What CareNet does

CareNet, Inc. (株式会社ケアネット), founded in July 1996 and headquartered in Marunouchi, Tokyo, operates Japan's largest physician-facing digital platform, with approximately 240,000 physician members reaching an estimated 80% of all physicians practicing in the country and a broader network of 480,000 medical professionals. The company runs two integrated business segments: a Medical Platform segment serving physicians and medical institutions with CareNet.com (clinical information portal), CareNeTV (on-demand medical video education with 700+ expert instructors and 3,000+ programs), CareNeTV Nurse, PubMed CLOUD, Doctors' Picks, Shirobon Net (hospital management), and physician recruitment through CareNet Career; and a Pharmaceutical DX segment providing pharmaceutical companies with MRPlus (e-detailing), DI Plus (drug information), CareNet Profile (segmentation), Web Seminars, CSO (Contract Sales Organization), CRO, SMO (Site Management Organization), ARO (Academic Research Organization), clinical research, and content production services.

Revenue is generated primarily through negotiated multi-year enterprise contracts with approximately 80 pharmaceutical partner companies for digital promotion, e-detailing, and clinical research services, supplemented by freemium subscription revenue from CareNeTV premium content and professional services fees from physician recruitment and hospital consulting. Go-to-market combines a community-led physician acquisition motion (leveraging the platform as organic demand generation) with a direct enterprise sales force targeting pharmaceutical clients. The underlying technology stack includes an AI-powered medical education layer (CareNet Academia, launched May 2025), proprietary e-detailing navigation tools, and an integrated omnichannel promotion infrastructure (CareNet Pass).

In December 2025, CareNet was taken private via tender offer by EQT through Curie 1 Inc. at approximately ¥50 billion ($320 million USD), delisting from the Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime Market on December 23, 2025, and legally merging with the parent entity effective April 1, 2026. The company maintains multiple wholly-owned subsidiaries spanning CRO (Satt), CSO (CareNet Partners), SMO (YMG Support), healthcare consulting (Medical Create), in-hospital logistics (DALI), and physician recruitment (CareNet Works Design).

Name

CareNet

Legal name

株式会社ケアネット

Website

https://carenet.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

CareNet operates Japan's largest physician digital network (~240,000 doctors, ~80% national coverage), providing pharmaceutical companies with e-detailing, clinical research, and digital promotion services while delivering medical education and recruitment services to physicians and healthcare institutions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Pharmaceutical Digital Marketing

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Healthcare & Life Sciences PR (MPAAADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Healthcare/Pharma Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAJ)

Keywords

• Pharmaceutical digital marketing
• Physician network platform
• E-detailing solutions
• Medical education content
• Clinical research services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Pharmaceutical Promotion and Advertising: Core revenue stream. CareNet provides digital promotion and advertising services to pharmaceutical companies, including MRPlus (e-detailing), e-promotion platforms, and digital advertising on the physician network. MRPlus enables pharmaceutical MRs (Medical Representatives) to conduct digital visits with doctors. Services span the full digital promotion lifecycle from content delivery to engagement tracking. This is the dominant revenue contributor.
2. Platform Membership (CareNet.com): CareNet.com provides free access to physicians, with a premium membership tier (CareNeTVプレミアム) offering enhanced features. Revenue is generated from premium subscription features on the video platform CareNeTV, which offers a free first month for new subscribers.
3. Recruitment and Headhunting Services: Through subsidiary Satt and related services, CareNet operates a physician recruitment and headhunting platform, connecting medical professionals with career opportunities. This service targets both individual physicians and healthcare facilities.
4. Clinical Research Operations (CRO): Through the ARO (Academic Research Organization) subsidiary established in 2023, CareNet conducts clinical trial support and research operations, including Phase I to Phase IV trials. Revenue is generated from CRO services provided to pharmaceutical companies.
5. Hospital Management Consulting: CareNet provides hospital management and DX (digital transformation) consulting services to medical institutions, including succession planning and management solutions. The I&H subsidiary focuses on medical institution management.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

CareNet operates a dual business platform serving the Japanese healthcare ecosystem. Its Medical Platform business provides physicians with free access to medical news, drug information, video education (CareNeTV with 3,000+ programs), and recruitment services through a network of approximately 240,000 physician members covering ~80% of Japan's physicians. Its Pharmaceutical DX business sells digital promotion services (MRPlus e-detailing, Web Seminars, digital advertising), CSO field sales, CRO/SMO/ARO clinical research support, content production, and consulting services to approximately 80 pharmaceutical companies in Japan.

Product overview

CareNet operates a dual business model platform consisting of (1) a Medical Platform segment providing physician-facing services including CareNet.com (medical information portal), CareNeTV (video education channel with 700+ instructors), CareNeTV Nurse, PubMed CLOUD, and Doctors' Picks, plus career services like CareNet Career (physician recruitment) and Shirobon Net (hospital management support); and (2) a Pharmaceutical DX segment offering MRPlus (e-detailing), DI Plus, CareNet Profile, Web Seminars, CSO, CRO, SMO, ARO, clinical research, medical data analysis, content production, and orphan drug development services. The platform connects 240,000+ physician members (covering approximately 80% of Japan's practicing doctors) with pharmaceutical companies seeking to deliver drug information and medical education content. CareNet also launched AI-powered CareNet Academia in 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CareNet.com: Medical and healthcare information website for physicians and healthcare professionals providing daily clinical information
• CareNeTV
• MRPlus
• CSO
• CRO
• CareNet Career
• しろぼんねっと (Shirobon Net)

Products and services

• CareNet.com A membership-based medical information website for physicians and healthcare professionals providing daily clinical articles, latest medical news from top journals, and video content from expert doctors.
• CareNeTV An on-demand clinical medicine video channel featuring over 700 expert instructors and 3,000+ programs covering primary care to specialized fields for physician continuing education.
• MRPlus® E-detailing solution connecting pharmaceutical companies with physicians through video, PDF, and HTML content delivery with 95% post-viewing survey response rate.
• CSO (Contract Sales Organization) Medical representative dispatch services combining MR派遣 with digital technology to provide advanced personnel solutions to pharmaceutical companies.
• CRO (Clinical Research Organization) Clinical development support services including monitoring, clinical trial management, and new drug approval acceleration through CareNet's physician network. Over 120 clinical trials conducted annually.
• CareNet Career A physician recruitment and job placement platform offering full-time, part-time, and spot job listings, with access to exclusive headhunted positions.
• Shirobon Net (しろぼんねっと) Hospital management support site for medical affairs directors and hospital decision-makers, providing business management information and networking. Has over 200,000 registered physician members.
• CareNeTV Nurse Video learning site for nurses providing educational content that clarifies clinical questions in an easy and enjoyable format.
• DI Plus Comprehensive drug information platform integrated with CareNet.com, enabling pharmaceutical companies to provide exhaustive drug information to physicians on demand.
• CareNet Academia AI-powered medical education platform providing personalized learning recommendations and content discovery for physicians, leveraging large language models.
• TesLex National medical exam preparation learning service.
• Doctors' Picks (ドクターピックス) Social feature-enabled medical news site where physicians share and comment on medical news they find useful or interesting.
• PubMed CLOUD Japanese-language PubMed search and paper management tool enabling physicians to search papers and manage literature libraries in Japanese.
• Web Seminars (Web-kouenkai) Japan's largest physician-oriented bidirectional live streaming platform for medical lectures and product briefings, connecting physicians with pharmaceutical companies.
• SMO (Site Management Organization) Clinical trial support services respecting the perspectives of doctors, medical institutions, trial sponsors, and subjects to provide tailored support. Specializes in psychiatry, neurology, respiratory, orthopedics.
• ARO (Academic Research Organization) Support services for academic clinical research institutions (ARO) in pharmaceutical development, including Phase I to Phase IV trials.
• Medical Institution Consulting Healthcare-focused consulting, research, and training services for hospitals and healthcare-related companies including hospital management solutions and succession planning.
• SPD (Supply Processing Distribution) In-hospital logistics management including supply management, purchasing optimization, system construction, and human resource development for hospital management.
• Creative Agency 360-degree medical communication services including event planning, material production, digital strategy, and effectiveness verification for pharmaceutical companies.
• Orphan Drug Development Seed incubation business for developing and bringing innovative drug candidates to market for rare and intractable diseases to eliminate drug lag.
• Doctors Me Healthcare media for general consumers featuring articles and news from doctors, pharmacists, dentists, nutritionists, and counselors.
• CareNeTV School Small-group classes with top instructors, including echo experts and overseas-based teachers, for interactive learning experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,000 projects delivered across approximately 80 pharmaceutical partner companies
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, key and core.

• iCARE Co., Ltd. (.icare)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026CareNet partnered with iCARE for occupational health training services targeting medical professionals. iCARE provides occupational health expertise and training programs, which CareNet distributes through its physician network. This partnership extends CareNet's service offerings into occupational health education.
• Japanese Myeloma Society (日本骨髄腫学会)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026CareNet partnered with the Japanese Myeloma Society for information exchange and educational content collaboration in the field of myeloma research and treatment. The partnership involves co-developing medical education content and information resources for members.
• I&H Co., Ltd. (>I&H)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025CareNet established I&H as a subsidiary to provide medical institution management and succession matching services. I&H focuses on helping medical institutions with leadership succession planning, management optimization, and physician staffing. The partnership enables CareNet to expand into hospital management consulting services.
• T-Light Co., Ltd. (ティーライト)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2025CareNet partnered with T-Light for a physician employment support initiative. T-Light provides physician staffing and employment services, while CareNet provides platform access and physician network engagement. The partnership supports physicians in career transitions and medical institutions in recruitment.
• Forest Holdings Inc. (フォレストホールディングス)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024CareNet established a joint venture with Forest Holdings for engagement services targeting pharmaceutical companies. The JV provides specialized engagement and communication services for pharma clients, combining Forest Holdings' service delivery capabilities with CareNet's physician network.
• ReGeneral (リジェネラル)minorOthers · 1 November 2024CareNet participated in the ReGeneral government initiative in partnership with the Japan Hospital Association (全日本病院協会) and Japan Primary Care Association (日本プライマリ・ケア連合学会). This non-equity partnership supports government healthcare policy objectives and public health initiatives.
• Ishihara Sangyo (石原産業)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024CareNet partnered with Ishihara Sangyo for joint medical research published in academic journals. The partnership focuses on generating and publishing clinical evidence and medical research outcomes, combining CareNet's physician network data capabilities with Ishihara Sangyo's pharmaceutical expertise.
• ACP Japan (American College of Physicians Japan Chapter)keyGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 September 2024CareNet partnered with ACP Japan for joint programming and event collaboration. ACP Japan is a chapter of the American College of Physicians, and the partnership involves co-developing educational content and events for Japanese physicians, leveraging CareNet's platform and ACP's clinical expertise.
• ValueNext Group Co., Ltd. (<ValueNext Group> / 下一創社)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2024CareNet entered a strategic business partnership with ValueNext Group to strengthen its healthcare consulting services. ValueNext Group contributes healthcare industry consulting expertise, while CareNet contributes its physician network and medical content capabilities. The partnership enhances CareNet's ability to provide comprehensive healthcare consulting to pharmaceutical companies and medical institutions.
• Macromill, Inc. (マクロミル)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024CareNet partnered with Macromill for internet-based disease surveys targeting physicians. Macromill provides online research panel capabilities and survey technology, while CareNet provides access to its physician network for survey distribution. This enables real-world disease prevalence and treatment pattern data collection.
• Trust Bank Co., Ltd. (トラスト은행)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2023CareNet partnered with Trust Bank to offer a medical-focused hometown tax donation platform. Trust Bank's platform enables users to make tax-deductible donations to medical institutions and healthcare causes, with CareNet providing the medical institution network and program curation.
• Tokyo University of Science (東京理科大学)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2023CareNet entered a comprehensive partnership with Tokyo University of Science for joint research on healthcare DX (digital transformation) and medical information technology. The partnership involves collaborative research initiatives to develop and apply digital health technologies, combining CareNet's industry expertise with the university's academic research capabilities.
• Shanghai Yimi Information Technology Co., Ltd. (上海医米信息技術有限公司)keyStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2019CareNet established a joint venture with Shanghai Yimi Information Technology for the Asian market. Shanghai Yimi provides local market expertise and distribution capabilities in China, while CareNet contributes its physician platform model and content capabilities. The JV is focused on expanding the physician network model to other Asian markets beyond Japan.
• WebMD (医天気ドットコム / Medscape)coreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 July 2015CareNet entered a content licensing partnership with WebMD to bring Medscape medical content to Japan. WebMD provides the Medscape medical content library, which CareNet localizes and delivers to Japanese physicians through its platform. This partnership established CareNet's content foundation and was referenced as the company's first major international content partnership, operational since July 2015.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• MedPeer: Japanese physician community platform with "MedPeer" membership site used by doctors for drug/case discussion. Comparable physician-network monetization model serving pharma and medical device sponsors, smaller scale than CareNet.
• EPS Holdings: Japanese CRO and healthcare services group offering clinical trial support, SMO, and pharma marketing services. Comparable CRO and clinical operations footprint to CareNet's acquired Satt subsidiary.
• Sermo: Physician social network and market research platform serving pharma as a community-mediated channel. Comparable online doctor community business model for global (non-Japan) markets.
• Doximity: US physician network and digital marketing platform. Closest international analogue to CareNet's physician-community-plus-pharma-sponsorship business model.
• CMIC Holdings: Japan's largest CRO serving pharma companies with clinical development support. Overlapping CRO, SMO, and pharma services offerings with CareNet's clinical research subsidiaries (CCRO, ARO, SMO).
• M3 (M3, Inc.): Japan's other dominant online physician platform (m3.com). Operates MR-kun and other pharma digital marketing tools and is the most direct head-to-head competitor for CareNet's physician network and pharma promotion business.

Broad incumbents

• Medipal Holdings: Large Japanese pharma distribution and healthcare services conglomerate. Operates broader pharma supply chain plus related services that intersect with CareNet's medical distribution and consulting businesses.
• IQVIA: Global CRO and healthcare data analytics leader. Overlaps with CareNet's CRO, ARO, SMO, and Medical Data Analysis services at a much larger scale.
• WebMD / Medscape (Internet Brands): Global physician/consumer health media and education platform. CareNet already licenses Medscape content; an established pharma marketing competitor in English-language markets, overlapping in CME and physician engagement.

Emerging players

• JMDC: Japanese healthcare data analytics company providing real-world data and claims analytics to pharma. Comparable medical data and pharma insight services to CareNet's Medical Data Analysis and Insight & Learning offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mch_carenet
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@MedicalStudyum
• Facebookfacebook.com/mch.carenet
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/carenet-inc./posts/?feedView=all

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments3 records

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CareNet