Refcome
Refcome is a Japan-based HRTech platform that helps companies implement employee referral hiring through a cloud talent-pool tool and dedicated RPO consulting, serving 850+ Japanese enterprises, SMEs, and part-time-workforce employers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Refcome does
Refcome is a Japan-based HRTech platform specializing in employee referral hiring (リファラル採用). The service is operated by Willof Partner Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Will Group Co., Ltd., and combines a cloud-based referral-hiring software product with dedicated Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) consulting. The platform comprises a Talent Pool Management System for capturing and nurturing latent candidates over time, a Three-party Communication Hub coordinating among HR, employees, and their referred contacts, and internal PR/communications tooling. A sub-brand, "Refcome Teams," addresses team-oriented referral hiring. The company claims to have supported more than 850 Japanese companies to date, with named customers spanning IT/Telecom (SB C&S), Electronics/Manufacturing (Omron), and HR Tech/Recruiting startups (Findy).
The product addresses Japan's persistent labor-shortage problem (人手不足) by enabling companies to access passive candidates through trusted employee networks. Underlying technology is workflow-oriented rather than AI-native: emphasis is on process automation, communication facilitation, and curated consulting playbooks refined across many engagements. Headcount is reported at 11–50 employees, and the platform is delivered as a cloud SaaS with optional deep-consultant engagement in the first year and a cloud-only option from year two onward.
The business model is hybrid: monthly subscription / fixed-fee plans for recurring revenue, performance-based / success-fee engagements with zero initial cost to lower buyer risk, and separately billed RPO professional services (20–50 consultant hours per month). GTM is sales-led and consultative, with a four-step enterprise cycle (consultation, tailored proposal, contract, kickoff with dedicated consultant) plus direct-inquiry-led demand generation from the company website. Distribution is single-country (Japan) via direct sales and active recruitment of channel partners, with named investors across multiple rounds (BEENEXT, ANRI, DNX Ventures, Takram, AG Capital, Oriental Land Innovations) between 2016 and 2021.
Refcome firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Refcome
- Legal name
- 株式会社ウィルオブ・パートナー
- Website
- https://refcome.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Refcome is a Japan-based HRTech platform that helps companies implement employee referral hiring through a cloud talent-pool tool and dedicated RPO consulting, serving 850+ Japanese enterprises, SMEs, and part-time-workforce employers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Refcome industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Software
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Enterprise RPO (End-to-End Program Management) (BPACABAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams) (BPACABAD), Hybrid / Selective RPO (Partial Outsourcing) (BPACABAC)
Keywords
Where Refcome is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
Refcome business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations
Revenue model
- Subscription / Fixed-fee Service: Monthly fixed-fee pricing model providing stable, predictable costs for clients. The fixed-fee plan allows for stable results and cost management.
- Performance-based / Success Fee Model: Zero initial cost with a performance-based success fee. This lowers the barrier to entry for clients and aligns Refcome's compensation with hiring outcomes.
- RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) Professional Services: Dedicated consultants deeply involved (20-50 hours/month) in planning and executing referral hiring strategies, including onboarding support, internal briefings, internal PR article and poster creation, and project management. This is provided as part of first-year support and can continue as a separate service in subsequent years.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Outcome Based/ Performance | Multi-year contract | Performance-based model with zero initial cost |
| Subscription | Annual | Fixed monthly fee model |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Refcome product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Refcome is a referral hiring cloud platform combined with a dedicated recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) service that helps Japanese companies build and scale employee referral hiring programs. The cloud platform provides a talent pool management system for nurturing latent candidates, a three-party communication hub (HR, employees, candidates), and internal PR/communications tools. The RPO layer adds 20-50 hours per month of dedicated consultant support covering program planning, internal onboarding, internal briefings/PR materials, and execution of referral hiring strategies.
Product overview
Refcome is a referral recruitment support service offered by Willof Partner Inc. The platform consists of a referral-specialized cloud tool (Refcome) and a referral-specialized RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) service. The cloud tool features a talent pool for managing potential candidates, communication facilitation between HR, employees, and candidates, and internal PR/communications capabilities. The RPO service provides dedicated professionals who support companies from planning through execution of referral recruitment strategies, with over 850 client companies supported.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Refcome Teams: Team-oriented referral hiring solution under the Refcome service
Products and services
- Refcome Cloud Platform A referral-specialized cloud tool featuring a Talent Pool Management System for nurturing latent/passive candidates over time, a Three-party Communication Hub (HR / Employee / Friend) that coordinates referrals, and internal PR/communications capabilities to support referral hiring programs at scale. Used by HR departments at Japanese companies to operationalize employee referrals.
- Refcome RPO Service A referral-specialized Recruitment Process Outsourcing service that assigns dedicated consultants 20-50 hours per month to plan and execute referral hiring strategies. Covers onboarding support, internal briefings, internal PR article and poster creation, and project management. Typically bundled into first-year engagements; can continue as a separate service in subsequent years.
- Refcome Teams A team-oriented referral hiring solution offered as a sub-brand under the Refcome service for organizations that want to structure referral hiring at the team level.
Quantifiable outcome
- 850社以上の支援実績 — Refcome has supported over 850 companies with referral hiring programs.
Companies that use Refcome
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Refcome technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Refcome partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Refcome competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HERP: Japan-based referral hiring and recruiting platform directly competing with Refcome in the same product category, serving Japanese enterprises with referral-driven sourcing tools.
- MyRefer: Japan-based referral hiring SaaS platform offering employee referral programs to mid-market and enterprise customers — directly overlapping with Refcome's core offering and target market.
- i-Refer (アイリファー): Japan-based referral recruitment platform serving enterprise hiring teams — directly comparable to Refcome in functionality (referral workflows, internal PR tools) and customer segment.
Broad incumbents
- HRMOS: Japan-headquartered HR tech suite (part of BizReach group) offering broader HR and recruiting functionality, increasingly bundling referral features that compete with Refcome's specialized offering.
- Workday Recruiting: Global enterprise HCM and recruiting suite whose referral features increasingly compete with standalone platforms like Refcome for enterprise HR budget allocation.
- Greenhouse: US-headquartered ATS with strong referral module capabilities serving enterprise customers globally — a comparable product architecture and target buyer, though focused on full hiring workflows rather than referral specialization.
- LinkedIn Talent Solutions: Global incumbent that offers employee referral features inside its broader talent platform, representing a bundling threat to standalone referral specialists like Refcome.
Regional players
- Talentio: Japanese ATS and hiring management platform competing with Refcome for the same enterprise HR budgets, though broader in scope (full recruiting workflow rather than referral-specialized).
- Wantedly: Japan-based hiring platform emphasizing referral-friendly employer branding and direct matching; competes for the same enterprise hiring budget as Refcome, particularly with startups and tech employers.
- Eight (Sansan): Japan-based business networking platform by Sansan that increasingly intersects with referral hiring use cases, serving overlapping enterprise customers in Japan with adjacent recruiting capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Refcome social profiles
Digital presenceRefcome financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Refcome leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Refcome funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds4 records
Investors6 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Refcome 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 Refcome
What does Refcome do?
Refcome is a referral hiring cloud platform combined with a dedicated recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) service that helps Japanese companies build and scale employee referral hiring programs. The cloud platform provides a talent pool management system for nurturing latent candidates, a three-party communication hub (HR, employees, candidates), and internal PR/communications tools. The RPO layer adds 20-50 hours per month of dedicated consultant support covering program planning, internal onboarding, internal briefings/PR materials, and execution of referral hiring strategies.
Is Refcome a public or private company?
Refcome is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Refcome founded?
Refcome was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Refcome based?
Refcome is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Refcome make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Subscription / Fixed-fee Service is the primary driver. The others are performance-based / Success Fee Model and RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) Professional Services.
Who are Refcome's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HERP, MyRefer and i-Refer (アイリファー). Broad incumbents are HRMOS, Workday Recruiting, Greenhouse and LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Regional players are Talentio, Wantedly and Eight (Sansan).
Does Refcome have an API?
No public API is recorded for Refcome.
What industry is Refcome in?
Refcome's product category is Recruitment Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACABAA, Enterprise RPO (End-to-End Program Management), with a secondary code of BPACABAD, Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams). Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.