YOUTRUST
YOUTRUST is a Tokyo-based HR tech company operating a professional networking SNS for the Japanese workforce, with enterprise recruiting, ABM, and AI-driven matching products serving Japanese companies across multiple industries.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingSoftware
What YOUTRUST does
YOUTRUST is a Tokyo-headquartered HR technology company founded in December 2017 that operates YOUTRUST, a work-specific social networking service (SNS) for the Japanese workforce, broadly positioned as a Japan-centric alternative to LinkedIn. The platform allows professionals to build work-focused profiles, post updates, connect with peers, and consume career-oriented editorial content via YOUTRUST Studio. On top of this consumer social layer, YOUTRUST monetizes through multiple enterprise products: YOUTRUST TALENT for network-based recruiting, YOUTRUST ADS for advertising, YOUTRUST SALES for account-based marketing (launched 2025), and YOUTRUST INSIGHT for expert interview services, generating a mix of subscription/recurring and advertising revenue from Japanese enterprise customers across gaming, internet, telecom, mobility, and industrial verticals.
YOUTRUST firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- YOUTRUST
- Legal name
- 株式会社YOUTRUST
- Website
- https://youtrust.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- YOUTRUST is a Tokyo-based HR tech company operating a professional networking SNS for the Japanese workforce, with enterprise recruiting, ABM, and AI-driven matching products serving Japanese companies across multiple industries.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
YOUTRUST industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Professional Networking Platform
- NAICS
- Wholesale Trade Agents and Brokers (4251)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- B2B / Invoice-Based BNPL (Trade Credit at Checkout) (FSAGAIAC)
Keywords
Where YOUTRUST is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
YOUTRUST business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- YOUTRUST TALENT (ネットワークリクルーティング): Network recruiting service where companies access a proprietary talent pool within the YOUTRUST professional network to discover and recruit candidates who are not actively job hunting. Revenue generated through subscription or usage-based licensing to corporate recruiters.
- YOUTRUST ADS: Advertising and marketing solutions on the YOUTRUST platform and YOUTRUST Studio business media. Companies can promote their brand, culture, products and services to business-oriented professionals. Revenue from advertising fees.
- YOUTRUST SALES (セールステック): Network-based lead generation and ABM (Account-Based Marketing) service enabling direct 1-to-1 outreach to decision-makers and key contacts within the platform's professional network.
- YOUTRUST INSIGHT: Expert interview service connecting companies with digital talent experts and thought leaders through the platform's network for insights, DX/AI implementation guidance, and market intelligence.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
YOUTRUST product offering
Product offeringCore offering
YOUTRUST operates a work-specific professional networking social network in Japan where working professionals expand business connections, discover career opportunities, and consume business content. The company monetizes this user base through B2B service modules: YOUTRUST TALENT provides network recruiting using the platform's proprietary talent pool; YOUTRUST ADS delivers B2B marketing and recruitment advertising; YOUTRUST SALES enables account-based direct outreach; and YOUTRUST INSIGHT provides expert interview services for digital and AI-related research.
Product overview
YOUTRUST operates a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on its core professional networking product (仕事専用SNS YOUTRUST), a career-focused social network for Japanese professionals. The portfolio comprises two consumer-facing services: the core YOUTRUST SNS and YOUTRUST Studio (ユースタ), a business media content studio delivering articles, videos, and events. On the business/client side, four specialized modules build on the platform: YOUTRUST TALENT provides network recruiting with AI-powered candidate matching and the Scout AI Agent autonomous recruiting feature; YOUTRUST ADS offers B2B marketing and recruitment advertising; YOUTRUST SALES enables account-based direct outreach to key decision-makers; and YOUTRUST INSIGHT provides expert interview services drawing on a network of digital professionals. The modules share YOUTRUST's proprietary talent pool and professional network as a common data foundation.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- YOUTRUST (Work-specific Professional Network SNS) A work-specific professional networking and career social network for working professionals in Japan. Users expand business connections, discover career opportunities, share content, and engage with business content. Forms YOUTRUST's core user base and proprietary talent pool powering all B2B services.
- YOUTRUST Studio (ユースタ)
- YOUTRUST TALENT Network recruiting service that leverages YOUTRUST's proprietary talent pool to connect companies with passive (non-job-hunting) candidates. Supports company profile pages, job postings, and AI-powered scout messaging including the autonomous Scout AI Agent that executes candidate discovery, match scoring, message generation, and sending without human intervention.
- YOUTRUST ADS B2B marketing and recruitment PR advertising solution delivered through the YOUTRUST professional network and YOUTRUST Studio. Supports video, article, and event-based content marketing to business-savvy professional users, including themed conferences organized by YOUTRUST.
- YOUTRUST SALES Account-based marketing (ABM) service enabling 1-to-1 direct outreach to decision-makers and key contacts within the YOUTRUST professional network. Delivers instant messaging to target-company key persons, creating business development and sales pipeline opportunities for B2B sales teams.
- YOUTRUST INSIGHT Expert interview service leveraging YOUTRUST's expert network of digital talent professionals to provide cutting-edge insights and primary research for new business validation, DX/AI adoption, and existing business improvement initiatives.
Quantifiable outcome
- MIXI achieved 35%+ reply rate in network recruiting outreach using YOUTRUST TALENT
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use YOUTRUST
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
YOUTRUST technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability7 records
Feature7 records
YOUTRUST partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Any Inc.minorAny Inc., a Tokyo-based AI company, participated as platinum sponsor at PRODUCT HISTORY CONFERENCE 2026 organized by YOUTRUST. Any Inc. promotes its AI-enabled knowledge platform Qast through this sponsorship, delivering a speaking engagement on the future of SaaS.
- STATION AiminorSTATION Ai, an open innovation hub in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, cooperated with YOUTRUST on the '#ユートラストはじめました' program to implement a local experience program on June 24, 2026. The collaboration aims to expand reach beyond the Chubu region and attract individuals interested in entrepreneurship and open innovation.
- Charmap Co., Ltd.minorCharmap Co., Ltd., a Tokyo-based PR and exhibition support company, began recruiting event staff through the YOUTRUST platform starting April 6, 2026. This marked Charmap's first external recruitment effort after building a community of over 100 women through referrals alone.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
YOUTRUST competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- LinkedIn: The dominant global professional networking platform, operating in Japan with significant user base. Directly competes with YOUTRUST's core SNS product among Japanese professionals while offering broader international reach that YOUTRUST lacks.
- doda (Recruit): One of Japan's largest job search and recruitment platforms operated by Recruit Holdings. A broader incumbent competing across active job-seeker recruitment, with overlapping enterprise customer base.
- Indeed: Global job search platform with significant Japan operations. A broad incumbent competing for enterprise recruitment advertising spend and active job-seeker attention, overlapping with YOUTRUST ADS and YOUTRUST TALENT use cases.
Direct peers
- Wantedly: Japanese professional networking and recruitment platform combining company profiles, employee reviews, and job listings. Closely comparable to YOUTRUST's SNS-plus-recruiting model in the Japanese market, with overlapping target customers and similar B2B recruitment revenue streams.
- BizReach: Leading Japanese high-class professional recruitment platform targeting passive candidates. Competes directly with YOUTRUST TALENT for enterprise recruiting budgets focused on passive talent sourcing in Japan.
- Eight (Sansan): Japanese business card scanning app with built-in professional networking features from Sansan. Comparable as a Japan-focused professional network, though anchored in business card connections rather than referral recruiting.
- Lapras: Japanese professional network specifically targeting tech engineers with AI-powered matching and passive recruitment. Competes with YOUTRUST TALENT in the Japanese tech talent recruitment segment.
- Green: Japanese recruitment platform focused on IT and web industry talent. Comparable as a Japan-focused recruiting service targeting similar enterprise tech hiring customers as YOUTRUST TALENT.
- MyRefer: Japanese referral recruitment platform originally focused on side-job referrals - directly comparable to YOUTRUST's founding concept. Both platforms built referral-based recruiting mechanisms for Japanese enterprises.
Regional players
- Liny: Japanese referral-based recruitment app leveraging LINE integration for social recruiting. Comparable in referral-mechanism design and Japanese-market focus, though smaller in scale than YOUTRUST.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
YOUTRUST social profiles
Digital presenceYOUTRUST compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
YOUTRUST financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
YOUTRUST leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles8 records
YOUTRUST funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors10 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
YOUTRUST 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 YOUTRUST
What does YOUTRUST do?
YOUTRUST operates a work-specific professional networking social network in Japan where working professionals expand business connections, discover career opportunities, and consume business content. The company monetizes this user base through B2B service modules: YOUTRUST TALENT provides network recruiting using the platform's proprietary talent pool; YOUTRUST ADS delivers B2B marketing and recruitment advertising; YOUTRUST SALES enables account-based direct outreach; and YOUTRUST INSIGHT provides expert interview services for digital and AI-related research.
Is YOUTRUST a public or private company?
YOUTRUST is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was YOUTRUST founded?
YOUTRUST was founded in 2017. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is YOUTRUST based?
YOUTRUST is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does YOUTRUST make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. YOUTRUST TALENT (ネットワークリクルーティング) is the primary driver. The others are YOUTRUST ADS, YOUTRUST SALES (セールステック) and YOUTRUST INSIGHT.
Who are YOUTRUST's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are LinkedIn, doda (Recruit) and Indeed. Direct peers are Wantedly, BizReach, Eight (Sansan), Lapras, Green and MyRefer. Liny is listed as a regional player.
Does YOUTRUST have an API?
No public API is recorded for YOUTRUST.
What industry is YOUTRUST in?
YOUTRUST's product category is Professional Networking Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGAIAC, B2B / Invoice-Based BNPL (Trade Credit at Checkout). Its NAICS code is 4251 and its SIC code is 7361.