iae GLOBAL

What iae GLOBAL does

iae GLOBAL is a Japan-headquartered international education consultancy founded in 1992 that operates as an intermediary between prospective international students and educational institutions abroad. The company serves students seeking study opportunities in five primary destinations — Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA — through a network of more than 60 service and support offices worldwide. Since inception, iae GLOBAL has guided over 400,000 students and currently places an average of 18,000 students annually into more than 700 partner institutions spanning universities, colleges, vocational and training institutes, primary and high schools, and language schools.

The core service offering includes personalized counselling, university and college application assistance, and visa application support, delivered through trained Education Planners who design structured study pathways tailored to individual students' interests, academic backgrounds, and career aspirations. iae GLOBAL employs its proprietary "Direct Recruitment Diversity Proposition (DRDP)" methodology, combining digital marketing initiatives with offline engagement through school visits, local events, and education fairs to reach prospective students. Onshore offices in Sydney, Auckland, Toronto, and London provide after-care services for students already studying at destination countries. The company holds AIRC certification and ICEF Trusted Agency accreditation, and was a finalist for the PIEoneer Award in the Championing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion category.

iae GLOBAL operates on a commission-based affiliate/referral revenue model — services to students are provided at no cost, while revenue is generated through commissions paid by partner educational institutions upon successful student placement. The company is privately held under iae HOLDINGS, Inc., following a 2014 investment by New Horizon Capital (NHC) that installed Naoko Hatakeyama (former Deloitte partner, Harvard-trained counsellor) as Chairman. Mukoyama now owns iae HOLDINGS, Inc., with Naoko Hatakeyama serving as co-chairman alongside her NHC senior advisory role. CEO Michael Barnes brings 25+ years of international education experience including prior CEO tenure at James Cook University, Brisbane, and senior executive Hayato Sakonju contributes M&A and Japan market expertise. The leadership team, combined with the NHC/Mukoyama ownership structure, positions the company as a private-equity-backed platform in a fragmented global student recruitment market.

Name

iae GLOBAL

Legal name

iae HOLDINGS, Inc.

Website

https://iaeglobal.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

iae GLOBAL is a Japan-headquartered international education consultancy, founded in 1992, that recruits and places students into 700+ partner institutions across five study destinations, generating revenue through institutional commissions on free student-facing counselling and visa services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

International Education Recruitment Services

NAICS

Educational Services (611), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAIACAF

Virtual Recruitment Events, Fairs & Webinar Platforms

Education/International Education & Study Abroad/International Student Recruitment & Admissions Services

Keywords

• International student recruitment
• Overseas education consulting
• Study abroad advisory
• Visa application assistance
• University placement services

Headquarters

HQ city

Shibuya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Commission-based Placement Services: iae GLOBAL provides free services to students including counselling, university/college applications, and visa assistance. Revenue is generated through commissions paid by partner educational institutions when students are successfully placed. This commission-based model allows the company to offer services at no cost to students.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

iae GLOBAL is an international education consultancy that provides free counselling, university/college application assistance, and visa support to international students seeking study abroad opportunities in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, the USA, and other destinations. Services are delivered through 60+ global offices and educational fairs, with revenue generated entirely through commissions paid by 700+ partner educational institutions upon successful student placement. The offering also includes After Care Services delivered through onshore offices in destination countries to support students post-arrival.

Product overview

iae GLOBAL is an international education consultancy that operates as a single integrated service offering rather than a modular software platform. The core product is free student recruitment and counselling services, supported by a network of 700+ partner educational institutions. The service portfolio includes personalised Education Planner consultations, visa application assistance, and placement services across study destinations including Australia, Canada, New Zealand, UK, and USA. The company places approximately 18,000 students annually and has guided over 400,000 students since 1992. The offering is fundamentally a service-based model rather than a technology product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• iae GLOBAL Student Recruitment Services Free international education consultancy services guiding international students through counselling, university/college applications, and visa assistance to study abroad in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK, and the USA, with revenue generated through commissions from partner institutions.
• Education Planner Services

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• University of SydneycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• Monash UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of QueenslandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of New South Wales (UNSW)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAustralian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of British ColumbiacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of TorontocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• McGill UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCanadian university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of AucklandcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of OtagocoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNew Zealand university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• Nottingham Trent UniversitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of LeicestercoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of SouthamptoncoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUK university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• California State University, Long BeachcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS university partner for student recruitment and placement services.
• University of California, RiversidecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUS university partner for student recruitment and placement services.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/iae-global

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 iae GLOBAL