Next Lab

What Next Lab does

NextLab Inc. (株式会社ネクストラボ) is a private, Tokyo-based technology company founded in August 2021 by serial entrepreneur Tomohide Kamei that builds B2B software products and consulting services around AI and large language model technology. Its commercial product portfolio is anchored by two core platforms: the Bakuage Suite, an operations automation platform for e-commerce operators that automates return and exchange processing, order cancellation, pickup/consolidated collection management, cash transfers and refunds, and AI-powered address validation, with sub-products Bakuage Delivery, Bakuage Transfer, and Bakuage Address Check; and Readable, a high-precision AI translation tool that preserves complete PDF layout and delivers translations in approximately 30 seconds, with claimed cumulative volume of 5 billion characters translated, side-by-side original/translated display, and preservation of figures, tables, and formulas. Readable is offered via direct subscription, enterprise deployment, and API integration, while Bakuage is positioned as a SaaS subscription for large EC operators and Shopify implementation partners.

The company also operates Custom AI Implementation consulting (custom LLM build and integration into client workflows) and Business Incubation services (market research, product design, and go-to-market support leveraging the founder's serial entrepreneurship background). A non-commercial beta utility, the Japan Oil Stockpile Meter, extends its AI data-processing capability into the energy/commodity intelligence vertical by automatically parsing METI daily PDF reports and pairing the data with AIS-based tanker tracking. NextLab's go-to-market is hybrid: PLG/self-serve for Readable (direct website access), enterprise field sales for Bakuage and larger Readable deployments, and dedicated inquiry funnels for each service line. Customers include Mercari, Asilo, ENECHANGE, Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, Murata Manufacturing, Shiseido, SoftBank, Toray, Allbirds, Albion, Shishikui, and seven major Japanese universities including the University of Tokyo, Kyoto, Waseda, and Tohoku. The company is founder-led, privately held, and has no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, parent entity, or headcount figures.

Name

Next Lab

Legal name

株式会社ネクストラボ (NextLab Inc.)

Website

https://nextlabs.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

E-commerce Operations Automation Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

iBPMS (Intelligent BPM Suites) & Process Automation Suites (HDAEAHAG)

Keywords

• EC operations automation
• AI translation software
• Back-office automation
• LLM implementation services
• B2B SaaS platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Shibuya

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. Bakuage Suite Subscriptions: B2B SaaS subscription model for EC operations automation covering logistics (returns, cancellations, pickups), finance (transfers, refunds), and address validation services.
2. Readable AI Translation: AI-powered translation tool targeting researchers and business professionals with enterprise deployment, API access, and high-volume translation capabilities.
3. AI Implementation Consulting: Custom AI and LLM implementation services for integrating proprietary AI technologies into client businesses, including business process integration.
4. Business Incubation Support: New business development consulting services including market research, product design, and go-to-market strategy support based on serial entrepreneurship experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NextLab develops B2B SaaS products and AI consulting services. Its Bakuage Suite automates e-commerce back-office operations including return/exchange processing, cash transfer management, and AI-powered address validation. Its Readable tool provides high-precision AI translation that preserves complete PDF layouts (including figures and formulas) in approximately 30 seconds. The company also offers custom LLM implementation consulting and business incubation support services.

Product overview

Next Lab operates as a technology partner integrating AI technology and business development expertise to reconstruct corporate operations. The product portfolio consists of two core platforms: Bakuage Suite (operations automation for EC businesses) and Readable (AI translation), complemented by custom AI implementation consulting and business incubation services. Bakuage Suite offers three integrated sub-products—Delivery for return/cancellation automation, Transfer for cash management, and Address Check for validation—targeting major EC operators. Readable provides high-speed AI translation with PDF layout preservation, while the Japanese Oil Stockpile Meter represents a public-facing visualization tool built on the same AI data processing capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bakuage Suite (バクアゲスイート) A B2B SaaS operations automation platform for e-commerce operators that fully automates complex back-office tasks including returns, money transfers, and address validation. Used by major Japanese EC companies including Mercari.
• Bakuage Delivery (バクアゲ配送) Sub-product within the Bakuage Suite that automates EC return/exchange processing, order cancellation handling, and consolidated pickup (collection) instruction management. Aims to reduce manual operations by up to 90%.
• Bakuage Transfer (バクアゲ送金) Cash management system sub-product within the Bakuage Suite providing money transfer management, refund processing automation, and cash flow optimization for purchase settlements, accounting, and transportation expenses.
• Bakuage Address Check (バクアゲ住所チェック) AI-powered address validation service within the Bakuage Suite that automatically detects address errors, validates typos and omissions, and prevents delivery issues before they occur.
• Readable (リーダブル) AI-powered translation tool that maintains complete PDF layout while providing high-precision translation in approximately 30 seconds. Features side-by-side original and translated text display with chart, formula, and mathematical notation preservation. Used by enterprises (Fujitsu, Mitsubishi Electric, SoftBank, Shiseido, etc.) and universities (University of Tokyo, Kyoto, Waseda, etc.), with 5 billion+ characters of cumulative translation volume and available API integration.
• Custom AI Implementation (カスタムAI実装支援) Consulting service leveraging proprietary AI technologies developed through Readable and Bakuage. Offers custom generative AI (LLM) implementation and business workflow integration to improve enterprise productivity.
• Business Incubation (新規事業開発支援) New business development support service based on data and logic. Provides market research, product design, and go-to-market strategy consulting based on serial entrepreneur experience to increase business success probability for client ventures.
• Japanese Oil Stockpile Meter (日本の石油備蓄メーター) Beta non-official public visualization tool that automatically fetches and parses METI daily PDF reports to display Japan's oil reserves remaining in days. Includes real-time estimates, AIS-based tanker tracking around Japan, and historical trend visualization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 90% automation of EC return, cancellation, and delivery operations
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers16 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Preferred Networks: Leading Japanese deep-learning and AI technology company with applied products spanning industrial automation and language, comparable as a Japanese AI specialist whose proprietary models overlap the technological foundation underpinning Bakuage and Readable.

Broad incumbents

• Nomura Research Institute (NRI): Major Japanese IT consulting and systems integration firm with a substantial AI/digital transformation practice, the most prominent incumbent in enterprise AI implementation consulting that competes head-to-head with NextLab's AI Implementation line.
• DeepL: Global AI translation leader with strong enterprise adoption, the principal international incumbent against which Readable competes on document translation quality and share in the Japan market.

Direct peers

• Hamee (next engine): Operates next engine, a Japanese SaaS platform automating e-commerce back-office operations (orders, returns, inventory, shipping), closely overlapping with NextLab's Bakuage Suite in target customers (Japanese EC merchants) and functional scope.
• Rozetta: Japanese AI and human translation services provider with strong enterprise penetration across regulated and document-heavy verticals, a close peer in translation services and AI integration into Japanese enterprise document workflows.
• Mirai Translate: Japanese-focused high-precision AI translation platform targeted at enterprise and government users, the closest direct competitor to NextLab's Readable in the Japan market, with overlapping customers and similar positioning around document-quality machine translation.
• Money Forward: Public Japanese SaaS company providing business and financial automation (accounting, payroll, expense) to SMB and mid-market customers, with overlapping positioning to NextLab's Bakuage Suite and AI-driven business automation narrative.
• GoQSystem: Provides order management, inventory, and EC operations automation to Japanese e-commerce merchants, a direct competitor to Bakuage Suite in automating online store back-office workflows.

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 Next Lab