R3 INSTITUTE
R3 Institute is a Japanese cloud services company that provides kintone-based business improvement consulting and the gusuku SaaS suite — including the no-code Customine customization tool, Deploit version management, Everysite frontend development, and Cloud University training — serving 2,500+ enterprise and SMB clients across multiple industries in Japan.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersOsaka, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What R3 INSTITUTE does
R3 Institute is a privately held Japanese cloud services company founded in August 2000 and headquartered in Osaka, with a sales office in Tokyo. The company specializes in kintone-based business improvement and system development, operating both as a Cybozu-certified kintone implementation partner (through its kiminomahoro consulting brand) and as a SaaS vendor via the gusuku product suite. Since establishing its partnership with Cybozu in 2014 and pivoting to kintone in 2015, R3 Institute has built an integrated ecosystem around the platform.
The gusuku suite consists of Customine (no-code kintone customization that generates JavaScript from visual rule configurations), Deploit (version management and backup for kintone apps), Boostone (professional support services), Everysite (frontend development with bidirectional kintone integration), and Cloud University (training and certification). A sixth product, gusuku Fluxon, is in development as a gateway service to connect generative AI with kintone. The technology stack runs on AWS infrastructure and integrates with SendGrid, Google Analytics, and HubSpot at the tooling layer.
The business operates a hybrid GTM combining direct enterprise sales for consulting engagements with a self-serve, freemium-led SaaS model for the gusuku products. Customine is priced from a permanently free tier up to ¥3,000,000/year for 3,000 app slots. By 2026, R3 Institute reported 2,500+ total clients, 1,900 paid Customine customers, 8,400 registered users, and 154,000 cumulative customizations. The customer base spans manufacturing, hospitality, retail, financial services, real estate, insurance, and government. The company has 11–50 employees operating on a fully remote model and has received ITreview Best Software in Japan (2024–2026) and Great Place to Work certifications (2025–2026).
R3 INSTITUTE firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- R3 INSTITUTE
- Legal name
- 有限会社アールスリーインスティテュート
- Website
- https://r3it.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- R3 Institute is a Japanese cloud services company that provides kintone-based business improvement consulting and the gusuku SaaS suite — including the no-code Customine customization tool, Deploit version management, Everysite frontend development, and Cloud University training — serving 2,500+ enterprise and SMB clients across multiple industries in Japan.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
R3 INSTITUTE industry classification
Industry- Product category
- No-code Development Platform
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Educational Support Services (611710)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps) (BPAAACAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Tools & Platforms Training (Jira, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.) (EDABAHAH), Data, Analytics & AI Training (BI, Data Engineering, ML/GenAI) (BPAEANAH)
Keywords
Where R3 INSTITUTE is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Osaka
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
R3 INSTITUTE business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- SaaS Subscriptions (gusuku Series): Recurring subscription revenue from gusuku Customine, Deploit, Boostone, and Everysite SaaS products. Pricing tiers based on number of app slots. The free plan drives adoption while paid plans (4, 100, 1000, 3000 app slots) generate subscription revenue. Annual billing available with discounts.
- System Development & Consulting: Custom system development and consulting services using kintone, AWS, and other cloud platforms. Services include 'キミノマホロ for kintone' (kintone-based business improvement and system development) and 'キミノマホロ for フルスクラッチ' (custom full-scratch development). Revenue recognized as project-based professional services.
- Training Services (Cloud University): Revenue from training programs offered through Cloud University, teaching kintone and Customine development skills to customers and partners.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free plan with no time limit for gusuku Customine |
| Subscription | Annual | Entry-level paid plan starting at ¥4,000/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Standard plan at ¥10,000/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Professional plan at ¥100,000/year |
| Subscription | Annual | Enterprise plan at ¥3,000,000/year |
Go-to-market motion4 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels10 records
R3 INSTITUTE product offering
Product offeringCore offering
R3 Institute develops and sells the gusuku series of SaaS products that extend Cybozu's kintone platform with no-code JavaScript customization, development/version management, server-side customization execution, and frontend JavaScript injection capabilities. The company also offers the Cloud University training service and provides kintone-based system development and consulting services under the Kimi no Mahoro brand.
Product overview
R3 Institute offers the gusuku series of SaaS products built on the kintone platform, complemented by implementation services. The core portfolio includes gusuku Customine (no-code kintone customization), gusuku Deploit (version management and backup), gusuku Everysite (frontend development for kintone integration), and gusuku Boostone (professional support). Cloud University provides training on kintone and Customine. gusuku Fluxon (in development) will add generative AI integration capabilities. Implementation services include Kiミノマホロ for kintone and full-scratch development. The company leverages no-code technology to achieve overwhelming productivity for both customers and the company itself.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- gusuku Customine: No-code customization service for kintone that allows users to customize kintone apps without programming knowledge.
- gusuku Deploit
- gusuku Boostone
- gusuku Everysite
- Cloud University
- キミノマホロ (Kiminomahoro)
- gusuku Ashibinaa
Products and services
- gusuku Customine No-code kintone customization SaaS that lets business users generate JavaScript via a visual rule interface, eliminating the need to write code to extend kintone apps. Used by kintone administrators and citizen developers to add custom actions, validations, and UI enhancements to kintone.
- gusuku Deploit kintone development and version management SaaS that packages apps, customizations, and plug-ins, and deploys them consistently across multiple kintone environments. Targets kintone partners, SIs, and enterprise IT teams managing development, staging, and production.
- gusuku Boostone Server-side custom JavaScript execution SaaS for kintone, enabling custom logic to run server-side via webhook-based automation. Used by developers and partners to implement integrations and automated processing that exceed kintone's built-in limits.
- gusuku Everysite Frontend customization SaaS for kintone that injects JavaScript into the kintone host page to customize list views, record detail pages, and other screens from outside the kintone app. Used by partners and power users to apply organization-wide UI customizations across kintone.
- Cloud University (クラユニ) Online training and e-learning service for Cybozu kintone, providing video courses and learning paths to help users, administrators, and developers build kintone skills. Targets individuals, kintone customer teams, and partner organizations.
- Kimi no Mahoro for kintone (キミノマホロ for kintone) Kintone-based system development and consulting service that delivers custom kintone apps and business systems to enterprise customers, leveraging the gusuku toolset internally. Targets organizations that want kintone-native systems built by R3 Institute.
- Kimi no Mahoro Full Scratch (キミノマホロ for フルスクラッチ) Full-scratch system development and consulting service for customers who require fully custom systems rather than kintone-based solutions, offered under the Kimi no Mahoro brand by R3 Institute.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 2,500 clients served; 1,900 paid contract companies for gusuku Customine; 154,000 cumulative customizations created; 200 new customizations created daily
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use R3 INSTITUTE
Customer profileNamed customers9 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
R3 INSTITUTE technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability4 records
Feature7 records
R3 INSTITUTE partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Ryukyu Golden Kings (琉球ゴールデンキングス)minorR3 Institute entered into an official partner contract with the Ryukyu Golden Kings, a professional basketball team (B.League, B1), from 2023. The partnership involves sponsoring games, hosting events, and promoting the company's brand. R3 Institute served as title sponsor for the B.League Championship 2025-26 Semifinal GAME1 and promotes the team through social media, event booths, and branded content. The partnership reflects the company's community engagement in Okinawa.
- Cybozu Co., Ltd. (サイボウズ株式会社)coreR3 Institute is a certified Cybozu kintone partner specializing in kintone system development and customization. The partnership involves joint participation in events (Kintone Expo Day, Cybozu Days), product integration, and mutual business development. Cybozu organizes the kintone partner ecosystem and provides the kintone platform that R3 Institute's gusuku products extend and complement.
- R3 Technology Co., Ltd. (株式会社アールスリーテクノロジー)minorR3 Institute has a related company relationship with R3 Technology Co., Ltd. (r3tech.jp), which is a separate but affiliated entity under common ownership or management. The relationship enables potential business synergies between the two R3-group companies.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights6 records
R3 INSTITUTE competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- freee: Leading Japanese cloud SaaS provider for accounting and HR, built on a 'no-code / business-user-first' philosophy similar in spirit to R3 Institute. Comparable as a Japan-centric no-code SaaS success story and as an indicator of the ceiling for domestically focused no-code cloud businesses.
- SmartHR: Japanese cloud SaaS for HR and labor management with strong self-serve, no-config adoption. Comparable to R3 Institute as another homegrown Japanese cloud SaaS that scaled via community and product-led growth within a defined vertical.
Emerging players
- Ash-style (Ash, Inc.): Japanese kintone partner focused on kintone app development and digital transformation consulting for SMBs. Comparable to R3 Institute's lower-tier consulting motion, though smaller in scale and brand recognition.
- Retool: Low-code platform for building internal business tools, comparable to R3 Institute's Customine in target user (operations and IT teams customizing internal apps). It represents the global benchmark that R3's Customine would be benchmarked against if it ever expanded beyond kintone.
Direct peers
- JOYZY (Joyzo Inc.): Kintone specialist SI and certified partner that builds and sells kintone apps and add-on solutions. Comparable to R3 Institute as a fellow Cybozu partner monetizing the same kintone customization demand with its own productized offerings.
- JBS (Japan Business Solutions): Certified kintone partner and system integrator offering kintone implementation, customization, and add-on products. Comparable to R3 Institute because it competes for the same enterprise kintone budget with a similar SI-plus-product hybrid model.
- M-SOLUTIONS: Japanese kintone-certified partner and plugin developer offering kintone customization tools and SI services. Comparable to R3 Institute because it targets the same enterprise kintone customer base with complementary customization plug-ins and consulting engagements.
Broad incumbents
- Cybozu: Maker of the kintone platform that R3 Institute's entire product and services portfolio extends. Comparable because it sets the API, partner economics, and roadmap that R3 depends on, and offers competing native features for customization, version management, and increasingly AI.
- AppSheet (Google): Google's no-code app-building platform targeting business users. Comparable to R3 Institute's Customine value proposition — letting non-programmers build custom business apps — though at a much larger scale and broader scope.
- Microsoft Power Apps: Global low-code platform from Microsoft that competes with gusuku Customine for enterprise no-code customization budget. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering adjacent no-code capabilities to organizations standardizing on Microsoft 365.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
R3 INSTITUTE social profiles
Digital presenceR3 INSTITUTE financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
R3 INSTITUTE leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
R3 INSTITUTE subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
R3 INSTITUTE funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
R3 INSTITUTE M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about R3 INSTITUTE
What does R3 INSTITUTE do?
R3 Institute develops and sells the gusuku series of SaaS products that extend Cybozu's kintone platform with no-code JavaScript customization, development/version management, server-side customization execution, and frontend JavaScript injection capabilities. The company also offers the Cloud University training service and provides kintone-based system development and consulting services under the Kimi no Mahoro brand.
Is R3 INSTITUTE a public or private company?
R3 INSTITUTE is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was R3 INSTITUTE founded?
R3 INSTITUTE was founded in 2000. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is R3 INSTITUTE based?
R3 INSTITUTE is headquartered in Osaka, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does R3 INSTITUTE make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. SaaS Subscriptions (gusuku Series) is the primary driver. The others are system Development & Consulting and training Services (Cloud University).
Who are R3 INSTITUTE's main competitors?
Regional players on record are freee and SmartHR. Emerging players are Ash-style (Ash, Inc.) and Retool. Direct peers are JOYZY (Joyzo Inc.), JBS (Japan Business Solutions) and M-SOLUTIONS. Broad incumbents are Cybozu, AppSheet (Google) and Microsoft Power Apps.
Does R3 INSTITUTE have an API?
No public API is recorded for R3 INSTITUTE.
What industry is R3 INSTITUTE in?
R3 INSTITUTE's product category is No-code Development Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAAACAC, Software/Application Support (SaaS, Enterprise Apps), with a secondary code of EDABAHAH, Tools & Platforms Training (Jira, Azure DevOps, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.). Its NAICS code is 5132 and its SIC code is 7372.