What Funai Soken Holdings does

Funai Soken Holdings Inc. (株式会社船井総研ホールディングス, TSE Prime ticker 9757) is a publicly listed Japanese holding company founded in 1966 as a consulting firm for small and medium enterprises, restructured under a holding company in April 2021, and listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market in 2022. Through its core operating subsidiary Funai Consulting Inc. and seven wholly-owned subsidiaries (Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting, Funai Soken Human Capital Consulting, Funai Soken Agata FAS, Apparel Web, MI Consulting, Logicreate, and Alma Creation), the group provides industry-specific management consulting across 200+ sectors to approximately 6,600 SMEs and mid-market companies annually, with a recurring base of 8,000 active clients and 1,100+ specialized consultants.

The group's service portfolio spans general management consulting, AI and digital transformation (AX/DX) consulting, M&A advisory and group-in execution, human capital/HR solutions, supply chain and logistics BPO, and carbon neutrality / ESG consulting. Revenue is generated primarily through monthly retainer consulting contracts, annual 経営研究会 (management research association) membership fees, project-based DX/AX engagements, M&A advisory transaction fees, and managed logistics services. Underlying technology includes an enterprise-wide deployment of GoogleWorkspace with Gemini (achieving 97% daily generative AI utilization among ~1,500 employees as of July 2025), a proprietary internal AI environment (FunAI Senpai, July 2023), the GeminiEnterprise AI agent platform (launched January 2026), and an exclusive-in-Japan Zoho Premium CRM partnership that powers both internal operations and the group's CRM company transformation consulting offering.

The business model is built on three reinforcing layers: a high-touch, consultant-led field sales motion creating sticky multi-year owner relationships; a stock-business membership model (経営研究会) that compounds into consulting volume; and an M&A group-in strategy in which acquired professional services firms (DX, HR, BPO, logistics) are immediately cross-sold to the 8,000-customer base. The company's 2026-2028 mid-term plan (サステナグロース2028) targets ¥46 billion in group revenue and ¥11.5 billion in operating profit by FY2028, representing 10%+ sustained annual growth, supported by consultant headcount expansion, a 10,000-member 経営研究会 target, AX/DX consulting scaling, and continued inorganic group-ins. Geographic footprint is primarily Japan with international operations in Shanghai (China) and Bengaluru (India, Global Capability Center established November 2025).

Name

Funai Soken Holdings

Legal name

株式会社船井総研ホールディングス (Funai Soken Holdings Inc.)

Website

https://hd.funaisoken.co.jp

Company type

Public

Founded year

1966

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Funai Soken Holdings (TSE Prime: 9757) is a Japanese holding company operating a consulting group that delivers industry-specific management, AI/DX, M&A, HR, and supply chain advisory services to approximately 6,600 SMEs and mid-market companies annually through 1,100+ specialized consultants and 8,000 active client accounts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Client/High-Net-Worth Advisory (FSAEAAAN)

Keywords

• Management consulting
• Digital transformation consulting
• M&A advisory services
• Logistics consulting
• Human capital consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Management Consulting Services (Subscription/Advisory): Monthly consulting advisory contracts and annual management research association memberships (経営研究会) providing recurring subscription revenue. Services span digital transformation, M&A advisory, government subsidy navigation, and overseas expansion support for SMEs and mid-market companies. Stock business model where membership growth directly drives consulting volume expansion.
2. DX/AX Consulting Projects: Project-based consulting engagements for AI transformation and digital transformation, often in collaboration with global platform providers, targeting mid-market and SME clients nationwide.
3. Logistics & Supply Chain Services: End-to-end logistics services including consulting, logistics operations outsourcing, and logistics trading through subsidiary Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting (formerly Funai Soken Logistics), providing integrated logistics solutions.
4. Human Capital / HR Solutions: Recruitment platform and HR consulting services through Funai Soken Human Capital Consulting (formerly HR Force), helping clients solve recruitment, development, and retention challenges using data and AI.
5. M&A Advisory (Group-In Strategy): M&A advisory services supporting company group-ins, targeting consulting and adjacent professional services companies (DX, HR, BPO). Revenue from deal facilitation and post-merger value creation through cross-selling to the 8,000-customer base.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Funai Soken Holdings is a holding company that delivers management consulting services to Japanese SMEs and mid-market companies through its operating subsidiaries. Its core offering is industry-specific consulting covering digital transformation (DX/AX), M&A advisory, logistics and supply chain consulting, human capital/HR consulting, and ESG/carbon neutrality support, delivered via a 1,100+ consultant workforce and a membership-based management research association model.

Product overview

Funai Soken Holdings operates as a comprehensive X (Transformation) consulting group focused on mid-market companies, mid-market aspirants, and rising star enterprises. The core offering consists of Funai Consulting Inc., which provides industry-specific management consulting across 200+ industries, supported by specialized subsidiaries: Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting (logistics), Funai Soken Human Capital Consulting (HR/recruiting), Funai Soken Agata FAS (M&A financial advisory), Apparel Web (e-commerce/DX), and acquired brands including MI Consulting, Logicreate, and Alma Creation. The company also offers specialized service offerings including CRM company transformation consulting using Zoho, carbon neutrality/decarbonization support, ESG logistics consulting, and AX/DX consulting leveraging their own AI implementations. This structure enables one-stop delivery of consulting, DX implementation, and execution support to approximately 6,600 SMEs annually.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• FunAI センパイ: Internal generative AI environment implemented in July 2023 for group employees
• GeminiEnterprise

Products and services

• Funai Consulting Inc. (株式会社船井総合研究所)
• Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting (船井総研サプライチェーンコンサルティング)
• Funai Soken Human Capital Consulting (船井総研ヒューマンキャピタルコンサルティング)
• Funai Soken Agata FAS (船井総研あがたFAS)

Quantifiable outcome

• Target of 10,000 management research association members by 2028 (up from current base), driving consulting volume growth
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability3 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Sekisui HouseminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 July 2026Funai Soken participates as a speaker in a Sekisui House-organized seminar in Osaka (July 16, 2026) focused on growth strategies for SMEs. The event covers government subsidies under the Takai administration fiscal policy and M&A strategies for corporate value enhancement.
• JBCC Corporation (JBCC)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2026Funai Soken Supply Chain Consulting participated as a guest speaker in an online SCM reform and cybersecurity seminar hosted by JBCC Corporation (April 23, 2026). Focus on supply chain resilience and security measures for sustainable growth.
• Funai Consulting India Private Limited (internal/Global Capability Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025India subsidiary established November 2025 as Global Capability Center (GCC) in Bengaluru. Serves as proprietary AI agent development hub, Zoho-related development center, cutting-edge technology acquisition hub, and global talent pipeline. India chosen for abundant Zoho developers and AI engineers, minimal Japanese competitor presence.
• Google (Alphabet Inc.)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2024Group-wide deployment of GoogleWorkspace with Gemini across approximately 1,500 employees (November 2024). Funai Soken was among the first of its scale in Japan to implement Gemini Enterprise-wide. The partnership also involves GeminiEnterprise AI agent platform (January 2026). The group's own AI adoption serves as a showroom for client AI/DX consulting engagements.
• ZOHO Corporation (Zoho)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2022Premium partnership with Zoho for cloud-based business applications (Zoho CRM, Zoho One, etc.). Funai Soken Holdings is Japan's only Premium partner for Zoho's suite of business applications. The partnership involves full Zoho CRM implementation across the group — including proprietary 'corporate medical records' (企業カルテ) systems, integrated data flows, and accounting core system integration. The group leverages this partnership both for its own internal operations and to deliver CRM transformation consulting to clients (CRM カンパニー化).
• M&A Intermediaries and Financial Advisors (FAs)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor180+ industry-specialized consultants serve as M&A sourcing channels. The group works with M&A intermediary and FA companies as key partners for deal sourcing, with a '三位一体' (tripartite) execution model combining Holdings strategy + Agata FAS valuation/DD + operating companies. Intermediaries benefit from Funai Soken's deep industry knowledge enabling rapid non-confidential initial assessments.
• Kobe University Graduate School of Business AdministrationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint research partnership on value creation by SMEs — 'Supporting Corporate Growth by Identifying Qualities Needed by Companies and Proprietors Aiming for ¥10 Billion Turnover.' Funai Consulting holds endowed courses at Kobe University on SME growth strategies. Research combines Funai Soken's data from ~40,000 companies with Kobe University's management theory frameworks.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Nihon M&A Center Holdings: Japan's largest M&A intermediary for SMEs and mid-market companies, with a similar business model of matching business owners with succession/M&A opportunities and converting relationships into ongoing advisory fees. Most directly comparable to Funai Soken's M&A advisory / group-in strategy and the Agata FAS subsidiary.
• BayCurrent Inc. Japan-headquartered management consulting firm serving large enterprises and global clients with strategy, operations, and digital transformation services. Direct competitor for Japanese consulting talent and a comparable business model, though BayCurrent skews larger-enterprise while Funai Soken targets SME/mid-market.
• ABeam Consulting Ltd. One of Japan's largest domestic-origin management consulting firms, offering strategy, operations, and digital transformation advisory to Japanese enterprises. Directly comparable in consulting capability breadth and Japanese-market focus; a key competitor for mid-market and enterprise transformation mandates.
• M&A Capital Partners Co., Ltd. Japan-focused M&A advisory firm specializing in deals for SMEs and mid-market companies, with a similar intermediary-led model and owner-centric distribution. Comparable to Funai Soken Agata FAS in target market and deal-size profile.
• Strike Co., Ltd. Japan-based M&A advisory company focused on SME and mid-market succession transactions, with a similar advisor-network distribution model. Direct competitor in the SME M&A intermediation space alongside Nihon M&A Center and Funai Soken.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Japan Ltd. Japanese arm of the global management and technology consulting giant, serving large Japanese enterprises with strategy, digital, and operations consulting. A broad incumbent competing for the same Japanese digital transformation wallet, though typically at the enterprise tier above Funai Soken's SME/mid-market core.
• Nomura Research Institute, Ltd. Japan-headquartered consulting and IT services firm with consulting, systems integration, and financial services research. Comparable as a major Japanese consulting incumbent with a similar mix of management advisory and technology-enabled services, though NRI skews more enterprise/financial-services heavy.

Others

• Recruit Holdings Co., Ltd. Japan's largest staffing, HR, and matching-platform conglomerate operating HR technology, staffing, and marketing platforms. Comparable as an adjacent business services platform relevant to Funai Soken's Human Capital Consulting subsidiary and SME customer overlap, though Recruit operates fundamentally different marketplace / SaaS business models.
• Persol Holdings Co., Ltd. Major Japanese HR services group with staffing, recruitment, and HR consulting businesses. Comparable to Funai Soken's Human Capital Consulting subsidiary for HR/recruiting market overlap, and competes for SME / mid-market human capital consulting mandates.

Emerging players

• Link & Motivation Inc. Tokyo-listed organizational consulting and employee engagement firm serving Japanese enterprises with HR/organizational transformation services. Comparable to Funai Soken's human capital and management consulting offerings, with similar Japan-mid-market customer focus, though smaller in scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/funai-consulting

Compliance11 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Funai Soken Holdings