety) AI-powered recruitment harassment prevention service that detects potential harassment behavior patterns during interviews and includes bundled litigation cost compensation insurance through Tokio Marine.
• コレドウ目標設定 (Koredou Goal Setting) AI-powered individualized guidance system for SMART goal achievement, providing progress visualization, behavioral tracking, manager feedback, and team collaboration features for corporate teams.
• ENTAS (エンタス) AI-powered internal matching service that pairs employees across departments for informal conversations (shuffle talks) to improve cross-departmental communication and organizational culture.
• revii (リビー) AI tool that quantifies manager-member relationships through video analysis of 1-on-1 meetings to help improve manager effectiveness and team dynamics.
• ミライ就活 (Mirai Shukatsu) AI-powered interview practice service enabling job seekers to practice AI-conducted interviews and receive feedback to improve interview performance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 20% improvement in offer acceptance rate
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability15 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Link and Motivation (リンクアンドモチベーション)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 14 May 2026OEM business partnership contract building on the capital partnership, representing concrete co-creation phase moving from strategic alliance into product-level collaboration.
• Link and Motivation (リンクアンドモチベーション)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2026Capital and business partnership established February 2026. Aims to DX entire employee lifecycle from recruitment through post-hire performance and organizational improvement, providing new human capital management solutions that highly support human decision-making.
• Nishimatsuya Chain (西松屋チェーン)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 November 2025Customer implementing 'human-AI hybrid selection' using harutaka AI Interview for new graduate recruitment processes.
• Thinkings (sonar ATS)coreTechnology or Integration · 16 October 2025API integration with Thinkings' applicant tracking system sonar ATS. Enables efficient recruitment workflow from test invitation through progress tracking and results confirmation within sonar ATS.
• Transcosmos (トランス・コスモス)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 September 2025Customer implementation partner using harutaka Web Interview and Recruiting Branding. Won 10th HR Technology Award for interviewer development and recruitment capability enhancement.
• Tokio Marine (東京海上日動)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 6 August 2025Partnership for standard inclusion of litigation expense compensation insurance with harutaka Safety recruitment harassment prevention service at no additional cost to enterprises.
• Culture (カルチャリア)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2025Business co-creation advisor partnership with Culture representative for Koredou Goal Setting. Combines AI×HR technology with organizational culture expertise to co-create Culture-Driven AI Goal Design.
• Google CloudcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 June 2025Cloud infrastructure partner using Google Cloud technologies including Cloud Run, Vertex AI, Gemini for AI products, and BigQuery for data management of 14 million+ interview records.
• Kobe University Graduate School of Management - Entry Management Research and Education Center (EMREC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 May 2025Established EMREC research center within Kobe University for recruitment studies. Leverages harutaka's 700+ customer base and 15 million interview videos with proprietary AI technology for cutting-edge academic research.
• Nihon Institute of Technology Hachioji Technical College (日本工学院八王子専門学校)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025Joint research contract to develop systems enabling isolation resolution and solidarity cultivation in hybrid work through kansei engineering and human interface expertise.
• Otsuka Corporation (大塚商会)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 March 2024Customer implementation partner using harutaka IA and BI. Won multiple HR technology awards for interview reform implementation resulting in 20% improvement in offer acceptance rate.
• Aoyama Gakuin University - Professor Nozawa LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 November 2023Joint research on isolation and solidarity in hybrid work environments. Research on biosignal measurement and kansei engineering for developing telepresence technology.
• USEN-NEXT HOLDINGSminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 April 2023Collaborative initiative through 'Recruitment Innovation - RecruiTech for U-' to visualize interviewer skills using video AI analysis.
• Keio University Faculty of Economics FinTEK CenterminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 March 2023Provided services to STAR platform developed by FinTEK Center using blockchain for job-seeking support.
• Keio University SFC xSDG Laboratory - xSDG ConsortiumminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 November 2021Joined xSDG Consortium promoted by Keio SFC xSDG Laboratory to contribute to solving diverse social problems through SDG perspective.
• Kobe University Graduate School of Management - Professor Hattori LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 October 2021Joint research contract for product development in recruitment DX and hypothesis verification of effective recruitment methods. Pioneering 'Recruitment Studies' academic field.
• Japan Rugby Football Association (日本ラグビーフットボール協会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 December 2019Joint project for mental conditioning using voice analysis technology with female rugby top athletes, analyzing mental fluctuation and performance impact for application to corporate HR.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• HireVue: HireVue is a global leader in AI-powered video interviewing and pre-hire assessments. It directly competes with Zenkigen's harutaka IA, BI, and AI Interview products, both analyzing video, audio, and text to score candidates and improve interview quality for enterprise hiring teams.
• Filtered: Filtered is an AI-driven skills assessment and interview intelligence platform. It competes with Zenkigen's harutaka suite in using AI to evaluate candidate responses and improve hiring signal, sharing the same target market of enterprise recruiters seeking structured, data-driven interviews.

Broad incumbents

• Eightfold AI: Eightfold AI is a global AI talent intelligence platform covering recruiting, employee development, and retention. It competes broadly with Zenkigen's expansion across the employee lifecycle (recruiting + Koredou goal-setting + ENTAS internal mobility), but operates at much larger scale and serves global enterprises.
• iCIMS: iCIMS is a large enterprise talent acquisition platform with integrated ATS, CRM, and candidate engagement capabilities. While not focused on AI video interview analytics like Zenkigen's harutaka, it competes for the same enterprise HR tech budget and increasingly bundles AI-powered screening features.
• SmartRecruiters: SmartRecruiters is an enterprise-grade recruiting platform spanning ATS, CRM, and onboarding with global brand presence. It targets the same large-enterprise HR buyer as Zenkigen and overlaps with harutaka's recruitment workflow positioning, though with broader rather than AI-specialized offerings.
• Greenhouse: Greenhouse is a leading structured hiring platform with integrated interview kits and analytics. It competes for enterprise recruiting budget with Zenkigen harutaka and increasingly offers AI-assisted features, representing a well-capitalized incumbent expanding into Zenkigen's category.

Regional players

• MyRefer: MyRefer is a leading Japanese referral-based recruiting platform serving enterprise clients with employee referral programs. It is a regional competitor in Japanese enterprise HR tech and overlaps with Zenkigen's harutaka customer base in solving Japan's hiring challenges.
• HRBrain: HRBrain is a Japan-focused HR tech platform offering talent management, evaluation, and analytics for SMBs and mid-market. It directly competes with Zenkigen's Koredou goal-setting and people analytics offerings in the Japanese market with overlapping enterprise buyer personas.
• Talentio: Talentio is a Japanese ATS and recruiting platform designed for mid-market and enterprise hiring teams. It competes with Zenkigen's harutaka Web Interview and recruitment branding offerings, particularly for new graduate hiring workflows common in Japan.
• PeopleX: PeopleX is a Japanese HR tech company offering 1on1 support, employee engagement surveys, and HR SaaS for enterprise. It overlaps with Zenkigen's revii 1on1 AI tool and ENTAS employee connection offerings in the Japanese post-hire HR market.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubezenn.dev/zenkigen_tech
• Xx.com/zenkigen_corp
• Facebookfacebook.com/zenkigen01

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors10 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 Zenkigen