What Try Group does

Try Group (株式会社トライグループ) is a privately held Japanese education services company headquartered in Tokyo (with origins in Toyama since 1987), operating across all 47 Japanese prefectures. Its core offering is one-on-one in-home tutoring ("Kateikyoushi no Try"), complemented by approximately 700 owned individual classroom locations ("Kobetsu Kyoushitsu no Try"), online one-on-one tutoring (delivered via Zoom under a partnership with ZVC Japan since 2020), and free pre-recorded video lessons via the Try IT platform (6,000+ lessons). The company monetizes predominantly through monthly subscription tutoring contracts, with no annual/registration fees, and prices vary by region, weekly session frequency, subject combination, and teacher tier (standard vs. "Pro Tutor" premium). It serves a long tail of individual students from elementary through university entrance exam preparation, with named specialty segments for medical-school candidates, school-refusing students, students with developmental needs, working adults (Otona no Try), and 200+ municipal government contracts for learning-support and after-school programs targeting disadvantaged students.

On the technology side, Try Group has built out a proprietary AI product suite in collaboration with Sony Group's AI subsidiary Gili Inc. (capital partnership since Feb 2020) and Obunsha Co., Ltd. (university exam materials). This includes Try Style AI Learning Diagnosis (analyzes 3 years of student weaknesses in ~10 minutes per subject), Exam Question Prediction AI (analyzed 5 years of past questions from 191 Japanese universities to recommend the 50 essential questions per target school), Try Style AI Materials (tablet-based personalized study content), Try Style Personality Diagnosis (for tutor matching), and the proprietary DAILY TRY learning management system. The company also distributes free content via Try IT and operates adjacent brands including Try Style Higher School (communications high school support, ~7,500 students), Try Style Medical School Prep, My Gym Japan (English/fitness, 0–13), and adult home tutoring.

Ownership sits with a private holding company (Try Group Holdings), and in November 2021 Try Group entered a capital and business partnership with CVC Capital Partners. The business carries 1,546 full-time employees, claims 330,000+ registered teachers and 1.47 million cumulative students (as of March 2024), and has held #1 customer satisfaction in Oricon's tutoring survey (2026) and a Nikkei xTECH Education AI Award (2019). Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Try Group

Legal name

株式会社トライグループ

Website

https://trygroup.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Try Group is a privately held Japanese education company (founded 1987) that delivers one-on-one in-home tutoring, online tutoring, ~700 classroom locations, free video lessons, and proprietary AI diagnostic tools, serving K–12 students, university exam candidates, and 200+ municipal governments across all 47 Japanese prefectures.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Private Tutoring Services

NAICS

Exam Preparation and Tutoring (611691)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual Tutoring & Academic Intervention (K–12) (EDAJADAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

General Homework Help (Multi-Subject) (EDANADAA), Special Education & Learning Differences Learning Centers (Dyslexia/ADHD/IEP Support) (EDANAHAJ)

Keywords

• Private tutoring services
• One-on-one instruction
• Personalized learning
• Exam preparation
• Education technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Home Tutoring Services (家庭教育科派遣): Core revenue stream from one-on-one in-home tutoring services. Pricing varies based on frequency of sessions per week, subject combinations, teacher level (standard vs. professional/pro), and geographic location. No annual fees, registration fees, or initial charges. Materials provided free of charge.
2. Individual Classroom Tutoring (個別教室のトライ): Revenue from operating approximately 700 physical tutoring centers nationwide offering one-on-one instruction. Students can use dedicated self-study spaces. Pricing based on session frequency and subject count.
3. Online Tutoring Services (オンライン個別 指塾): Fees for real-time online one-on-one tutoring via video conferencing, providing access to Try Group's teacher network regardless of geographic location. Awarded highest satisfaction rating in e-port 2024 online tutoring category.
4. Try IT Video Platform: Free freemium platform that serves as customer acquisition channel for paid tutoring services. Provides over 6,000 free video lessons to attract and retain customers.
5. Specialized Programs (Professional Tutor, Medical School, etc.): Premium-priced specialized programs including professional tutor matching, medical school exam preparation, and comprehensive support for students with developmental needs or school refusal challenges.
6. Government & Municipal Learning Support Contracts: B2B revenue from local government contracts providing learning support services, after-school programs, and educational support for single-parent households and economically disadvantaged students. Over 200 municipal partnerships.
7. Try Style高等学院 (Communications High School Support): Tuition fees for communications high school support program serving approximately 7,500 students who have dropped out or struggle with traditional schooling, helping them achieve university admission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Try Group sells one-on-one private tutoring services across Japan, delivered through in-home instruction (家庭教師のトライ), approximately 700 individual classroom locations (個別教室のトライ), and online video tutoring (トライのオンライン). Service is enhanced by AI-powered learning diagnostics, exam prediction AI, and a proprietary LMS (DAILY TRY), with a free video platform (Try IT) used as a freemium customer acquisition channel. The company also operates a communications high school support school, medical school prep programs, adult continuing education, My Gym Japan children's clubs, and learning support contracts with 200+ municipal governments.

Product overview

トライグループは「家庭教育舎のトライ」「個別教室のトライ」「トライのオンライン」を中心に、複数の教育サービスを展開する総合教育企業。家庭教育舎・個別教室・通信制高校サポート校などオフラインサービスと、Try ITやAI教材などのデジタルサービスを組み合わせたハイブリッド型の教育ポートフォリオを構築。AIを活用した「トライ式AI学習診断」「入試問題的中AI」「トライ式AI教材」などの智能化サービスと、永久無料映像授業「Try IT」を通じた学習機会の提供を組み合わせている。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• トライ式AI教材: 主要5教科の自主学習をサポートするAI搭載教材サービス
• トライ式AI学習診断
• 入試問題的中AI
• DAILY TRY

Products and services

• Kateikyooshi no Try (Home Tutoring - 家庭教師のトライ) One-on-one in-home tutoring delivered by teachers dispatched to student homes across all 47 Japanese prefectures. Education planners design personalized learning plans and select teachers from a 330,000+ instructor network based on academic needs, personality, and target school. No annual fees, registration fees, or initial charges; materials provided free.
• Kobetsu Kyoushitsu no Try (Individual Classroom Tutoring - 個別教室のトライ) One-on-one tutoring at approximately 700 owned physical classroom centers nationwide, with free self-study spaces for enrolled students. Reported as #1 in Japan by direct-operated classroom count.
• Try no Online (Online One-on-One Tutoring - トライのオンライン) Bidirectional real-time online one-on-one tutoring delivered via Zoom, providing access to Try Group's teacher network regardless of geographic location. Awarded the highest satisfaction rating in the E-ports 2024 online tutoring category for high school and university exam students.
• Try-shiki Koto Gakuin (Communications High School Support - トライ式高等学院) Supported enrollment program for a communications-based high school, combining online coursework with in-person tutoring at campus locations for students who have dropped out of or struggle with traditional school. Approximately 7,500 students enrolled, with successful university admissions including Tokyo University and Keio University.
• Try-shiki Igakubu Gokaku (Medical School Qualification Course - トライ式医学部合格)

Quantifiable outcome

• 1.47 million cumulative students served since founding
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability9 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and flagship.

• Obunsha (旺文社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2021Joint development of 'Try Style Eiken Qualified Course' English proficiency test preparation service leveraging Obunsha's expertise in English education and test materials.
• ZVC Japan (Zoom)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 April 2020Business collaboration to launch online one-on-one tutoring services using Zoom video conferencing platform. Enabled Try Group to offer nationwide online tutoring services. Strategic partnership that positioned Try Group as online education leader during COVID-19 pandemic.
• Obunsha (旺文社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Business partnership for university exam preparation materials and services. Three-party collaboration with Gili Inc. enabled development of 'Exam Question Prediction AI' using Obunsha's university past exam database and 'Daigaku Jyuken Passnavi' platform.
• Gili Inc. (ギリア株式会社)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 February 2020Capital and business partnership with Sony Group's AI company for joint development of 'Try Style AI Learning Diagnosis'. Try Group provides educational expertise and student data; Gili provides AI algorithms and technical implementation. Partnership led to award-winning AI diagnostic tool and subsequent 'Exam Question Prediction AI' development.
• NPO JHP - School Building Initiative (JHP・学校をつくる会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2014Collaboration with NPO to establish an elementary school in Cambodia. Social contribution initiative reflecting corporate values.
• My Gym Enterprises (USA)flagshipOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 May 2008Licensed rights from US-based My Gym Enterprises to operate 'My Gym Japan' - English-language fitness and education clubs for children aged 0-13. Try Group localizes and operates the program in Japan, adapting content for Japanese market while maintaining original program quality.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Meikogijuku (明光孫舐): One of Japan's largest chains of individual (one-on-one) tutoring classrooms, with hundreds of directly operated locations. Most directly comparable peer to Try Group's 個別教室のトライ, targeting similar K-12 exam-prep use cases with subscription pricing.
• Tokyo Kobetsu Shido Gakuin (東京個別指導学院): Major Japan-wide individual tutoring chain operated by Gakken, focused on one-on-one K-12 instruction. Directly competes with Try Group across the same product category, customer segments, and monthly subscription business model.
• Kumon (公文教室クモン): Largest math/reading tutoring franchise globally, with deep penetration across Japanese elementary and junior-high cohorts. While using a worksheet-based self-learning model (different from Try's one-on-one), Kumon is the most-recognized K-12 tutoring brand in the same Japanese market.
• Kawaijuku (河合宿社 / Kawaijuku): Prominent Japanese prep school (飛跳備校) chain specializing in high school and university entrance exam preparation. Comparable to Try Group in serving the high-stakes Japanese university admission market, though delivered via classroom-based group instruction.
• Yoyogi Zemi (代々木ゼミナール): Established nationwide prep school (飛跳備校) chain focused on Japanese university entrance exams. Shares Try Group's exam-preparation focus and K-12+ target audience, with similar nationwide scale and brand strength.
• Navi Kobetsu Shido Gakuin: Individual tutoring chain with national classroom presence operated by NOVA-owned network. Competes with Try Group's 個別教室のトライ in the one-on-one K-12 space, offering subscription tutoring with teacher matching.
• Sundai (スンダイ / Sundai Prep School): Japanese prep school that operates both group classroom instruction and an online tutoring platform. Competes across Try Group's university exam preparation segment via a more digital-heavy delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Benesse Corporation: Large Japanese education publisher and services group with school publishing, correspondence courses (主婦の友), and tutoring operations via subsidiaries including Tokyo Individual. Indirectly competes across multiple of Try Group's segments as part of a broader education portfolio.
• Varsity Tutors: Large global online and in-person one-on-one tutoring platform (now part of Nerdy Inc., NYSE: NRDY). Comparable to Try Group in the one-on-one individual tutoring business model and broad subject/grade coverage, though operating primarily in the US market.

Emerging players

• Manavi (まなび) Online Tutoring: Digital-native online tutoring platform focused on K-12 supplementary learning. Represents the digital-first challenger to Try Group's hybrid in-person/online model, applying price pressure on commodity subject tutoring.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/trygroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/trygroup
• Instagraminstagram.com/try_heidi_official
• Xx.com/trysan_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Try Group