START WITH WHY

What START WITH WHY does

START WITH WHY (株式会社START WITH WHY) is a Tokyo-based B2B sales consulting and outsourcing firm founded in 2019 by CEO Nakamura Kazuya, a former Recruit, Hitmedia, and DeNA sales leader. The company operates a "Growth Support Studio" (グロース支援スタジオ) that delivers end-to-end sales support — from upstream strategy and target design through BDR/SDR execution, field sales, and closing — for non-SaaS B2B companies in Japan across 16 verticals including food/wholesale, healthcare, hotels, manufacturing, real estate, logistics, and construction. Engagement is delivered through two business units: a fixed-retainer growth support division and a performance-based sales boost division, with a hybrid pricing option that combines a base monthly fee with per-appointment incentives. The company also operates a sub-brand called "1.5 Career" (1.5キャリア), a dual-career program that places active athletes into part-time sales and marketing project work from four hours per day, and holds a licensed fee-based employment placement business (license 13-ユ-317816) that supports an agent/staffing line.

The offering is human-capital-driven rather than technology-driven: there is no proprietary software platform, API, or AI/ML model disclosed, and the technology stack is described in the source materials only in generic terms such as "automation tools" and "diagnostic services." Distribution is via direct enterprise and mid-market field sales, beginning with a free 30-minute online consultation, supplemented by heavy SEO/content marketing (industry guides, downloadable white papers, case studies), a dedicated TikTok channel for the 1.5 Career program, and a separate microsite for athlete recruitment and corporate engagement. Pricing is bespoke and quote-based, with engagement minimums typically of 3-6 months and monthly retainer rates ranging from roughly ¥600,000 to ¥2,500,000 depending on scope.

The company claims 200+ client engagements across 16 verticals, with documented case studies including NTT Qonoq (XR market expansion), OGN (manufacturing), IT Owen (IT consulting), Bungee (HR consulting), Real One (organization consulting), and Arousal Technology (AI reskilling). The leadership team comprises the founder-CEO, a COO, and four executive officers with backgrounds at Recruit, DeNA, Rakuten, AOKI, Miidas, SMBC Consumer Finance, and SAP, supporting a positioning that emphasizes domain expertise in complex non-SaaS sales cycles rather than SaaS-style productized sales plays. The company is privately held with no external funding rounds disclosed, operates from a single Tokyo headquarters (Tokyo Port City Takeshiba Office Tower), and reports approximately 100 employees including contractors as of early 2025.

Name

START WITH WHY

Legal name

株式会社START WITH WHY

Website

https://sw2.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

START WITH WHY is a Tokyo-based B2B sales consulting and outsourcing firm founded in 2019 that provides end-to-end sales support (strategy, BDR/SDR execution, field sales, KPI design) for non-SaaS Japanese industries including food/wholesale, healthcare, hotels, and manufacturing, with a secondary athlete dual-career program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

B2B Sales Outsourcing & Consulting Services

NAICS

Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers (561422), Telephone Call Centers (56142)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAFAKAD

Appointment Setting & Sales Development (SDR/BDR) Services

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Direct Marketing & Lead Generation (Email, Telemarketing, Demand Gen)

SECONDARYBPAAADAA

B2B Appointment Setting & SDR/BDR Outsourcing

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/Telemarketing, Telesales & Lead Generation

SECONDARYBPAAADAE

Telesales & Inside Sales Outsourcing (B2B/B2C)

Business & Public Services/Administrative & Support Services (BPO, Call Centers, Back Office)/Telemarketing, Telesales & Lead Generation

SECONDARYBPAFAKAA

B2B Demand Generation & Lead Nurture Agencies

Business & Public Services/Marketing, Advertising & PR Services/Direct Marketing & Lead Generation (Email, Telemarketing, Demand Gen)

Keywords

• B2B sales outsourcing
• Sales consulting services
• Inside sales support
• Growth support studio
• Sales process design

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. グロース支援スタジオ (Growth Support Studio): Provides end-to-end sales support combining strategy design, execution, and verification/improvement. Delivered through two divisions: (1) Growth Support Division - fixed monthly retainer model; (2) Sales Boost Division - performance-based model. Services range from lead generation (BDR/SDR) to field sales and closing support.
2. 1.5キャリア (1.5 Career Program): Dual-career program for athletes providing business experience in sales and marketing projects. Athletes participate as project team members, earning income while building business skills. Revenue from corporate clients who hire athlete talent through the program.
3. 有料職業紹介事業 (Fee-based Job Placement): Licensed fee-based employment placement service ( license number 13-ユ-317816) providing human resources to client organizations.
4. エージェント事業 (Agent Business): Recruitment and placement services for professionals, including placement of athletes into corporate roles.
5. クリニック事務長サポート (Clinic Administration Support): Administrative support services for medical clinics, staffed by professionals with medical industry backgrounds.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

START WITH WHY provides end-to-end B2B sales support via its Growth Support Studio (グロース支援スタジオ), combining sales strategy design, BDR/SDR execution, field sales, and closing support for non-SaaS B2B companies in Japan across food/wholesale, healthcare, hotels, manufacturing, logistics, real estate, and other verticals. Services are delivered through a fixed-retainer growth support division and a performance-based sales boost division. The company also runs the 1.5 Career (1.5キャリア) program, a remote dual-career training and athlete-talent placement service, and operates a licensed fee-based job placement business (license 13-ユ-317816).

Product overview

START WITH WHY operates as a comprehensive B2B sales growth partner (グロースパートナー), offering two main divisions: the グロース支援スタジオ (Growth Support Studio) for sales outsourcing and consulting services targeting non-SaaS B2B industries (food/wholesale, healthcare, hotels, manufacturing, logistics, construction, energy, agriculture, HR, real estate, IT, education), and the 1.5キャリア (1.5 Career) program for athlete dual-career development. The company also provides free downloadable resources including evaluation checklists, KPI templates, and failure pattern guides. The Growth Support Studio operates with two business units: a fixed-fee growth support division and a performance-based sales boost division, offering strategic design, execution, and verification services from target setting through closing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• 1.5キャリア: 実践型デュアルキャリア形成プログラム。現役アスリートが1日4時間からリモートで参加し、チームでの練習環境に合わせて柔軟に働きながら営業やマーケティング、人事などのビジネススキルを身につける。
• グロース支援スタジオ

Products and services

• Growth Support Studio (グロース支援スタジオ) End-to-end B2B sales support service combining sales strategy design, target setting, script creation, BDR/SDR execution, field sales, and closing support, with weekly/monthly PDCA cycles and sales process internalization. Delivered through two units: a fixed-fee growth support division (monthly retainer, typical ¥800,000–¥1,500,000/month) and a performance-based sales boost division (¥15,000–¥50,000 per appointment or 10–30% of closed deals). Targets Japanese non-SaaS B2B companies in verticals such as food wholesale, healthcare, hotels, manufacturing, real estate, logistics, and construction.
• 1.5 Career (1.5キャリア) Practical dual-career formation program for current and retired professional athletes, allowing remote participation in sales and marketing projects from 4 hours per day while continuing sports careers. Athletes earn income and develop business skills (sales, marketing, HR) while corporations access disciplined project-based talent. Distributed via a dedicated website (1.5career.sw2.jp).
• Fee-Based Job Placement & Agent Business (有料職業紹介事業 / エージェント事業) Government-licensed fee-based employment placement service (license 13-ユ-317816) recruiting and placing professionals — including athletes via the 1.5 Career program — into corporate roles. Includes recruitment and placement services across the company's vertical coverage and an agent business that connects professionals with client organizations.
• Clinic Administration Support (クリニック事務長サポート) Administrative support services for medical clinics, staffed by professionals with medical industry backgrounds. Provides clinic operations, staffing, and back-office support to medical institutions in Japan, drawing on the company's specialization in the healthcare vertical.

Quantifiable outcome

• 300% improvement in appointment-to-business-meeting conversion rate (商談化率)
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• セレブリックス (Cerelinx): One of Japan's largest B2B sales outsourcing and BPO firms, providing field sales, telemarketing, and sales consulting across verticals. Closest direct competitor to START WITH WHY's Growth Support Studio model.
• マーキュリー (Mercury): Japan-based sales and marketing services firm specializing in field sales, merchandising, and outsourced sales execution for consumer and B2B brands. Comparable mid-size services peer in outsourced sales delivery.
• メディアリンク (MediaLink): Japanese B2B sales outsourcing agency offering appointment setting, telemarketing, and sales consulting. Closely matches START WITH WHY's SDR/BDR-led service mix for B2B clients.
• アクティブアンドカンパニー (Active and Company): Sales consulting and training firm providing sales organization diagnostics, training, and execution support to Japanese B2B companies. Overlaps with START WITH WHY's upstream strategy and internalization support.
• トライシード (Tryseed): Japan-focused sales outsourcing and BPO firm providing inside sales, appointment setting, and telemarketing for B2B clients. Comparable scale and service-line mix.

Broad incumbents

• ベルシステム24 (Bell System 24): Large Japanese contact center and BPO incumbent offering inbound/outbound call center, telemarketing, and CX services. Operates at much larger scale and broader scope but overlaps in telesales outsourcing.
• トランスコスモス (Transcosmos): Major Japanese BPO/digital services incumbent offering contact centers, telemarketing, sales support, and digital marketing. Serves as a much larger benchmark for outsourced sales and customer engagement services.

Others

• ネオキャリア (NeoCareer): Japan-based HR services and BPO firm spanning staffing, recruitment, and outsourced sales/marketing. Adjacent player in the same outsourced-services ecosystem; competes for some sales-support talent.

Emerging players

• ベーシック (Basic): Japan-based marketing and sales support firm with a tech-enabled lead generation and content marketing platform (ferret). Adjacent emerging player in the B2B demand-generation stack.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 START WITH WHY