Koharu Co., Ltd.

What Koharu Co., Ltd. does

Koharu Co., Ltd. (株式会社コハル, COHAL) is a privately held Japanese IT services and product company founded in September 2006 and headquartered in Sumida, Tokyo. The company operates with a micro-team of 1-10 employees and runs two distinct product lines alongside a professional services offering. Its core B2B offering is Nube, a high-capacity, high-security cloud disk service that provisions dedicated physical hardware and a dedicated internet line per customer contract, with RAID-Z2 data protection, VPN-encrypted access, and storage tiers from 5TB to 26TB, sold on monthly subscription contracts ranging from ¥47,058 to ¥109,853 per month. Nube targets small-to-mid-size businesses and creative professionals who require secure large-capacity storage without the complexity of shared multi-tenant cloud services.

COHAL's consumer product is pardNote, a free iOS notebook app released in October 2012 that has accumulated over 350,000 downloads, supported by in-app advertising that the company describes as marginal. A limited iOS 11 version was released in 2017 for legacy data migration, and active support for the app has ended. The third business line, launched in January 2021, is an external mentor/consulting service providing fractional CTO/VPoE support, technology selection, DX promotion, and innovation advisory at a minimum of 2 hours per week, monetized as project-based commissioned work.

The company's go-to-market is primarily direct sales via phone and website contact, with pardNote distributed through the Apple iOS App Store. COHAL has historically operated only within Japan, with no active social media presence, no disclosed funding rounds, and no institutional investors. The founder, Kunisho Harui (春井 邦相), serves as Representative Director. Over its 20-year history, COHAL has launched and discontinued multiple products (mobile music service MUsicChanneL, SNS app CarTag, Evernote-linked InstantEver, VR games) and absorbed a sister company's server/network infrastructure business in 2015, which formed the technical foundation for the current Nube service.

Name

Koharu Co., Ltd.

Legal name

株式会社コハル (COHAL CO.,LTD.)

Website

https://cohal.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Koharu Co., Ltd. (COHAL) is a Tokyo-based Japanese IT services company offering the Nube dedicated-hardware cloud storage subscription for SMBs, the free iOS memo app pardNote, and external CTO/VPoE consulting services. Founded in 2006, the firm operates with a 1-10 person team serving domestic Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cloud Storage Services

NAICS

Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Other Computer Related Services (541519)

SIC

Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Workplace Services (DaaS/Workplace-as-a-Service) (BPAEAIAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

NaaS Connectivity Services (On-Demand VPN, SD-WAN-as-a-Service, Bandwidth-on-Demand) (HDAIAIAH)

Keywords

• Cloud storage services
• Managed cloud disk
• Memo applications
• IT consulting services
• External CTO services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sumida

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Nube Cloud Storage Subscription: Monthly subscription-based cloud storage service with tiered pricing based on storage capacity (5TB to 26TB) and concurrent connection limits. Discounts offered for longer contract terms (1.5, 2, 2.5, 3 years). Base price starts at ¥56,870/month for standard package.
2. pardNote App Advertising: Free memo app supported by in-app advertising. The company notes that advertising revenue is minimal, barely contributing to development costs.
3. IT Services and Consulting: Professional services for service launch and operations, including idea/technology consultation, project support, DX promotion, and external CTO/VPoE mentoring. Charged as commissioned work based on project scope.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Koharu Co., Ltd. (COHAL) sells a dedicated-hardware, high-security enterprise cloud disk service called Nube (5TB to 26TB usable storage with RAID-Z2 protection and VPN-encrypted access) and a free iOS notebook/memo app called pardNote (over 350,000 cumulative downloads with AirDrop sharing and offline operation). The company additionally provides an external mentor consulting service offering fractional CTO, VPoE, DX promotion, and technology selection support for new service launches.

Product overview

Koharu Co., Ltd. (COHAL) offers a portfolio of two main products: Nube, a high-capacity cloud disk service for businesses with physical hardware dedication and high security features, and pardNote, a personal notebook/memo app for iOS devices. The company also provides external mentor services for tech teams and DX support. The products target different segments—Nube serves enterprise/organizational file sharing needs while pardNote addresses individual consumer productivity. Historical products include InstantEver (Evernote sync app, discontinued 2015) and CarTag (trading card SNS app, discontinued 2011).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Nube: Large capacity + high security cloud disk service for enterprise use
• pardNote

Products and services

• Nube Cloud Disk High-capacity, high-security cloud disk service for businesses that allocates dedicated physical hardware and an internet connection per contract, isolating each customer's data. Offers 5TB to 26TB usable storage with RAID-Z2 data protection, VPN-encrypted remote access, automatic scheduled backup, and cross-platform file access (Windows/Mac/iOS/Android) using standard folder operations. Priced from ¥54,026/month (2-year contract) to ¥109,853/month depending on configuration, with multi-year contract discounts. Targets small to mid-size Japanese businesses and creative professionals needing secure file sharing and remote collaboration.
• pardNote (iOS Notebook App) Simple, free iOS notebook app for capturing ideas and memos instantly on iPhone and iPad. Features 924 customizable color and paper combinations, AirDrop-based instant sharing to nearby Apple devices without exchanging contact info, full offline operation with automatic local saving, AirPrint direct printing, Facebook/Twitter posting, and passcode/Touch ID security. Distributed through the Apple iOS App Store, free with advertising, and has accumulated over 350,000 downloads since launch; support has ended but the app remains available. Targets individual iOS users.
• External Mentor / CTO / VPoE Consulting Service Part-time, remote external mentor and technical leadership service for Japanese companies launching new services, restructuring existing offerings, or pursuing digital transformation. Engagements cover idea-plus-technology strategy, technology selection, DX promotion with system end-of-life and coexistence roadmaps, and fractional CTO or VPoE support, starting at 2 hours per week and charged as commissioned work based on project scope. Free initial phone consultation; subsequent in-person meetings used to scope detail.

Quantifiable outcome

• 350,000+ app downloads
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• pCloud: Cloud storage provider with optional client-side encryption and lifetime/long-term plans. Comparable long-term contract structure and SMB-and-individual targeting to Nube's subscription model.
• IDrive: Cloud backup and storage subscription service for SMBs and consumers offering tiered capacity. Closely comparable to Nube's tiered subscription model (5TB-26TB) targeting security-conscious SMB customers.
• Box: Cloud content management and file-sharing platform focused on businesses and teams. Comparable to Nube in serving SMB/enterprise document collaboration and storage needs.
• Backblaze: Cloud backup and storage service known for simplicity and consumer/SMB pricing — directly analogous to Nube's positioning around accessible, high-capacity cloud disk with simple billing.
• Tresorit: End-to-end encrypted cloud storage service emphasizing privacy and security — closely aligned with Nube's dedicated-hardware + VPN-encrypted security positioning for SMBs needing stronger isolation than shared cloud.
• Wasabi Technologies: Cloud object storage service marketed to SMBs and enterprises with predictable flat pricing. Comparable business model (subscription storage for businesses with no egress fees) to Nube's subscription cloud disk.
• Dropbox: Cloud storage and file-sync service targeting SMBs and individuals, with paid subscription tiers. Directly competes with Nube in the secure-storage-for-business segment.

Regional players

• sakura Internet: Japanese hosting and cloud infrastructure provider with managed-storage offerings for SMBs. Regional peer addressing the same Tokyo/Japan SMB customer base as Nube.

Broad incumbents

• Internet Initiative Japan (IIJ): Major Japanese internet and cloud infrastructure provider offering managed cloud, network, and security services to enterprises. Comparable domestic-incumbent competitor to Nube in the Japanese SMB cloud-storage market.

Emerging players

• Evernote: Note-taking and memo capture application with sync across devices. Historic comparison partner for pardNote given COHAL's prior InstantEver Evernote-linked app and the overlapping consumer productivity use case.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

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 Koharu Co., Ltd.