Keieisanbou

What Keieisanbou does

Keieisanbou Inc. (株式会社経営参謀), founded in November 2015 in Tokyo by former Deloitte Tohmatsu consultant Kenji Araya, operates a members-only executive community platform for owners of Japanese small and medium enterprises. The core product, the 'Sanbou' (参謀) community, addresses a stated pain point of business owner isolation by providing an owners-only environment — explicitly excluding salespeople and intermediaries — for peer networking and candid conversation. Subscribers (¥9,800/month or ¥98,000/year, tax included) receive unlimited access to 100+ recurring seminar topics on practical management themes (fundraising, DX, M&A, hiring, marketing), a member-only site with past recordings, and access to in-person events.

The company's physical footprint complements the digital community through SanbouBAR, a 'third place' bar concept with event-hosting equipment (projectors, monitors, audio), operating 2 directly-managed venues in Shinjuku and Hamamatsucho and 4 franchise/partner-operated venues in Shimbashi, Ashiya, Tsukuba, and Osaka. Bar revenue comes from all-you-can-drink plans at ¥4,400/person and food-inclusive plans at ¥6,000-¥8,000/person. Adjacent revenue lines include the BtoB Seminar Club (¥50,000/month per company, ¥30,000/month for existing Sanbou members), a knowledge-sharing subscription that teaches reproducible B2B seminar lead generation and reported 52 new members acquired at ¥4,676 CPA in H1 2025 annualized; and the free one-day manager experience at SanbouBAR.

There is no proprietary technology platform disclosed; operations are service- and community-oriented. The stack relies on standard third-party tools — Zoom for online seminars, Luma for event listings, Peatix for ticketing and payments, and TimeRx for scheduling. Distribution is community-led (word-of-mouth, member referrals, free first-time trial tickets) with seminars functioning as the primary mid-funnel touchpoint. Geographic reach is domestic Japan (Kanto and Kansai regions), and the company supports over 400 SMEs nationwide with over 500 seminars conducted since founding. No funding rounds, revenue figures, or headcount are publicly disclosed.

Name

Keieisanbou

Legal name

株式会社 経営参謀

Website

https://ksanbou.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Keieisanbou operates the 'Sanbou' (参謀) membership community for Japanese SME owners, offering peer networking, practical management seminars, and physical SanbouBAR venues across 6 Japanese cities, with subscription revenue from individual entrepreneurs and a B2B seminar marketing add-on.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Community and Business Networking Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (713940), Consumer Electronics and Appliances Rental (532210)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Vacation Rental & Short‑Term Stay Marketplaces (THALAFAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Co-Hosting & On-the-Ground Host Support (THAMAKAB)

Keywords

• Executive community membership
• Business owner networking
• Entrepreneur peer community
• Seminar marketing services
• SME consulting community

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Sanbou Membership Fees: Monthly and annual membership fees for access to the entrepreneur community 'Sanbou', including seminars and networking events. Monthly: ¥9,800/month; Annual: ¥98,000/year.
2. SanbouBAR Food & Beverage Sales: Revenue from bar food and beverage sales at SanbouBAR locations in Shinjuku and Hamamatsucho. All-you-can-drink plans at ¥4,400/person for 2 hours, and food-inclusive plans at ¥6,000–¥8,000/person.
3. BtoB Seminar Club Membership: Monthly subscription for the BtoB Seminar Club at ¥50,000/month per company (or ¥30,000/month for existing Sanbou members), including bi-monthly practice sharing sessions, chat group access, and up to 3 participants per contract.
4. One-day Manager Experience (SanbouBAR): Free one-day manager experience at SanbouBAR for business owners to host their own events, used as a community-building and PR tool rather than a direct revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Keieisanbou operates a subscription-based executive community called "Sanbou" (参謀) exclusively for business owners, providing access to practical seminars, peer networking, and physical SanbouBAR venues across Japan. It also offers the BtoB Seminar Club, a monthly subscription knowledge-sharing community for companies running B2B seminars, plus franchise-operated satellite bars in Tsukuba and Ashiya.

Product overview

Keieisanbou operates a multi-product executive community platform centered around the 経営者コミュニティ「参謀」(Executive Community Sanbou), a membership-based networking and learning platform for business owners. The core offering includes the Sanbou membership program (¥9,800/month or ¥98,000/year) providing access to 100+ seminar topics and peer networking. Physical venues include 参謀BAR (Shinjuku and Hamamatsucho locations) offering bar-style casual networking with professional event facilities, plus branch locations in Tsukuba (参謀BARつくばトライベッカ) and Ashiya (参謀スナック芦屋). Supporting products include BtoBセミナー集客クラブ (¥50,000/month), a seminar marketing knowledge-sharing service, and 一日店長体験, a complimentary one-day manager PR experience. Research publications on business event participation patterns are available as downloadable content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CraftTea.tokyo: 日本茶ブランドを展開する株式会社クラフト・ティーのブランド
• Chabacco

Products and services

• Sanbou Executive Community (経営者コミュニティ「参謀」) A members-only community exclusively for business owners, offering access to 100+ seminar topics on practical business issues (fundraising, DX, M&A, hiring, marketing), peer networking, and club activities such as golf and futsal.
• SanbouBAR (参謀BAR) Physical community bar locations in Shinjuku and Hamamatsucho equipped with projectors, monitors, and audio systems, used as both casual networking spaces and event/seminar venues for business owners.
• BtoB Seminar Club (BtoBセミナー集客クラブ) A B2B subscription service that shares reproducible seminar lead-generation know-how from over 500 past seminars, including landing page creation, attendee follow-up, advertising support, and tool utilization, targeted at companies operating B2B seminars.
• One-Day Manager Experience (一日店長体験) A free PR and networking program allowing entrepreneurs to serve as temporary hosts at SanbouBAR, inviting their own fans or prospects to be entertained, functioning as a community-building and customer acquisition tool.
• SanbouBAR Tsukuba Tribeca (参謀BARつくばトライベッカ) A franchise/partner-operated community bar in Tsukuba city, Ibaraki Prefecture, hosting weekly Tuesday evening study sessions and serving as a networking venue for executives in the Tsukuba area.
• Sanbou Snacks Ashiya (参謀スナック芦屋) A 10-seat members-only snack bar exclusively for business owners in Ashiya city, Hyogo Prefecture, offering weekly Tuesday evening study sessions and informal bar time.
• Research Reports (Brochure Downloads) Downloadable research reports on Japanese business professional networking and webinar participation patterns, serving as content marketing and lead generation assets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 500 seminars and study sessions conducted since founding
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 白潟総合研究所株式会社 (Shirakata Comprehensive Research Institute)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2026Management Strategist Co., Ltd. jointly commercialized the management community 'Strategist' with Shirakata Comprehensive Research Institute. The partnership aims to significantly strengthen the customer success (CS) system and further pursue 'being useful to the president' (社長役に立つ), expanding individual support for SME managers across the country.
• シナジー・エンタテインメント株式会社 (Synergy Entertainment Co., Ltd.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKenjiro Iwano, representative director of Synergy Entertainment Co., Ltd., operates the SanbouBAR Tsukuba Tribeca franchise location. As an entrepreneur himself, Iwano brings his experience in sports agency, international trade, and restaurant operations to the Sanbou community ecosystem.
• 株式会社C is (C is Co., Ltd.)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorChika Yamaguchi, representative director of C is Co., Ltd., operates the Sanbou Snacks Ashiya franchise location. C is operates an import/export business between Europe and Japan and manages a kitchen studio in Ashiya where the Sanbou Snacks bar is located.
• 合同会社EC BRAIN (EC BRAIN LLC)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEC BRAIN LLC operates one of the venues associated with the Sanbou Snacks Ashiya location, providing the physical space for the snacks bar operations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wantedly: Japan-based business profile and networking platform for professionals, with subscription offerings and community-driven storytelling. Comparable to Sanbou in serving Japan's business owner/operator segment through a subscription lens.
• Uzabase: Japanese subscription business intelligence platform (SPEEDA) and business news community (NewsPicks). Comparable to Sanbou as a subscription-anchored business community serving Japanese executives and operators.
• VisasQ: Japanese expert network platform that connects businesses with subject-matter experts via subscription. Comparable to Sanbou's BtoB Seminar Club as a curated, subscription-based B2B knowledge intermediary for Japanese enterprises.
• BizReach: Japan-headquartered subscription-based platform connecting executives with hiring opportunities. Targets the same Japanese business professional audience as Sanbou, with a similar premium subscription model and exclusivity positioning.
• Soho House: Global members-only club combining physical venues with curated events and networking for creative/business professionals. Direct international analogue to SanbouBAR's physical venue + exclusive community model.
• Peatix: Japan-founded event ticketing and community event platform. Directly powers SanbouBAR events and is the underlying infrastructure for Sanbou's ticketed seminars and gatherings.
• DMM Online Salon: Japan's leading online community (online salon) platform with subscription-based communities led by experts and business figures. Closest direct peer to Sanbou's membership community model, though more digital-led rather than venue-anchored.

Broad incumbents

• GLOBIS: Japan's largest business education provider (MBA, e-learning, executive programs) serving business professionals with subscription content. A larger, broader incumbent operating in adjacent business professional education.
• WeWork: Global subscription-based workspace and community operator. Comparable to Sanbou as a subscription-anchored physical space business that monetizes community, though at much larger scale and broader scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Keieisanbou