Waris

What Waris does

Waris (株式会社Waris) is a Tokyo-based, private HR services company founded in April 2013 by three co-founders — Fumika Yonekura (米倉史夏), Miwa Tanaka (田中美和), and Kyoko Kawa (河京子) — operating a career shift platform (キャリアシフトプラットフォーム, CSP) that connects experienced business-skilled women (10+ years in generalist roles such as HR, marketing, PR, accounting, and sales planning) with Japanese enterprises seeking flexible, project-based, or full-time talent. The platform spans four branded service lines under three business segments: Agent (Waris Professional for freelance matching, Waris Tenshoku for permanent/contract placement of women in their 30s-40s, and Waris Executive for female board/executive placements linked to ESG and SDG mandates), Reskilling (Waris Reskilling, including AI Agent and Generative AI courses), and Solutions (consulting, training, speaking, and Circular HR).

The company monetizes through transaction fees on placement/match outcomes, professional services revenue from corporate consulting and training, and subscription-style reskilling course fees (e.g., ¥99,800 for the Pro HR AI Agent Practice Course, ¥55,000 for the Generative AI Reskilling Course). Technology is anchored in a proprietary talent-matching database of approximately 30,000 registered professionals and 2,900 client companies (March 2025), supplemented by owned media (Cue, launched August 2016), an HR AI Agent built on Anthropic's Claude, and co-developed AI training content with partners KAGEMUSHA and Digital Hollywood. Distribution combines field sales to corporate HR buyers, self-service registration on waris.co.jp and waris.jp, webinars, seminars, and event participation (including HR EXPO).

Since June 30, 2023, Waris has operated as a subsidiary of Benesse Corporation Group (ベネッセコーポレーション), one of Japan's largest education and services conglomerates, providing capital and distribution stability while maintaining operational independence. As of the latest disclosures the company had grown to 51-100 employees, served clients including ABEJA, Asahi Shimbun, Cybozu, GE Healthcare Japan, Globis, and Money Forward, and extended operations into Kanto and Fukuoka markets with historical government-backed initiatives in Hokkaido and other regions.

Name

Waris

Legal name

株式会社Waris

Website

https://waris.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Waris operates a Tokyo-based career shift platform connecting experienced Japanese business-skilled women (10+ years experience) with enterprises via freelance matching, permanent placement, executive placement, reskilling, and consulting. A Benesse Corporation Group subsidiary, it serves ~2,900 corporate clients and ~30,000 registered professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Staffing and Talent Matching Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Temporary Help Services (56132), Computer Training (611420), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Core HR & HRIS (BPACAPAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Systems Administration & IT Operations (Windows/Linux, Monitoring, ITSM) (EDABAFAH), Collaboration, Teamwork & Conflict Resolution (EDAAAKAF)

Keywords

• Female talent matching
• Freelance staffing services
• Executive recruitment
• Career reskilling programs
• HR consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 有料職業紹介事業 (Fee-based staffing/recruitment): Waris Professional matches female freelance professionals with companies on a project/contract basis, charging companies for talent placement. Waris Tenshoku introduces experienced female professionals (30s-40s) to companies as full-time or contract employees. Waris Executive introduces female executives (board members, outside directors, auditors, executive officers) to companies.
2. コンサルティング・研修・講演サービス (Consulting, Training & Seminar Services): Provides consulting on work style reform and diversity & inclusion, along with public and in-house seminars, training programs, and speaking engagements for corporate clients and organizations.
3. リスキリング事業 (Reskilling Programs): Career shift support services linking 'working' and 'learning', including paid reskilling courses (e.g., AI Agent course at 99,800 JPY, Generative AI course at 55,000 JPY), providing both individual enrollment and corporate training solutions.
4. Circular HR Project: Initiative aimed at achieving a 'zero human resource loss' society through career support services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Waris operates a career shift platform that matches experienced business-professional women with Japanese companies through freelance project matching (Waris Professional), permanent/contract placement (Waris Tenshoku), and female executive placement (Waris Executive). It also delivers AI-focused reskilling courses and corporate consulting/training on work style reform and diversity. Revenue is generated from fee-based talent placements charged to companies and reskilling course fees paid by individuals and corporate HR departments.

Product overview

Waris operates a multi-service career shift platform (キャリアシフトプラットフォーム) spanning three business segments: Agent (エージェント事業), Reskilling (リスキリング事業), and Solution (ソリューション事業). The core platform centers on Waris Professional — a matching service connecting business-skill female freelancers with companies for project-based work — supported by Waris転職 (permanent/contract placement), Warisエグゼクティブ (female executive placement), and Warisリスキリング (career reskilling). A proprietary web media brand, Cue, serves as an owned media channel for the target demographic. AI-focused educational products include the 'プロ人事のためのAIエージェント実践講座' (joint with KAGEMUSHA) and the 'Waris生成AIリスキリング講座' (with Digital Hollywood). The portfolio is unified by a shared mission of 'Live Your Life' enabling diverse workstyles.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Warisプロフェッショナル: エージェント事業：広報やマーケティング、HRなどビジネス系プロフェッショナル領域の仕事ニーズと女性フリーランスをマッチングするサービス
• Waris転職
• Warisエグゼクティブ
• Warisリスキリング
• サーキュラーHR
• Cue（キュー）

Products and services

• Waris Professional (Warisプロフェッショナル)

Quantifiable outcome

• 人事職におけるAI関連案件の割合が2024年度の7.6%から2025年度には21.1%へ約2.8倍増加

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社KAGEMUSHAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Co-development partner for the 'Pro HR AI Agent Practice Course' (プロ人事のためのAIエージェント実践講座). KAGEMUSHA brings AI implementation and client project acquisition support expertise. The partnership combines Waris's female career support and reskilling capabilities with KAGEMUSHA's AI training to deliver practical AI agent building skills for HR professionals.
• デジタルハリウッドcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 April 2026Digital Hollywood serves as the official co-developer and advisor for the 'Waris Generative AI Reskilling Course' (Waris生成AIリスキリング講座). The course leverages Digital Hollywood's expertise in digital education and AI training to deliver a curriculum with 100% completion rate in pilot testing (17 participants, Feb pilot).
• 株式会社ワイズスタッフminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 8 January 2016Partnership with Wise Staff Co., Ltd. for work-from-home/telework matching services. Wise Staff operates Japan's first specialized telework matching platform 'Telemachi'. The partnership combined Waris's business professional matching expertise with Wise Staff's remote work capabilities for mutual client service.
• ベネッセコーポレーションcoreOthers · 1 December 2015Waris became part of the Benesse Group as of June 30, 2023. Benesse is a major education and services company providing the parent company backing for Waris's operations and growth strategy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Schoo: Schoo is a Japanese online learning and corporate training platform that offers AI and professional development courses. It competes with Waris Reskilling in the corporate AI upskilling segment and represents a scalable alternative to Waris's small-cohort reskilling model.
• SmartHR: SmartHR is a leading Japanese HR tech company providing cloud HR and labor management software. While it operates in HR technology rather than staffing, both SmartHR and Waris sell to corporate HR departments, making them adjacent competitors for HR buyer mindshare.

Direct peers

• i-common: i-common operates a network specifically focused on female executive candidates for board and management positions in Japan. It directly competes with Waris Executive in the female executive placement vertical.
• BizReach: BizReach is a Japanese executive and mid-career placement platform serving experienced professionals across industries. It competes with Waris Executive for board-level and experienced professional placements.
• Wantedly: Wantedly operates a talent matching platform in Japan connecting professionals with companies based on mission and culture fit. It overlaps with Waris Professional in freelance/mid-career matching and is a direct competitor in Japan's tech-enabled recruitment market.
• Mamasan&Co: Mamasan&Co operates a freelance matching platform targeting women re-entering the workforce, similar to Waris's focus on connecting professional women with flexible work opportunities. It competes directly with Waris Professional in Japan's women-focused flexible work segment.
• AnotherEight: AnotherEight is a Japanese freelance matching platform specifically focused on connecting female professionals with companies. It directly competes with Waris Professional in the women-focused freelance matching segment in Japan.

Others

• Digital Hollywood: Digital Hollywood is a Japanese digital education provider that co-developed Waris's Generative AI Reskilling Course. As a strategic partner rather than a competitor, it is relevant for understanding Waris's reskilling content positioning and pricing benchmarks.

Broad incumbents

• Pasona Group: Pasona is one of Japan's largest staffing and HR services conglomerates, offering temporary staffing, permanent placement, and outsourcing across multiple segments. It is a broad incumbent in the same HR/staffing market where Waris Professional, Tenshoku, and Executive operate.
• Recruit Holdings: Recruit is Japan's dominant HR services group, with brands like Indeed, Rikunabi, and Townwork covering job matching, permanent placement, and staffing. It is a broad incumbent across all of Waris's core service lines.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waris-co-ltd
• Xx.com/info_Waris

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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 Waris