COUNTRY X

What COUNTRY X does

COUNTRY X (株式会社COUNTRY X) is a privately held Japanese management consulting firm established on February 1, 2024, and headquartered in the Nihonbashi business district of Chuo-ku, Tokyo. The company serves presidents and owners of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Japan, positioning its core offering as a "Virtual Corporate Planning Department" (バーチャル経営企画室). Rather than delivering traditional external consulting, it embeds itself as an internal team member that takes ownership of client challenges, covering medium-term management planning, new business creation, goal/OKR management system design, marketing strategy, business AI utilization, recruitment and HR systems, profit improvement, cross-border EC expansion, and fundraising/M&A advisory.

The business is human-delivered advisory services with no proprietary software, SaaS platform, or API; its revenue model is professional-services consulting fees. Its go-to-market is sales-led and direct, acquiring SME clients through content marketing across six ongoing series columns (AI agents/utilization, cross-border EC strategy, M&A basics, overseas expansion, planning/management, and fundraising/M&A strategy) and converting website visitors via a free initial discussion (無料ディスカッション). Pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The founding team is presented as combining listed-company experience in new business development, investment and corporate planning, EC and SNS marketing expertise, and certified public accountants/M&A advisors from securities firms. The company is founder-owned and led by Representative Director and CEO Nakafuji Hiroyuki (中藤 裕之), with no external investors, venture capital, or private equity funding disclosed. It markets itself as a comprehensive support provider ("なんでも屋") for SME owners, addressing labor shortages, rising labor costs, loss of technical expertise, and difficulty adapting to AI and technological change.

Name

COUNTRY X

Legal name

株式会社COUNTRY X

Website

https://countryx.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2024

Operating status

Operating

Short description

COUNTRY X is a Tokyo-based Japanese consulting firm, founded 2024, that embeds itself as a "Virtual Corporate Planning Department" for SME owners, delivering management planning, new business creation, AI utilization, cross-border EC, and M&A advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Strategic Partnerships, Alliances & JVs Advisory (BPAHADAI)

Keywords

• SME management consulting
• Corporate planning advisory
• M&A advisory services
• Cross-border e-commerce consulting
• AI business consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Consulting and Advisory Services (バーチャル経営企画室): The company provides embedded advisory services acting as a virtual corporate planning department for SME presidents. Services include medium-term management planning, new business creation, goal management systems, marketing strategy, AI utilization, recruitment, profit improvement, and M&A advisory. Revenue is generated through consulting/service fees for these advisory engagements. The company explicitly states it does not provide traditional consulting — instead acting as an internal team member to solve client challenges.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

COUNTRY X operates as a 'Virtual Corporate Planning Department' (バーチャル経営企画室) for small and medium enterprise (SME) presidents in Japan. The firm delivers embedded advisory engagements covering medium-term management planning, new business creation, OKR/goal management system design, marketing strategy, AI utilization, recruitment, profit improvement, and fundraising/M&A strategy. Rather than traditional external consulting, the company positions itself as an internal team member that takes ownership of client challenges.

Product overview

COUNTRY X is a Japanese consulting firm that provides SME advisory services through its 'Virtual Business Planning Department' (バーチャル経営企画室). The core offering consists of consulting services including medium-term business planning formulation, new business creation support, goal/plan management system development, AI utilization in business operations, cross-border EC strategy, and M&A/financing strategy. The company does not offer a software product or SaaS platform; its services are human-delivered consulting engagements aimed at helping small and medium enterprise owners bridge the gap between their vision and reality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Virtual Corporate Planning Department (バーチャル経営企画室) An embedded consulting service that acts as an in-house business planning department for Japanese SME owners, providing flexible, scope-unlimited support for medium-term business planning, new business creation, and goal management system development. The company explicitly differentiates itself by not providing traditional consulting — it operates as an internal team member taking ownership of client challenges.
• Medium-term Management Planning Support (中期経営計画策定支援) Support for formulating medium-term business plans, including market analysis, vision articulation, growth strategy formulation, 3-year business planning, and execution plan/structure design for Japanese SMEs.
• New Business Creation Support (新規事業創造支援) Support for creating new businesses from scratch, including new business plan formulation, needs validation, service design, and marketing/sales strategy for Japanese SMEs.
• Goal and Plan Management System Construction (目標・計画管理体制構築) Design and implementation of goal management methods and OKR introduction for SMEs, including employee rollout and evaluation system design.
• AI Utilization in Business Support (業務でのAI活用支援) Advisory services for implementing AI tools and technologies in business operations for Japanese SMEs, including education on AI agent tools such as Claude Code, MCP, and Skills.
• Cross-border E-commerce Strategy Support (越境EC戦略支援) Strategic consulting for cross-border E-commerce expansion for Japanese SMEs, including market analysis, platform selection, logistics setup, payment systems, and country-specific approaches.
• Fundraising and M&A Strategy Support (資金調達・M&A戦略支援) Advisory services for fundraising strategies and M&A deal structuring and execution for Japanese SMEs, leveraging the team's experience as certified public accountants and M&A advisors from securities firms.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Funai Soken (船井総合研究所): Listed Japanese consulting firm and the largest dedicated SME-focused consulting house, offering management, marketing, M&A, and AI utilization services. Same target customer and overlapping service lines but at materially larger scale.
• Industrial Growth Platform (IGPI): Prominent Japanese strategy consulting firm originating from the Industrial Revitalization Corporation, with corporate renewal, M&A, and growth strategy capabilities. Larger and broader than COUNTRY X but overlapping on strategy and corporate finance advisory.
• ABeam Consulting: Major Japanese-origin management and technology consulting firm serving large enterprises and mid-market. Overlaps with COUNTRY X on strategy, M&A, and business transformation work but operates at a much broader scale.
• Deloitte Tohmatsu Consulting (デロイト トーマツ コンサルティング): Big Four consulting arm in Japan, offering strategy, M&A, technology, and operations services to mid-market and large clients. Comparable service breadth (strategy, M&A, digital/AI) but at much larger scale and serving broader segments.

Direct peers

• Lib Consulting (リブ・コンサルティング): Japanese growth-strategy consulting firm serving SMEs and mid-market companies, with embedded-style engagement and revenue/sales-focused advisory. Comparable positioning and client base to COUNTRY X.
• Japan M&A Center (日本M&Aセンター): Largest Japanese M&A intermediary specializing in SME succession and M&A transactions. Directly comparable on the M&A advisory service line that COUNTRY X highlights as a core offering for SME presidents.
• Mirai Consulting (みらいコンサルティング): Japanese accounting, tax, and management consulting firm targeting SMEs with embedded-style CFO and strategy support. Closest functional peer to COUNTRY X's "virtual corporate planning department" model for Japanese SME owners.
• RECOF (日本レコフ): Established Japanese M&A data, research, and advisory firm. Comparable on the M&A strategy and deal advisory component of COUNTRY X's offering for SME clients.
• Tanabe Consulting (タナベコンサルティング): Listed Japanese management consulting firm focused on mid-market and SME strategy, including business planning, organizational design, and growth strategy. Directly comparable in service mix and customer profile.
• M&A Research Institute (M&A総研): Japanese M&A advisory firm focused on SME and mid-market deals, including succession M&A and fundraising advisory. Directly overlaps with COUNTRY X's M&A and fundraising strategy service line.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/countryx.jp

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 COUNTRY X