Connect Asia

What Connect Asia does

Connect Asia Inc. (株式会社コネクトアジア) is a privately held Japanese consulting firm founded in 2019 and headquartered in Osaka (Tennoji Ward). The company provides new business development consulting and fee-based employment placement (有料職業紹介事業) services, targeting Japanese early-stage startups and existing companies seeking to expand into Southeast Asian markets. Its consulting practice covers business model construction, marketing strategy development, fundraising advice, and overseas expansion support, while its recruitment arm matches professional talent with companies pursuing overseas expansion through an exclusive candidate network. The firm operates under Japanese fee-based employment placement license 27-ユ-302799 and is founder-controlled by Representative Director Takada Kenta, a former Marubeni Corporation employee who joined the trading house in 2013.

The firm maintains a three-entity corporate structure spanning Japan (Connect Asia Inc.), Singapore (Hi-So Pte. Ltd., established January 2019), and Myanmar (Hi-So Co., Ltd., established January 2020). Through these subsidiaries Connect Asia previously operated Hi-So Mall, an instant food delivery and online shopping platform in Yangon, Myanmar. Hi-So Mall originated as a logistics matching service launched by Htun Khaing International (HKI) in December 2018, was rebranded and transferred to Connect Asia's subsidiary structure in October 2019, and was indefinitely suspended around April 2021 amid deteriorating conditions in the Myanmar market, as documented in NNA coverage referenced on the company's own website.

Connect Asia's revenue model is based on professional services fees from consulting engagements and recruitment placements. The firm employs 1-10 people, has no disclosed institutional venture or private equity backing, and raised undisclosed capital via a third-party share allocation from multiple individual investors at Hi-So Pte. Ltd. in January 2020. Go-to-market is sales-led through direct consulting engagement, supplemented by PR-driven brand building in Japanese business publications including Nikkei, NNA, and regional outlets.

Name

Connect Asia

Legal name

株式会社コネクトアジア

Website

https://connect-asia.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Connect Asia is a Japan-based consulting firm founded in 2019 that provides Southeast Asia market entry consulting and fee-based professional recruitment to Japanese startups and corporates. It previously operated Hi-So Mall, a Myanmar food delivery platform that was indefinitely suspended in 2021.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tennoji

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Consulting Services (コンサルティングサービス事業): Business consulting services for new business development, targeting early-stage startups and companies seeking to develop new business ventures. Services include business model construction, marketing strategy development, fundraising advice, and overseas expansion support.
2. Fee-based Employment Placement (有料職業紹介事業): Specialized recruitment placement service targeting startups and companies aiming for overseas expansion. Matches professional talent with client companies, including exclusive job listings acquired through the company's own network.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Connect Asia is a Japan-based consulting firm offering new business development consulting (新規事業開発コンサル) for early-stage startups and corporates seeking Southeast Asian market entry, and a paid employment placement service (有料職業紹介事業, license 27-ユ-302799) that matches professional talent with startups and overseas-expanding companies. The firm also previously operated Hi-So Mall, an instant-delivery food and goods e-commerce platform in Myanmar, which has been placed on indefinite suspension.

Product overview

Connect Asia operates a dual business model consisting of (1) Hi-So Mall, an instant delivery and e-commerce platform serving consumers in Myanmar, and (2) professional services including new business development consulting and paid recruitment services. The Hi-So Mall platform, originally launched in December 2018 as a logistics matching service and rebranded in October 2019, enables delivery of food and goods across Yangon, while the consulting and recruitment divisions support companies expanding into Southeast Asian markets.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Hi-So Mall: Food delivery and online shopping platform with instant delivery service operating in Yangon, Myanmar. Offers delivery of restaurant food, ingredients, cosmetics, clothing and other items.
• Hi-So

Products and services

• New Business Development Consulting (新規事業開発コンサル) Consulting service for early-stage startups and existing companies developing new business ventures, with end-to-end support from business model ideation through to realization, including marketing strategy development, fundraising advice, and Southeast Asia market entry support.
• Paid Employment Placement Service (有料職業紹介事業) Specialized recruitment placement service for startups and companies pursuing overseas expansion, matching professional talent via Connect Asia's exclusive network under license 27-ユ-302799.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Htun Khaing International Co., Ltd. (HKI社)coreOthers · 23 January 2020HKI社 transferred its Hi-So Mall business (food delivery/online shopping service operating in Myanmar) to Hi-So Co., Ltd., a newly established 100% subsidiary of Hi-So Pte. Ltd. This business transfer was part of a strategic restructuring to accelerate transaction volume growth in the competitive Myanmar delivery market.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• YCP Group: Asia-headquartered professional services firm providing strategy consulting, market entry, and M&A advisory to companies expanding in Asia. Closely matches Connect Asia's cross-border business development consulting focus, with a comparable Japan-to-Asia bridge positioning.
• Asia Actual: Market entry and corporate services consultancy specializing in Southeast Asia expansion. Comparable to Connect Asia in serving foreign (especially Japan and English-speaking) clients seeking on-ground entry support into ASEAN markets.
• Acclime: Corporate services and market entry advisory operating across multiple Asian jurisdictions, supporting foreign companies with entity setup, tax, and operational support. Comparable to Connect Asia's Southeast Asia expansion and entity-structuring capabilities.
• Dezan Shira & Associates: Asia-focused business advisory and corporate services firm assisting foreign companies entering and operating across ASEAN, China, and India. Directly comparable to Connect Asia's new business development consulting and cross-border market entry practice, though significantly larger and broader in geographic coverage.
• BlueWeave Consulting: Market research and consulting firm focused on Southeast Asia and emerging markets, helping international clients evaluate and execute market entry. Overlaps with Connect Asia's new business development consulting for Japan and ASEAN clients.
• Emerging Markets Consulting: Advisory firm supporting SMEs and startups expanding into Southeast Asia with market entry, partner sourcing, and on-ground execution support. Closely matches Connect Asia's early-stage startup and overseas-expansion client base.

Broad incumbents

• Michael Page Japan: Global recruitment consultancy with a Japan office focused on mid-to-senior professional placements. Overlaps with Connect Asia's recruitment practice in cross-border and international business roles.
• Hays Japan: Global recruiting firm with a Japan presence placing professionals across industries. Comparable to Connect Asia's paid employment placement service, particularly for clients with international or cross-border hiring needs.
• Robert Walters Japan: Specialist international professional recruitment firm operating in Japan across multiple functions and seniority levels. Comparable to Connect Asia's professional talent placement line, particularly for overseas-expansion roles.
• PERSOL Holdings: One of Japan's largest staffing and HR services groups, operating across recruitment, placement, and consulting. Comparable to Connect Asia's paid employment placement business but at vastly greater scale and with broader sector coverage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/htun-khaing-international-co-ltd

Compliance1 record

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 Connect Asia