What Qast does

Qast is an AI-powered knowledge management cloud platform operated by any Inc., a privately held Japanese software company headquartered in central Tokyo. Launched in 2018 as an internal Q&A system, Qast has evolved into a comprehensive enterprise platform that helps Japanese organizations convert tacit, individual knowledge into structured, searchable, AI-accessible organizational assets. As of 2026 the platform serves more than 98,000 users across a roster of named enterprise customers including Marui Group (5,500 seats), Tokai Riko (3,200 seats), Bandai, JR East, Elleair Paper, Dynam, Odakyu Fudosan, Digital Garage, and Shueisha, spanning manufacturing, retail, fintech, gaming, railway, real estate, and publishing verticals.

The platform combines generative AI, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), natural language processing, and AI-OCR computer vision to ingest and operationalize organizational knowledge from heterogeneous sources. Core features include こましりchat (Komashiri Chat), an RAG-based conversational Q&A engine that returns source-cited answers; File to Knowledge, which converts dropped PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and handwritten documents into AI-summarized, auto-tagged knowledge posts; Meeting to Knowledge, which transcribes meeting audio into structured records with auto-extracted next actions, plans, and assignees; and AI Knowledge Interview, a Japan-first patent-pending voice-based service that interviews experts to extract tacit knowledge. The platform integrates natively with Slack, Microsoft Teams, Microsoft 365, Google Drive, Azure Active Directory, and supports SAML2.0 single sign-on alongside two-factor authentication via Google Authenticator and Twilio Authy.

Qast operates a B2B SaaS model targeting Japanese enterprises via annual subscription contracts with tiered per-seat pricing (Professional, Professional Plus with AI Knowledge Interview, Premium), bank transfer or credit card billing, and auto-renewal absent 30-day cancellation notice. Distribution combines direct enterprise field sales, inside sales, a self-service 30-day free trial, free demo requests via the company website, and event presence at major Japanese industry exhibitions (DX総合EXPO, Japan IT Week, 産業DX総合展, バックオフィスWorld). The company invested in its first taxi advertising brand campaign on TOKYO PRIME in July 2025 and operates the annual Knowledge Creation Day conference and Qast Lab media platform as thought-leadership channels. Qast holds ISO 27001 certification (IS 754080, BSI Group Japan) and is certified as a METI IT導入補助金 vendor, making it eligible for Japanese SME government subsidies of up to ¥500,000. The company is private with no disclosed funding rounds or external investors in the source data.

Name

Qast

Legal name

any株式会社

Website

https://qast.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Qast, operated by any Inc., is a Tokyo-based AI knowledge management SaaS platform serving Japanese enterprises. It converts tacit organizational knowledge into searchable assets via RAG-based Q&A, AI-led expert interviews, and automated document and meeting processing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Knowledge Management Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Web Search Portals and All Other Information Services (519290)

SIC

Office Machines, Nec (3579)

akta.pro primary industry

Q&A and Knowledge Discovery Platforms (BPAMAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Enterprise Work Management & Collaborative Workflow Platforms (HDAEAHAI)

Keywords

• Knowledge management software
• AI knowledge platform
• Enterprise SaaS solutions
• Internal Q&A system
• Tacit knowledge capture

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription (Annual/Monthly): Annual contract model with monthly or annual billing. Subscription tiers based on number of users/seats. Contract auto-renews unless cancelled 1 month before expiration. Bank transfer and credit card payment accepted.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Qast is an AI-powered knowledge management cloud platform that helps enterprises convert individual tacit knowledge and experience into organizational assets. The platform combines Q&A, file-to-knowledge conversion, RAG-based AI chat search (こましりchat), AI Knowledge Interview for expert knowledge extraction, meeting transcription, and Know Who expert discovery. Sold as annual SaaS subscriptions targeting Japanese enterprises across manufacturing, retail, transportation, gaming, and IT sectors.

Product overview

Qast是由any株式会社提供的AI知识管理云服务平台，包含Q&A、笔记、文件到知识、こましりchat、AI知识访谈、会议到知识、仪表板等核心功能模块，以及Qast AI生成式AI功能包。用户标签功能支持Know Who知识找人。主要通过Teams/Slack集成实现外部协作。平台支持私有部署和云服务两种形式，提供免费、标准版、商务版等多个订阅计划。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Qast AI Knowledge Management Platform AI-powered knowledge management cloud service platform that helps enterprises convert individual tacit knowledge and experience into organizational assets through Q&A, knowledge base, AI-powered chat search, and expert discovery (Know Who). Deployed across Japanese enterprises in manufacturing, retail, transportation, gaming, and IT.
• Qast AI Subscription add-on package of generative AI capabilities for Qast, including RAG-based conversational AI chat (こましりchat), AI file-to-knowledge conversion with OCR, AI Knowledge Interview, similar question suggestions, and automated user tag generation. Requires separate Qast AI Plan subscription beyond the base platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 資料探索時間を半減 (Reduced material search time by half)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability12 records

Feature10 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Atlassian (Confluence): Enterprise wiki and knowledge base with deep Jira integrations; the dominant incumbent Qast must displace or coexist with inside Japanese enterprises for internal Q&A and documentation.
• Notion Labs: All-in-one workspace combining docs, wiki, and AI-powered Q&A (Notion AI/Q&A). Competes directly with Qast for the internal knowledge base and search use case among enterprise buyers.
• Guru: Enterprise knowledge management platform delivering verified, in-workflow answers via browser extension and integrations; competes for the same single-source-of-truth internal knowledge use case.
• Tettra: AI knowledge base inside Microsoft Teams and Slack with Q&A and expert identification features that closely parallel Qast's こましりchat and Know Who capabilities.
• Slite: AI-powered knowledge base for distributed teams with similar Q&A, docs, and async decision capture; overlaps with Qast's core internal knowledge management positioning.
• Helpfeel: Japanese AI-powered FAQ and knowledge search SaaS (originally from Nota); competes with Qast's こましりchat for internal and customer-facing question-answering deployments.
• Stockmark: Japanese AI document and enterprise knowledge platform with summarization and search; the most directly comparable domestic competitor targeting similar Japanese enterprise DX budgets.

Others

• HENNGE: Cloud security and SSO provider (HENNGE One) commonly paired with Qast for SAML-based access; ecosystem enabler rather than competitor but indicates the broader Japanese SaaS stack Qast is sold into.

Emerging players

• Chatwork: Leading Japanese business messaging SaaS expanding into knowledge and AI features; competes for the same Japanese enterprise buyer budget and overlaps with Teams/Slack-style workflow integration.

Broad incumbents

• Microsoft (Viva / Loop): Microsoft's employee experience and knowledge platform sits inside Microsoft 365, leveraging Azure AD, Teams, and Copilot that Qast integrates with — represents both a partner channel and the most formidable competitive threat.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/qast_official

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Qast