INST

HR Communication SaaSinst-inc.com

Company typePrivate
Founded2015
HeadquartersChiba, Japan
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingSoftware

INST firmographics

Firmographics

Name: INST
Legal name: 株式会社INST（INST,Inc.）
Website: https://inst-inc.com
Company type: Private
Founded year: 2015
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

INST industry classification

Industry

Product category: HR Communication SaaS
NAICS: Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers (561422)
SIC: Communications Services, Nec (4899), Telegraph & Other Message Communications (4822)
akta.pro primary industry: SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT) (MPAAAIAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Contact Center Operations & Tools (ACD/IVR/CRM/WFM) (EDABACAA)

Keywords

SMS delivery platform
Automated outbound calling
HR tech SaaS
Recruitment communication software
Business process consulting

Where INST is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: Chiba
HQ country: Japan
HQ region: Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

INST business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Software
Cost components: Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

INST Messenger SMS Delivery: Pay-per-use SMS delivery SaaS. Standard plan at 10円/通, reduced to 8円/通 for high-volume users (月間1万通以上). Long SMS charged per 66-character segment beyond 71 characters. Monthly minimum charge and minimum sending volume: none (完全従量課金制).
INST 3BD (Automated Calling Service): Subscription or usage-based pricing for automated outbound call service. Includes call initiation, transfer, and SMS follow-up. AI agent integration planned for 2025 release.
INST Messenger Reply Form (有料オプション): Optional paid feature: Reply form functionality at 10,000円/月 with 1-month free trial for new users. Other optional features priced at 5,000円/月〜.
INST API Integration: API access for SMS sending, reply form, click callback, and message history. API usage billed at standard SMS rates with no additional API-specific fees mentioned.
人材ビジネス業務プロセスコンサルティング: Consulting service for HR/recruitment companies to automate and AI-integrate business processes. 30-minute free consultation offered as lead generation.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Usage-based	Pay-as-you-go	Standard SMS Plan: 10円/通
Usage-based	Monthly	High-Volume SMS Plan: 8円/通 for 10,000+ monthly sends
Subscription	Monthly	Reply Form Option: 10,000円/月
Subscription	Monthly	Other Options: 5,000円/月〜
Usage-based	Pay-as-you-go	Long SMS: charged per 66-character segment beyond 71 characters

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

INST product offering

Product offering

Core offering

INST develops and sells communication SaaS for Japan's HR/staffing industry: INST Messenger (pay-per-use SMS delivery from 8 yen/message) and INST 3BD (AI-voice automated outbound calling that dials web leads within 3 seconds with SMS follow-up). It also provides HR business-process consulting to help staffing firms automate operations.

Product overview

INST operates as a technology company offering two integrated communication products for the HR and recruitment industry: INST Messenger (SMS delivery SaaS, since 2015) and INST 3BD (automated outbound call service, launched June 2024). The products work together—3BD handles initial voice contact while Messenger handles SMS follow-ups and notifications. Both are offered alongside HR business process consulting services. The company is headquartered in Chiba, Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

INST 3BD: Automated outbound call service (即電追客) that automatically calls leads or job applicants within 3 seconds of a web inquiry submission, combined with SMS follow-up. Targets the human resources and recruitment industry.
INST Messenger
INST Voice

Products and services

INST 3BD Automated outbound call service (即電追客) that automatically dials web leads or job applicants within 3 seconds of a web form/CRM submission, using AI voice, and sends SMS follow-up for unanswered calls. Supports PUSH dial, calendar reservation booking, call transfer to staff, and CRM/external integration. Built for HR/staffing companies to automate first-contact and appointment scheduling.
INST Messenger SMS delivery SaaS offering one-to-many messaging from 8 yen per message, supporting long messages up to 660 characters, URL click tracking, reply forms, scheduled delivery, text merge, bulk sending, send analytics, and API integration. Used by 500+ corporate clients, primarily HR/staffing companies, for candidate follow-up, interview scheduling, reminders, and no-show prevention.
INST Voice Cloud-based voice call API service using SIP server technology, enabling click-to-call functionality and voice call routing via API integration. A legacy product; new enrollment is currently suspended.
人材ビジネス業務プロセスコンサルティング (HR Business Process Consulting) Consulting service combining HR industry domain expertise with IT/AI technical capability to analyze and automate operational processes for staffing and recruitment companies. Offers a 30-minute free consultation as lead generation; has supported over 1,000 HR companies face-to-face and 500+ with IT services.

Quantifiable outcome

Connection rate improvement: 20% → 13% reduction in missed-call rate (不通率7pt改善)
+5 more outcomes

Companies that use INST

Customer profile

Named customers12 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

INST technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API: Yes
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

INST partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

株式会社スタンダードファクトリーcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 November 2022INST co-hosted a webinar with スタンダードファクトリー (scouting RPA provider) and クリティカルブレイン (web marketing consulting) on November 17, 2022. Three HR-tech service providers jointly delivered content on recruitment automation, web advertising, and SMS utilization strategies.
株式会社クリティカルブレインcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 November 2022INST co-hosted a webinar with クリティカルブレイン (web advertising/consulting) and スタンダードファクトリー on HR-tech topics. Three companies jointly provided educational content to HR industry professionals as part of joint marketing efforts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

INST competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Bracket Inc. ( brackets.cloud ): Japanese messaging/SMS platform operator offering SMS delivery (SMS-bracket) and CRM/voice tools to enterprise clients. Most direct domestic competitor to INST Messenger and INST 3BD on SMS/voice automation for Japanese B2B customers.
MessageBird (Bird): Global messaging and voice platform with SMS, WhatsApp, and AI voice-agent products comparable to INST's SMS delivery and automated outbound calling offerings, targeting similar business communication use cases.
Plivo: SMS and voice API provider offering programmable messaging and cloud telephony. Direct functional competitor to INST's SMS API and INST Voice legacy cloud phone product for developer/CRM-driven automation.
Sinch: Global CPaaS offering SMS, voice, and conversational AI with focus on messaging-driven customer engagement. Comparable to INST's combined SMS-plus-automated-voice lead-response workflow for sales/recruitment.
IVRy (AiM Co., Ltd.): Japanese AI phone/voice-bot SaaS automating inbound and outbound business calls; competitor specifically on the AI voice telephony side that INST 3BD is now expanding into within the Japan market.
MessageMedia: SMS and messaging platform for business communications, serving small and mid-market companies with bulk send, two-way SMS, and API access — directly comparable to INST Messenger's pay-per-use SMS SaaS model.
CM.com: European-headquartered CPaaS providing SMS, voice, and conversational AI services globally. Comparable to INST at the SMS-plus-voice automation layer with focus on business process integration and AI-led messaging.

Broad incumbents

Twilio: Global CPaaS leader providing SMS, voice, and conversational AI APIs that directly overlap with INST Messenger and INST 3BD. Operates at much broader scale across geographies and verticals versus INST's Japan HR-only focus.
Infobip: Large global CPaaS with SMS, voice, and AI conversation products serving enterprise customers worldwide. Overlaps INST's offerings at the messaging-and-voice API layer but at much broader scale and portfolio breadth.

Emerging players

LINKAGE, Inc. ( リンクエッジ ): Japanese HR/recruitment-focused technology services company addressing automation needs of staffing firms. Comparable to INST because it serves the same 人材ビジネス buyer with adjacent workflow-optimization products even though core product is different.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

INST financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

INST leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

INST funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

INST M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about INST

What does INST do?

Is INST a public or private company?

INST is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was INST founded?

INST was founded in 2015. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is INST based?

INST is headquartered in Chiba, Japan, in the Asia region.

How does INST make money?

Five revenue lines are on record. INST Messenger SMS Delivery is the primary driver. The others are INST 3BD (Automated Calling Service), INST Messenger Reply Form (有料オプション), INST API Integration and 人材ビジネス業務プロセスコンサルティング.

Who are INST's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Bracket Inc. ( brackets.cloud ), MessageBird (Bird), Plivo, Sinch, IVRy (AiM Co., Ltd.), MessageMedia and CM.com. Broad incumbents are Twilio and Infobip. LINKAGE, Inc. ( リンクエッジ ) is listed as an emerging player.

Does INST have an API?

Yes. INST offers multiple APIs: (1) SMS送信API for sending SMS messages via HTTP GET/POST to https://v1-message.inst-inc.com/commands/create, supporting parameters for api_key, api_secret, text, from, and to; (2) 返信フォーム送信API for sending reply form URLs; (3) ClickCallBack API for click-to-call functionality; (4) 送信履歴取得API for retrieving SMS send history. Additionally, INST Voice API at https://voice.inst-inc.com/api/call/ provides voice call capabilities via HTTP GET/POST with parameters for api_key, api_secret, client_id, client_number, and customer_number. APIs use api_key/api_secret authentication and return status codes for success (0), parameter errors (1), authentication errors (2), and server errors (99). Developer documentation is at api.inst-inc.com.

What industry is INST in?

INST's product category is HR Communication SaaS. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAIAB, SMS/MMS & Messaging Marketing Services (Text, RCS, WhatsApp/OTT), with a secondary code of EDABACAA, Contact Center Operations & Tools (ACD/IVR/CRM/WFM). Its NAICS code is 561422 and its SIC code is 4899.