R3 INSTITUTE

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).

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

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

• No-code customization
• Business process automation
• Version management software
• Cloud system development
• SaaS development tools

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Training Services (Cloud University): Revenue from training programs offered through Cloud University, teaching kintone and Customine development skills to customers and partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core 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

Named customers9 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

Integration3 records

AI capability4 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Ryukyu Golden Kings (琉球ゴールデンキングス)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2023R3 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)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorR3 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)minorOthersR3 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

Regional 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

• Xtwitter.com/gusukuSupport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/r3institute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 R3 INSTITUTE