What Activo does

Activo, Inc. (株式会社activo) is a Kyoto-based software company that operates activo, Japan's largest volunteer and non-profit job-matching platform, connecting ~250,000 registered individual volunteers with more than 10,000 non-profit organizations. Founded in November 2017 by Representative Director Ozawa Keisuke after spinning the platform out of predecessor Campus Co., Activo runs a cloud-based SaaS built on AWS that lets NPOs post volunteer opportunities and part-time/staff positions, manage applicants, run scouting campaigns against the user base, and (for donation-type NPOs) acquire supporters. The company's monetization spans four streams: a monthly subscription for NPO volunteer recruitment postings (launched April 2017 as the first of its kind in Japan), a results-based job advertising product for NPO staff and part-time roles, an Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS sold to corporations for sustainability and human capital management programs, and advertising on the platform; free disaster-relief posting is provided during emergencies such as the 2018 West Japan floods, COVID-19, and the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.

The company pursues a three-layer product architecture: a self-serve core marketplace (PLG/SEO-driven), enterprise SaaS sold via direct sales to corporations and governments, and channel/secretariat roles such as the Social Wednesday portal (run as secretariat for the Keizai Doyukai / New Public Interest Federation initiative) and the Nagoya City volunteer matching system (a multi-year contract through fiscal 2031 tied to the 2026 Asian/Asian Paralympic Games). Distribution is hybrid: organic SEO and media partnerships (anan, NHK, gooddo) drive individual and NPO acquisition, while corporate channel partners (Kirin, Kokuyo, Konoike, Sanyo Trading, JTB Communication Design) and government integrations (Tokyo 100-nen Navi, NTT DoCoMo Kabone Record, Japan Post flyers) extend reach. The company is privately held, has fewer than 10 full-time employees, self-identifies as a "zebra company" pursuing sustainable profit-aligned growth rather than VC-driven scale, holds ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification (obtained June 2025), and was selected for Forbes JAPAN NEXT100 in 2024.

Name

Activo

Legal name

株式会社activo

Website

https://corp.activo.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Activo operates Japan's largest volunteer and NPO job-matching platform, connecting approximately 250,000 individual volunteers with more than 10,000 registered non-profit organizations. It generates revenue from NPO subscriptions, results-based NPO job advertising, an enterprise volunteer portal SaaS for corporations, and government contracts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Volunteer Management Software

NAICS

Social Advocacy Organizations (8133), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Help Supply Services (7363)

akta.pro primary industry

Project / Surge RPO (Short-Term Hiring Programs) (BPACABAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Enterprise RPO (End-to-End Program Management) (BPACABAA), Onsite / Embedded RPO (In-House Recruiter Teams) (BPACABAD)

Keywords

• Volunteer matching platform
• Nonprofit SaaS software
• Corporate volunteer portals
• NPO recruitment tools
• Social impact technology

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Volunteer Recruitment SaaS Subscription: Monthly subscription service for non-profit organizations to post volunteer recruitment listings. Provides tools for application management and communication with applicants.
2. NPO Job Advertising: Results-based job advertising service for non-profit organization staff and part-time positions.
3. Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS: Dedicated portal SaaS for corporations to facilitate employee participation in social contribution activities. Supports sustainability and human capital management initiatives.
4. Advertising Services: Advertising services on the platform.
5. Disaster Relief Free Services: Free volunteer recruitment services during disaster relief periods (e.g., Noto Peninsula earthquake, COVID-19, 2018 West Japan floods) to support recovery efforts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Activo operates Japan's largest volunteer and NPO staff/part-time job information platform, connecting individuals who want to contribute with non-profit organizations needing personnel. The company also offers an Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS that builds dedicated portals for corporations to engage employees in social contribution activities for sustainability and human capital management, plus curated portals such as the Social Wednesday Volunteer Portal and government-contracted volunteer matching systems.

Product overview

Activo operates a three-part product architecture: (1) the core platform — activo, Japan's largest volunteer and staff/part-time job information site for nonprofits, serving as the primary matching engine connecting ~25 registered volunteer-seekers with over 10,000 registered nonprofit organizations; (2) SaaS tools including a volunteer recruitment management tool, NPO staff/byte recruitment advertising, a donor support feature, a scout feature, and advertising services; and (3) an Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS offering dedicated employee-facing portals for corporate clients seeking to embed social contribution into human capital management strategies. Activo also operates the Social Wednesday Volunteer Portal as secretariat for a national corporate volunteer movement, and holds a government contract to build and operate the Nagoya City Volunteer Matching System. The product suite is unified by a shared mission to maximize social participation through technology, progressing from a matching information site toward becoming a social sector IT infrastructure.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• activo for Company: Enterprise volunteer portal SaaS solution for corporate employees, providing dedicated portals connecting company employees with the social sector for sustainability and human capital management.

Products and services

• activo Volunteer Recruitment Platform
• Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS
• NPO Staff and Part-Time Job Recruitment Advertising
• Social Wednesday Volunteer Portal
• Nagoya City Volunteer Matching System
• Advertising Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ registered non-profit organizations (as of January 2026, 12.9x growth over 10 years)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kirin Holdings (キリンホールディングス)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner defining volunteering, actively engaged in sustainability and human capital management initiatives. Part of Social Wednesday initiative supporting employee volunteer participation.
• Kokuyo (コクヨ)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner actively involved in sustainability and social contribution activities. Supports employee participation in volunteer programs.
• Konoike (株式会社鴻池組)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner engaged in sustainability initiatives, participating in volunteer promotion programs.
• Sanyo Trading (三洋貿易)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner actively involved in sustainability and social contribution activities.
• JTB Communication Design (株式会社JTBコミュニケーションデザイン)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate partner engaged in sustainability communications and social contribution initiatives.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government 100年活躍ナビcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerGovernment partner for promoting citizen social participation. Automated integration of activo volunteer/event information into Tokyo's senior engagement platform.
• Nagoya CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term government contract (2026-2031) for volunteer matching system development, operation, and promotion. Partnership for 2026 Asian/Asian Paralympic Games volunteer legacy.
• Economic Deliberation Association / New Public Interest Federation (経済同友会/新公益連盟)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerActivo serves as secretariat for Social Wednesday initiative promoting corporate employee volunteer participation. Part of Economic Deliberation Association's 'Shared互助 Capitalism' practice.
• NTT DoCoMo (株式会社NTTドーム)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution partnership to share activo volunteer/event information through DoCoMo's carbon-neutral tracking service 'Kabone Record'.
• Japan Post (日本郵便)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerDistribution partnership for printed flyers promoting volunteer awareness at post offices in Tokyo and Kyoto areas.
• EXIDEA (株式会社EXIDEA)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partnership featuring activo in So-gud web magazine covering future-oriented companies and pro bono activities.
• gooddo (gooddo株式会社)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner for Japan's largest social contribution/SDGs media. Featured event 'Career Intersection' for professional volunteers and co-hosted cross-boundary learning seminars.
• World in You (、一般法人World in You)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-host of 'Career Intersection' event for professional volunteers focused on cross-boundary learning.
• GMO Pepabo (GMOペパボ)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership offering Lolipop server hosting (3 months free, free initial setup) for online volunteer program users.
• Choi Furu (一般社チョイふる)minorOthersNon-profit organization using activo to recruit diverse citizens for community-based childcare support. Featured testimonial about platform value.
• Living in Peace (認定NPOLiving in Peace)minorOthersPro bono non-profit using activo to find skilled colleagues nationwide. Featured testimonial about platform value for connecting mission-aligned individuals.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• gooddo: Japan's largest social contribution/SDGs media platform and a current activo partner. Operates in the same volunteer and social-good engagement space in Japan, making it the closest direct competitor and parallel ecosystem player for individual and corporate social contribution.
• Benevity: Global enterprise employee volunteer and giving platform serving large corporations. Directly comparable to activo's Enterprise Volunteer Portal SaaS product, with a similar corporate CSR/ESG volunteer program value proposition but at much larger global scale.

Broad incumbents

• VolunteerMatch: US-based incumbent volunteer matching platform connecting individuals with nonprofit opportunities. Operates the same core volunteer-recruitment marketplace model as activo but is a more established, broader-market incumbent primarily in the United States.
• Points of Light: Large US-based volunteer infrastructure organization offering corporate volunteer programs and matching services. Comparable in mission and enterprise offering to activo's enterprise portal, but operates as a broader social-impact organization rather than a SaaS-only business.
• YourCause (Blackbaud): Enterprise CSR and employee engagement platform owned by Blackbaud, offering corporate volunteer and giving programs. A broad incumbent comparable to activo's enterprise portal product but with a much larger feature set and global Fortune 500 customer base.
• Idealist: Global nonprofit job and volunteer board with a strong social-sector focus. Comparable to activo's dual volunteer + NPO job/advertising offering, and an established incumbent in the same category though operating at international rather than Japan-domestic scale.

Emerging players

• Taproot Foundation: US-based pro bono and skilled volunteer matching organization. Comparable to activo's use case for pro bono and skilled volunteers (e.g., Living in Peace NPO using activo to find pro bono colleagues) and an emerging/thematic peer in the same volunteer-matching category.
• Goodera: Global employee volunteer engagement and corporate sustainability platform. Comparable in offering to activo's enterprise portal (corporate ESG + volunteer matching), with stronger international footprint and tech investment but smaller Japan presence.

Regional players

• Wantedly: Japan-based recruitment and company-culture platform with a strong social-mission vertical. Used by activo itself for hiring, and competes adjacently for NPO staff and mission-driven job placements through its job board functionality.
• CrowdWorks (クラウドワークス): Japan's largest crowdsourcing/freelance matching platform. Comparable to activo's online volunteer recruitment and NPO job-matching functionality from a Japan-domestic matching-platform perspective, though focused on paid freelance work rather than volunteer engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Activo