WAKU WORK

What WAKU WORK does

WAKU WORK (株式会社ワクワーク) is a Tokyo-based private company incorporated on May 27, 2016 by Hideki (Edward) Nakayama that operates Japan's leading anime, game, and manga content industry–specific job-matching marketplace. The platform connects content-industry employers (animation studios, game companies, merchandise/licensing firms, manga publishers) with two candidate funnels: ワクワーク新卒 (new graduates from universities, graduate schools, junior colleges, technical colleges and vocational schools) and ワクワーク転職 (mid-career employees and freelancers). It also runs an annual anime-industry job fair (WAKU WORK, held each March since 2017), a second semi-annual fair (WAKU WORK 2026秋 launched in November 2025), and a six-month Anime Industry Employment Seminar taught by active industry practitioners. The company is head-quartered in Taito Ward, Tokyo and operates with a small team out of Puzzle Asakusabashi co-working space.

The core technology is a web-based job-matching portal (currently in beta) offering job postings, applicant messaging, candidate search and employer dashboard management across more than 20 occupational categories spanning creative roles (animator, key animator, art director), technical roles (3DCG, compositing), and business roles (producer, marketing, HR). Distribution is direct-to-user through wakuwork.net, supported by an owned-media channel (dokidouki.net) and an X/Twitter presence (@Wakuwork2021, 5,000+ followers). The platform lists approximately 38 employer companies, including WIT Studio, TMS Entertainment, Trigger, Bandai Namco Pictures, Actas, JUVENAGE and SOLA ANIMATION.

The business model is a two-sided marketplace: job seekers register and use the service at zero cost, while employers (animation studios, game companies and other content producers) pay to post job listings and access candidate search/management. Approximately 38 employers are listed, and employer fees are transaction-based/pay-as-you-go with pricing tiers not publicly disclosed. Revenue is generated entirely from the employer-facing side of the marketplace, supplemented by job-fair booth and event-related fees. Registered capital is ¥9.5 million, the company is privately held by its founder, and no external funding rounds have been disclosed.

Name

WAKU WORK

Legal name

株式会社ワクワーク

Website

https://wakuwork.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

WAKU WORK (株式会社ワクワーク) operates Japan's anime, game, and manga content-industry job-matching marketplace, connecting studios and content producers with new-graduate and mid-career talent via a web portal, annual job fairs, and an industry seminar program. Employers pay to post listings while job seekers use the service free of charge.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Job Matching Platform (Anime/Game/Manga Content Industry Recruitment)

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAOAJ

Job Market Intelligence & Employer Networking Services

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Outplacement, Career Transition & Workforce Redeployment

Keywords

• Anime industry recruitment
• Job matching platform
• Content industry hiring
• New graduate employment
• Mid-career job portal

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Employer recruitment listing fees: Employers (anime/game/manga studios and related companies) pay to post job listings on the platform. Job seekers use the service free of charge. Revenue is generated entirely from the employer-facing side of the marketplace.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

WAKU WORK operates a web-based, anime/game/manga content-industry-specialized job matching platform with two portals — one for new graduates (W@KU WORK Shinsotsu) and one for mid-career professionals/freelancers (W@KU WORK Tenshoku). Employers pay to post job listings and access candidates via a dedicated employer dashboard with messaging, while job seekers use the service free of charge. The platform is complemented by annual anime industry job fairs held each March and a 6-month employment seminar program taught by active industry professionals.

Product overview

WAKU WORK operates a specialized job matching platform for the anime, game, and comic content industry, consisting of two main service tracks: ワクワーク新股 (W@KU WORK Shinsotsu) for new graduates and ワクワーク転職 (W@KU WORK Tenshoku) for mid-career professionals. The platform connects content industry employers with job seekers through a portal site, job posting management services, and annual job fair events (ワクワーク就職フェア). Additional services include anime industry employment seminars providing practical training. The platform is currently in beta version and does not charge job seekers fees, generating revenue from employer membership fees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ワクワーク新股: 大学・大学院・短大・高専・専門学校の学生向け就職マッチングサービス（β版）
• ワクワーク転職

Products and services

• W@KU WORK Shinsotsu (ワクワーク新卒) Job matching portal for university, graduate school, junior college, technical college (kosen), and vocational school students seeking new graduate employment in the anime, game, and manga content industry. Currently operated in beta version.
• W@KU WORK Tenshoku (ワクワーク転職) Job matching portal for working professionals and freelancers seeking mid-career employment in the anime, game, and manga content industry. Currently operated in beta version.
• W@KU WORK Portal Site Main portal site providing access to all W@KU WORK services, allowing users to choose between new graduate and mid-career employment support based on their career stage.
• Employer Member Posting Service (求人会員サービス) Service allowing content-industry companies to register as paying employer members (求人会員), post job listings, manage employer accounts, edit postings through a dedicated page, and receive and manage messages from interested applicants.
• W@KU WORK Job Fair (ワクワーク就職フェア) Anime industry job fair events held annually each March since 2017, connecting content industry companies (e.g., WIT Studio, TMS Entertainment, Trigger, Bandai Namco Pictures) with job seekers through portfolio review sessions and company information sessions.
• Anime Industry Employment Seminar (アニメ業界就職セミナー) Six-month practical training program for aspiring anime industry professionals, featuring monthly lectures by current industry practitioners on topics including planning, production management, budgeting, merchandising, and producer operations.

Quantifiable outcome

• 9 anime industry job fairs held since 2017
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Anime industry professionals and studios (Seminar lecturers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2025WAKU WORK partners with active anime industry professionals and studios to deliver its 6-month Anime Industry Employment Seminar program. Lecturers include studio producers, directors (e.g., Trigger, Kadokawa), and executives who provide instruction on animation planning, production management, merchandising, and business skills. This content partnership establishes WAKU WORK's credibility as an industry authority.
• 38 anime/content industry companies (WAKU WORK 2026 exhibitors)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 25 March 2025WAKU WORK organizes annual anime industry job fairs with approximately 38 exhibiting companies including WIT Studio, TMS Entertainment, Trigger, Bandai Namco Pictures, Actas, and others. Companies participate as exhibitors to meet job seekers face-to-face and promote their open positions. WAKU WORK provides the event platform, venue, and marketing while exhibitors pay for booth space or participate as part of broader recruitment efforts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• CrowdWorks (クラウドワークス): Japan's largest freelance and crowdsourcing platform. Comparable to WAKU WORK's tenshoku portal which serves freelancer candidates, with similar two-sided marketplace structure.
• Lancers (ランサーズ): Major Japanese freelance platform with employer-paid matching model. Comparable to WAKU WORK's mid-career/freelance portal positioning and creator-economy overlap with anime content industry.
• Anime! Anime! (アニメ!アニメ!): Anime industry news and information site with adjacent job/career content for anime enthusiasts. Operates in the same anime content vertical as WAKU WORK and serves a partially overlapping audience of industry aspirants.

Broad incumbents

• Mynavi (リクナビ): Japan's largest new-graduate job board serving major employers nationwide. Closely comparable to WAKU WORK's shinsotsu (new graduate) portal in model and target cohort, though operating across all industries.
• Indeed Japan: Global job aggregator with significant Japan presence across all industries and company sizes. Comparable to WAKU WORK as a job listing platform competing for the same job-seeker attention in the animation/content vertical.

Direct peers

• en-japan (エン転職): Major Japanese mid-career job matching platform with employer listing fees and free job-seeker access. Operates a similar two-sided marketplace model with parallel coverage of WAKU WORK's tenshoku (mid-career) portal.
• Wantedly (ウォンテッドリー): Japanese job matching platform with strong presence in creative industries, video, and entertainment. Directly comparable to WAKU WORK as a two-sided recruitment marketplace connecting mission-driven professionals with employers.
• BizReach (ビズリーチ): Premium mid-career job platform in Japan with employer-paid model and free job-seeker registration. Comparable business model to WAKU WORK's tenshoku portal, targeting professional class candidates.
• doda (パーソルキャリア): One of Japan's largest mid-career job platforms with employer listing fees and free job-seeker side. Closely comparable to WAKU WORK's two-sided marketplace economics and target user profile.
• Geekly (ギークリー): Vertical job board specializing in IT, web, and creative industries in Japan. Closely comparable to WAKU WORK as a niche recruitment platform targeting creative-content domain employers and job seekers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/wakuwork2021

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 WAKU WORK