Nessu

What Nessu does

Nessu (ネッスー株式会社) is a Japan-based social-impact platform company founded in June 2022 by Yuki Kido (木戸優起) that addresses child food insecurity, food loss, and regional revitalization through a multi-stakeholder digital infrastructure. The company operates three business divisions — Circular Economy, Regional Revitalization Children's Support, and Nursery School Net Supermarket — and deploys matching platforms that connect surplus food from retailers, manufacturers, and restaurants with children's cafeterias (子ども食堂), nursery schools, and welfare recipients. Its flagship products are Kodomo Furusato-bin (こどもふるさと便), a food-asset-linked service built on Japan's furusato nozei (hometown tax donation) program; Sutenasu (ステナス), a real-time food matching platform for restaurant surplus and edible food waste; Circular Design Lab, a consulting arm working with food manufacturers on upstream waste reduction; and Nessu Net Supermarket (ネッスーねっとすーぱー), a curated e-commerce grocery service for nursery schools.

The underlying technology stack centers on proprietary matching algorithms, donor/recipient management dashboards, and a payment-and-logistics layer that integrates with municipal furusato nozei portals and partner retailers' inventory systems. Nessu's business model combines several revenue mechanics: it retains a commission on furusato nozei donations routed to Kodomo Furusato-bin; it charges transaction or matching fees on Sutenasu; it generates B2B revenue from Circular Design Lab consulting engagements with food manufacturers; and it earns merchandise margins on Nessu Net Supermarket. The customer base spans local governments (Asahikawa City and others), NPOs/children's cafeteria operators, major food retailers (Life Corporation, Tokyu Store), wholesalers (Kokubu Group), insurers (Tokio Marine), and restaurant operators, making it a B2B/B2G/B2C hybrid with diversified unit economics across each division.

The company has scaled without external capital since founding, reaching approximately 10 employees at incorporation and reportedly ~1 billion JPY (~USD 7M) in revenue within roughly 3.5 years. Nessu announced its first external funding round for 2026, coinciding with new product launches (Circular Design Lab, dedicated Kodomo Furusato-bin portal) and expansion into additional municipalities and verticals. Recognition includes Forbes Japan's "NEXT IMPACT STARTUPS 30" and a Director-General's Award from Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency.

Name

Nessu

Legal name

ネッスー株式会社

Website

https://nessu.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Nessu (ネッスー株式会社) is a Japan-based social-impact platform company that connects surplus food from retailers and manufacturers with children's cafeterias, nursery schools, and municipalities via matching platforms, furusato nozei-linked donation programs, and curated e-commerce.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Enterprise & Food Bank Services

NAICS

Community Food Services (624210), Community Food Services (62421), Community Food and Housing, and Emergency and Other Relief Services (6242), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230)

akta.pro primary industry

Food Assistance & Food Banks (BPAGAEAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

School Feeding & Child Nutrition Programs (BPADAJAD), Food & Nutrition Assistance Programs (BPAIAKAF), Food Assistance & Safety Nets (In-Kind, Vouchers, Cash Transfers) (BPADAJAA), Food Security, Agriculture & Nutrition Aid Programs (BPADABAD), Vending, Kiosk & À La Carte Food Programs (On-Campus Retail) (EDAEAEAI), Food Assistance & Nutrition Relief (Emergency Feeding) (BPAGAAAD)

Keywords

• Food donation platform
• Food waste reduction
• Child welfare services
• Regional revitalization
• Hometown tax donation

Headquarters

HQ city

Setagaya

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. ふるさと納税 手続手数料 (Furusato Tax Procedure Fees): Nessu earns platform commission fees from municipalities for operating the Kodomo Furusato-ben tax donation site. Fees are calculated as a percentage of donated funds collected, with Nessu offering a fee structure approximately 2/3 lower than competing platforms. The site enables individual and corporate donors to make tax-deductible donations while selecting specific child-support projects and beneficiaries.
2. 食品マッチング/EC販売 (Food Matching & EC Sales): Revenue from Sutenasu food matching platform where consumers purchase near-expiry fresh food products at 60-75% of retail prices. Additional Social Pricing tier (50% off the discounted price) available for verified recipients (child-rearing allowance, scholarship recipients). Revenue is shared with partner retail stores.
3. 未利用食品 EC販売 (Unused Food EC Sales): Revenue from the 'ロスプラ' platform within the Unused Food Utilization Promotion Consortium, selling near-expiry or non-standard food products at Social Pricing to qualifying households, with transaction fees from participating food manufacturers.
4. 公共事業/委託事業 (Government Tenders & Delegated Projects): Nessu generates revenue through government tenders awarded by municipalities (e.g., Asahikawa City social contribution agricultural product sales expansion project), prefectures (Ishikawa earthquake reconstruction projects), and national government ministries (Ministry of Environment food waste reduction model projects, Ministry of Agriculture forestry fisheries food loss reduction projects). Projects are awarded through competitive proposal processes.
5. 保育園ネットスーパー (Nursery School Net Supermarket): Revenue from the Nessu net supermarket service where parents order prepared foods and ingredients online and pick them up at nursery school locations during child pickup times. Ordering deadline is 1 PM for same-day delivery to the nursery school pickup point.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Nessu operates food donation matching platforms that connect near-expiry and unsold food from retailers, manufacturers, and farmers with food-insecure children, single-parent households, and children's cafeterias. Its core offerings include a real-time food matching service (Sutenasu), a hometown tax donation-based food bank (Kodomo Furusato-bin), a nursery school net supermarket, and a circular economy supply chain service (Circular Design Lab). The company combines food bank operations with commercial net supermarket logistics to create a financially self-sustaining model for child welfare and food waste reduction.

Product overview

Nessu operates as a social impact startup organized into three main business divisions. The Circular Economy Business includes the Sutenasu food matching platform, Circular Design Lab (CDL) for sustainable procurement, and the P&P Re Ri Pack recyclable container system. The Regional Revitalization Child Support Business features こどもふるさと便, a furusato nohi-based platform connecting regional products to children's support facilities, along with food bank operations. The Nursery School Net Supermarket Business provides the Nessu service for same-day meal pickup at nursery schools. The company connects agricultural producers, retailers, local governments, and support organizations through technology-enabled matching and logistics platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• こどもふるさと便 (Kodomo Furusato-bin): A hometown tax donation-based food bank service that delivers regional specialty products to children's cafeterias, single-parent households, and children facing illness, while enabling donors to receive return gifts. Supports food loss reduction alongside child welfare.
• ステñas (Sutenasu)
• サーキュラーデザインラボ (Circular Design Lab)
• ネッスー (Nessu Net Supermarket)

Products and services

• Kodomo Furusato-bin (こどもふるさと便) A regional revitalization and child support service using Japan's national hometown tax donation (furusato nozei) system. Connects regional agricultural, livestock, and seafood products from partnered municipalities to children's cafeterias, single-parent households, and families with ill children. Donors receive return gifts while directing support to specific child welfare beneficiaries, addressing food waste reduction alongside child food security.
• Sutenasu (ステナス) A real-time food matching platform that lists near-expiry fresh and daily foods from partner supermarkets (Life Corporation, Tokyu Store) and enables qualifying households (single-parent families receiving child-rearing allowance, scholarship-receiving students, children's cafeteria organizations) to claim items at 60-75% of retail prices for same-day pickup via smart-lock refrigerators.
• Nessu Net Supermarket (ネスー ネットスーパーパー) A same-day net supermarket service where parents order prepared meals and ingredients for pickup at partner nursery schools during child pickup times, creating 'parent-child time' for working families. Orders placed before 1 PM are available the same day, with allergy information tracked.
• Circular Design Lab (CDL) / サーキュラーデザインラボ A circular economy service that redesigns and integrates paper, cardboard, and plastic procurement and recovery into a single circular loop, helping corporations meet sustainability goals while reducing waste across fragmented supply chains.
• P&P Re Ri Pack Container Donation Project Recyclable plastic containers with peel-off film that can be recycled without washing, reducing waste volume to approximately 1/20th of normal containers. Distributed free of charge to children's meal facilities to reduce operational burden while creating environmental education opportunities.
• Loss Pura (ロスプラ) Unused Food Information Platform An information and EC platform developed for the Unused Food Utilization Promotion Consortium that enables food manufacturers to register unsold/unsellable food inventory (near-expiry or non-standard grade) with transaction management, traceability, and delivery coordination through Kokubu Group's national logistics network.

Quantifiable outcome

• 42% average matching rate for near-expiry food products across retail stores; 77.9% at best-performing location
• +8 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

24 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 株式会社プレアス (Plenus)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 July 2026Plenus is a major Japanese restaurant franchise company (Hotto Motto, Yayoiken, MK Restaurant; 2,820 stores total) that partners with Nessu on the Recyclable Plastic Container Donation Project. Plenus contributes a portion of eco-mark-certified container sales to fund free provision of P&P Re-Re-pack containers (film-peelable, wash-free recyclable containers) to children's cafeterias, reducing operational burden while creating environmental education opportunities.
• 未利用食品の活用推進コンソーシアム (Unused Food Utilization Promotion Consortium)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2026An industry consortium co-founded by Nessu and Kokubu Group in May 2026, with founding corporate members including Ajinomoto, Kagome, Umios, Nisshin Flour Wellna, Daisho, Kikkoman Foods, Showa Sangyo, and Oomuraya. The consortium promotes social pricing-based distribution of unused food to qualifying households, using Kokubu's logistics and Nessu's platform. Seven food manufacturers participate as founding members, with open membership for additional companies.
• 国分グループ本社株式会社 (Kokubu Group Honosu)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 February 2026Kokubu Group is one of Japan's largest food wholesalers/distributors, founded in 1712. They partner with Nessu on the Unused Food Utilization Promotion Consortium, providing their national logistics network (warehouses, delivery infrastructure) to enable efficient distribution of unused/off-spec food products from manufacturers to qualifying households. Kokubu provides existing logistics infrastructure that allows the social pricing model to operate without requiring dedicated new distribution networks, making participation feasible for food manufacturers.
• OKINAWA Startup Program 2025-2026minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 9 December 2025OKINAWA Startup Program is an accelerator program co-organized by 8 major Okinawan corporations (Ryugaku Bank, Okinawa Times, Okinawa Cellular, Okinawa Electric Power, Japan Transocean Air, Daiido Fire & Marine, Okinawa JTB, Ryukyu Broadcasting). Nessu was selected as 1 of 8 startups to participate, gaining access to Okinawan corporate networks and mentorship to expand Kodomo Furusato-ben operations into Okinawa Prefecture where child poverty rates are the highest in Japan.
• 認定特定非営利活動法人全国こども食堂支援センター・むすびえ (Musubie)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025Musubie is Japan's national support center for children's cafeterias, maintaining relationships with over 10,000 children's cafeteria organizations nationwide. As a Kodomo Furusato-ben partner organization, Musubie provides referral channels to beneficiary organizations, helps validate Nessu's programs within the children's cafeteria community, and participates in launch events and project announcements.
• 公益社団法人チャンス・フォー・チルドレン (Chance for Children)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025Chance for Children is a nonprofit focused on resolving educational inequality caused by economic factors for children in Japan. They partner with Kodomo Furusato-ben to connect food support with educational support programs, expanding the reach of child support to include both nutrition and learning opportunities.
• 認定特定非営利活動法人D×P (D×P)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025D×P supports youth facing economic difficulties, abuse, bullying and other challenges by providing food boxes and support services. As a Kodomo Furusato-ben partner, D×P receives food product donations and distributes them to qualifying youth and young households, serving as an important beneficiary channel.
• 認定特定非営利活動法人キーパー SMART SMILE (Keep Smiling)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025Keep Smiling supports families of hospitalized children by delivering essential supplies to pediatric wards nationwide. They partner with Kodomo Furusato-ben to receive food donations for distribution to families accompanying hospitalized children.
• 、一般I&Others (I&Others)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025I&Others is a general incorporated association that provides support services to children and families in need. They serve as a Kodomo Furusato-ben distribution partner.
• WeSupport FamilyminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025WeSupport Family operates a food delivery matching service for struggling single-parent households, currently supporting approximately 30,000 households per month. They partner with Kodomo Furusato-ben to expand food support reach.
• 北海道旭川市 (Asahikawa City, Hokkaido)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Asahikawa City was the first major municipal partner for Kodomo Furusato-ben. The city uses corporate and individual tax donations to fund distribution of Asahikawa-produced rice nationally to children's cafeterias and single-parent households. Asahikawa's participation provides credibility and a proven operational model for subsequent municipal partnerships.
• 宮崎県都城市 (Miyakonojo City, Miyazaki)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Miyakonojo City, which has achieved the highest tax donation receipts in Japan for 5 consecutive years (including 2 national #1 rankings), partnered with Kodomo Furusato-ben to include meat products as return gifts. Their participation significantly expanded the geographic and product diversity of Kodomo Furusato-ben offerings.
• 長崎県対馬市 (Tsushima City, Nagasaki)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Tsushima City partnered with Kodomo Furusato-ben to distribute unused fish products (including AISUGO, an invasive species damaging seaweed beds) nationally to children's cafeterias. This project won the Consumer Affairs Agency Director Award and exemplifies the food waste reduction + child support dual benefit model.
• 長崎県壱岐市 (Iki City, Nagasaki)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Iki City partnered with Kodomo Furusato-ben to provide experience-based donations (dolphin watching, island tourism experiences) to children from low-income families, extending the platform beyond food to include experiential opportunities.
• 北海道音更町 (Otofuke Town, Hokkaido)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Otofuke Town in the Tokachi plains (Japan's leading agricultural region with 1,300%+ food self-sufficiency) partners with Kodomo Furusato-ben to distribute vegetable sets (carrots, potatoes, onions) for curry — a popular children's meal — nationally to children's cafeterias.
• 石川県能登町 (Noto Town, Ishikawa)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 4 December 2025Noto Town partnered with Kodomo Furusato-ben to distribute local seafood nationally to children's cafeterias, combining earthquake recovery support with child food assistance. The initiative also supports the local fishing industry damaged by the 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake.
• 株式会社東急ストア (Tokyu Store)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 September 2025Tokyu Store joined Life Corporation as a partner in the Sutenasu food matching platform demonstration from October 2025. The partnership expands the physical retail footprint of the food matching service to the Tokyu retail network in the Tokyo area, increasing the volume and geographic accessibility of available discounted food products.
• 、一般hoodAgVenture Lab (JA Accelerator)minorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 21 May 2025AgVenture Lab is the innovation subsidiary of JA Group (Japan's agricultural cooperative system). Nessu was selected for the JA Accelerator Program 7th cohort and won the 'Excellent Award' in the selection process. JA Group provides network access to agricultural cooperatives nationwide and agricultural expert mentoring to help Nessu expand Kodomo Furusato-ben partnerships with more agricultural municipalities.
• インパクトスタートアップ協会 (Impact Startup Association)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2025Nessu became a regular (regular member) of the Impact Startup Association as a 'fifth period' member. The association brings together impact-focused startups committed to solving social problems while achieving sustainable growth. Membership provides networking with aligned startups, access to impact measurement frameworks, and advocacy opportunities.
• 株式会社ライフコーポレーション (Life Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 October 2024Life Corporation is a major supermarket chain operating stores primarily in the Tokyo metropolitan area. They partner with Nessu on the Sutenasu food matching platform, redirecting near-expiry fresh food from their stores to qualifying households at discounted prices. Life provides store locations, refrigeration infrastructure for product handoff, and staff time for product selection. This is a core strategic partnership for the food waste reduction business line.
• 東京海上日動火災保険株式会社 (Tokio Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 September 2024Tokio Marine partnered with Nessu to provide their 'Food Loss Reduction Promotion Special Clause' insurance product, which compensates companies for logistics costs associated with food donations when products are damaged in transit. This reduces the financial risk barrier for companies to participate in food donation programs, supporting Nessu's broader food bank ecosystem.
• 、一般thoodサスティナブルフードチェーン協議会 (SFA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 September 2024SFA (Sustainable Food Chain Association) is a consortium of academics and food industry professionals led by Professor Toru Watanabe of Senshu University and Professor Mitsumi Irie of Tokyo University of Agriculture. SFA provides academic credibility, research support, and industry network access for the food waste reduction initiatives. They co-published research findings and serve as a bridge between industry practices and academic validation.
• 、一般hood子どもDX推進協会 (Japanese Association for Promotion of Child's DX)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2023Nessu became a regular member of the Child DX Promotion Association, which works on standardizing child-related digital systems, conducting research and studies, and making policy proposals related to children's digital transformation. The association includes major EdTech companies (Codmon, MJ, Milabo, Empay, Babyjob, Groovenauts) and academic advisors.
• 東京農業大学 (Tokyo University of Agriculture)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 December 2022Nessu entered a joint research agreement with Tokyo University of Agriculture in December 2022 to conduct empirical evaluation of the social impact of its food waste reduction and household support programs. The university conducts academic research measuring food loss reduction effects, economic support effects, and nutritional adequacy improvement for recipient households. Students also co-operate children's cafeterias with Nessu.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Kuradashi: Social-impact marketplace selling food and products with limited shelf-life or surplus inventory at discounts, donating proceeds to social causes. Comparable to Nessu's Unused Food EC / Sutenasu platforms on food-loss monetization model.
• D×P: Supports youth facing economic difficulties, abuse, and bullying by providing food boxes and support services. Comparable on youth/household food distribution model and an existing Nessu partner.
• Tabete (by CoCooking/OsidOri): Operates a food-loss reduction app connecting consumers with surplus meals from restaurants and bakeries. Most direct comparable in Japan's food-waste-to-consumer matching category, sharing target user motivations (cost-conscious / sustainability-minded consumers) with Sutenasu.
• Chance for Children: Nonprofit addressing educational and economic inequality for children in Japan, including food support programs. Direct comparable in the child-opportunity-inequality category and an existing Nessu Kodomo Furusato-ben partner.
• Second Harvest Japan: Japan's largest food bank, distributing surplus food to NPOs and welfare organizations nationwide. Closest pure-play food-bank operator and a structural peer on food rescue logistics.
• Musubie (認定NPO法人全国こども食堂支援センター・むすびえ): Japan's national support center for children's cafeterias, maintaining relationships with over 10,000 organizations. Closely comparable on child-food-support GTM and an existing Nessu Kodomo Furusato-ben partner.
• WeSupport Family: Operates a food delivery matching service supporting approximately 30,000 single-parent households per month. Direct comparable to Nessu's Kodomo Furusato-ben distribution channel for the same beneficiary population, and is itself an existing Nessu partner.
• Food Bank TAMA: Tokyo-area food bank distributing donated food to single-parent households and child support organizations. Direct comparable on Tokyo food-bank operations and an existing Nessu recipient/distribution partner.

Broad incumbents

• Life Corporation: Major Kanto-region supermarket chain that is Nessu's anchor Sutenasu retail partner. Comparable as a large retailer with established food-waste programs that could scale an in-house equivalent of Nessu's matching platform.
• Kokubu Group (国分グループ本社): One of Japan's largest food wholesalers (founded 1712), providing national logistics infrastructure for Nessu's Unused Food Utilization Consortium. Comparable as a broad incumbent in food distribution that could vertically integrate social food-waste matching.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/nessu.co.jp
• Xx.com/nessu_official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

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 Nessu