KIYO Learning

What KIYO Learning does

KIYO Learning Co., Ltd. (KIYOラーニング株式会社) is a Japanese education technology company listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market (ticker 7353) since July 2020, operating a dual-product platform. The company was incorporated in January 2010, building on the STUDYing (formerly Tsukin Koza) online certification exam preparation service launched in October 2008. Founder and CEO Kiyoshi Ayabe retains a 40.08% controlling stake as of December 2025.

The consumer product, STUDYing, is a self-serve online certification exam preparation platform covering 30+ professional certifications across business, legal, accounting, real estate, IT, civil service, language, and medical categories. The platform is built on a proprietary Learning Management System with multi-device video streaming, AI-powered adaptive learning (AI Master Teacher/Sensei, AI Performance Score, AI Learning Plan, AI Problem Review, AI Search, AI Subtitles), and has accumulated 360,000+ paid members and 27,000+ documented successful candidate stories as of December 2024. STUDYing is sold primarily through direct e-commerce on studying.jp, priced at approximately one-fifth of traditional classroom alternatives, and distributed via owned web properties, YouTube, X (15+ branded accounts), LINE, TikTok, paid digital advertising, and the Benefit-One employee welfare platform.

The B2B product, AirCourse, is a SaaS-based employee education LMS launched in 2017, offering per-seat pricing from ¥300/month with a zero-initial-cost entry tier, 405-605+ standard training courses, custom course authoring, SAML SSO integration, and an enterprise AI Knowledge RAG feature. AirCourse is sold through direct enterprise sales to HR and training departments, with a dedicated Corporate Business Division housed at the Akasaka office opened in December 2023. Ancillary revenue streams include corporate video production services, STUDYing Career job placement (launched November 2023), STUDYing Publishing (launched November 2025), and the free STUDYing Tech programming learning service.

Name

KIYO Learning

Legal name

KIYOラーニング株式会社

Website

https://www.kiyo-learning.com/

Company type

Public

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

KIYO Learning is a Japanese listed edtech company operating STUDYing, a self-serve AI-powered online certification exam preparation platform for business professionals, and AirCourse, a B2B SaaS employee education LMS sold to corporate HR and training departments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Online Learning and Education Technology

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691), Professional and Management Development Training (61143), Business Schools and Computer and Management Training (6114)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Management Systems (LMS) & Digital Classrooms (EDAJAMAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI-Powered Tutoring & Study Assistant Platforms (EDANAGAD), AI/ML Learning Platforms for Students (EDAFANAE)

Keywords

• Online certification courses
• Employee learning platform
• AI-powered learning
• E-learning SaaS
• Corporate training software

Headquarters

HQ city

Nagatacho

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. STUDYing Online Certification Courses: Individual consumers purchase subscription or one-time license access to online certification exam preparation courses spanning 30+ titles across business, legal, accounting, real estate, IT, civil service, language, and medical categories. Revenue from digital content delivery with high margins due to low-cost operations.
2. AirCourse Enterprise LMS: SaaS-based employee education platform with per-seat pricing scaled by organizational user count. Offers two plans: Basic (course creation tools only) and Content Plus (405+ courses included with unlimited viewing). Volume discounts for larger enterprises. Zero initial setup cost.
3. STUDYing Corporate Sales: Enterprise licensing of STUDYing certification courses to companies, particularly for employee qualification programs (e.g., real estate companies requiring宅建士 certifications). Corporate buyers receive aggregated reporting on employee progress.
4. Video Production Services: Custom video content production for corporate clients using company's in-house studio and production expertise. Revenue from creating bespoke training videos for enterprise customers as an add-on to AirCourse subscriptions.
5. STUDYing Career Job Placement Service: Direct recruitment service connecting STUDYing certification holders with employers seeking qualified candidates. Fee-based job placement matching between credentialed professionals and companies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels12 records

Core offering

KIYO Learning develops, produces, and operates two primary e-learning platforms: STUDYing, a B2C online certification exam preparation service offering 30+ AI-powered courses for individual business professionals across categories such as real estate, accounting, IT, law, and civil service; and AirCourse, a B2B cloud-based employee learning management system (LMS) providing 405+ ready-made training courses and custom course creation tools for corporate clients on a per-seat SaaS model. Both platforms are built on a proprietary AI-powered learning engine that includes generative AI tutoring, exam score prediction, personalized study planning, and spaced repetition review.

Product overview

KIYO Learning operates a dual-brand product portfolio consisting of two core platforms: STUDYing (スタディング), a consumer-facing online certification exam preparation platform, and AirCourse (エアコース), a B2B employee education cloud SaaS. STUDYing offers ~30 AI-powered certification courses across business, legal, accounting, real estate, IT, and other categories, leveraging adaptive learning technology and generative AI for personalized study optimization. AirCourse provides unlimited video training content, custom course creation tools, training management, and a generative AI knowledge base (RAG) for corporate clients. A third brand, STUDYing Career (スタディングキャリア), is a career platform connecting qualified users to job opportunities. STUDYing Publishing (スタディング出版) extends the brand into AI-enhanced physical and digital publishing. All products share foundational 'Learning Technology' capabilities: learning system development, content development, web marketing, low-cost operations, and AI/data utilization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• スタディング出版: Publishing brand for AI-equipped qualification books launched in January 2025.
• スタディングテック

Products and services

• STUDYing (スタディング) Online certification exam preparation platform offering video lectures, practice questions, past exams, and AI-powered personalized study optimization across approximately 30 certification courses (business, legal, accounting, real estate, IT, civil service, language, medical) for individual professionals.
• AirCourse (エアコース) Corporate employee education cloud service (SaaS LMS) offering unlimited video training courses, custom course creation tools, training management, learning analytics, and generative AI knowledge management, targeted at Japanese SMBs and large enterprises.
• STUDYing Career (スタディングキャリア)
• STUDYing Publishing (スタディング出版) Publishing initiative offering qualification books with integrated AI features, creating a new kind of qualification book experience combining physical books and AI-powered study tools.
• STUDYing Tech (スタディングテック) Free programming learning service teaching Python and generative AI technologies at no cost.
• Corporate Video Production Service (動画制作おまかせパック) Custom video content production service for corporate clients using KIYO Learning's in-house studio and production expertise to create bespoke training videos.

Quantifiable outcome

• STUDYing courses priced at ~1/5 the cost of traditional classroom certification courses from major competitors
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration35 records

AI capability9 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• フリー株式会社 (Furyu Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026KIYO Learning entered a business partnership with Furyu Corporation to promote collaboration in SMB human capital utilization and talent development. The partnership aims to leverage both companies' strengths to serve the small and medium business market with integrated training and human capital solutions.
• 中央経済社 (Chuo Keizai Sha)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2025Publishing partnership for STANDING Publishing (スタディング出版), a new publishing initiative launched January 2026 offering AI-enhanced certification study books in partnership with Chuo Keizai Sha and other publishers.
• アルク (ALC Press Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 February 2025Joint development partnership with ALC Press for the STUDYing & ALC TOEIC TEST preparation course, combining KIYO Learning's online platform technology with ALC's English language teaching expertise.
• 株式会社データミックス (DataMix)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 January 2022Capital and business partnership with DataMix for joint initiatives in AI and data science domains. Enables collaboration on data-driven learning optimization and AI feature development using DataMix's data science expertise.
• 株式会社セントメディア (Saint Media)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 December 2017Career support partnership for 外︎勤者 certification candidates. Saint Media provides employment support and job placement services to STUDYing 外︎勤者 course graduates who pass the certification exam, creating a study-to-employment pathway.
• 株式会社MS-JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 July 2017Capital and business alliance with MS-Japan, Japan's leading recruiting firm specializing in administrative and management professionals. Enables cross-promotion between KIYO Learning's education services and MS-Japan's recruiting platforms (Manegy), allowing users to move from certification study to job placement within the same ecosystem.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• manebi: Japanese corporate e-learning platform with LMS and curated course marketplace. Competes directly with AirCourse in the SME and mid-market corporate training segment with comparable per-seat pricing.
• Studyplus: Japan's leading study-logging social app for self-learners. While not a direct LMS competitor, it overlaps with STUDYing's target learner and could either become a content partner or a competing engagement layer.
• キカガク (Kikagaku): Japan-focused AI and data science education provider offering both consumer courses and corporate training. Overlaps with AirCourse in the AI/data upskilling category and with STUDYing Tech on Python/AI fundamentals.

Direct peers

• Udemy: Global online learning marketplace with both consumer and Udemy Business (B2B) tiers, directly comparable to KIYO's dual STUDYing/AirCourse model. Competes on certification and professional skills content with subscription and seat-based pricing.
• Schoo: Japan-focused online business learning platform offering live and on-demand video courses for individuals and corporate training (Schoo for Business). Closest domestic competitor to KIYO's AirCourse in the Japanese SME upskilling market.
• ユーキャン (U-CAN): Long-standing Japanese correspondence education provider offering certification and lifestyle courses via mail and online. Competes with STUDYing in the Japanese certification prep market from a traditional brand and pricing position.

Broad incumbents

• Skillsoft: Enterprise-focused corporate learning platform offering compliance, leadership, and technology training. Competes with AirCourse in the larger-enterprise tier of the Japanese market with a more global content catalog and established enterprise sales motion.
• Coursera: Global online credentialing platform partnering with universities and companies. Coursera for Business competes directly with AirCourse in the enterprise learning segment, while consumer catalog overlaps with STUDYing's certification offerings.
• Benesse Corporation: Major Japanese education conglomerate operating correspondence courses, K-12 services, and adult education brands. Competes across the broader Japanese education market including adult professional certification where STUDYing operates.
• LinkedIn Learning: LinkedIn-owned professional learning platform bundled with LinkedIn Premium and sold to enterprises via Talent Solutions. Competes with AirCourse for corporate L&D budgets with broader professional catalog and integration into LinkedIn's hiring data.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/studying001
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@kiyolearning
• Facebookfacebook.com/studying001
• Instagraminstagram.com/studying_takken
• TikToktiktok.com/@studying_001

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds6 records

Investors16 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 KIYO Learning