What RECrowd does

RECrowd (リクラウド) is a Japanese web-based crowdfunding platform operated by EF Investment Co., Ltd. (株式会社EFインベストメント), a licensed Type II Financial Instruments Business Operator (Kanto Finance Bureau No. 2474) and a consolidated subsidiary of Kankyo Friendly Holdings Co., Ltd. The platform enables individual Japanese residents aged 20-75 to invest in renewable energy and decarbonization projects — specifically solar, wind, biomass, and geothermal power generation — starting from a 100,000 yen minimum lot, an order of magnitude below the hundreds of millions of yen typically required for direct participation in such assets. Each offering is structured as a GK-TK (合同会社 + 匿名組合) anonymous partnership with a priority/subordinated capital architecture in which the EF Group's subordinated capital absorbs losses ahead of retail priority tranches.

The platform's core technology is an electronic application-type electronic solicitation system (電子申込型電子募集取扱業務) with eKYC identity verification, 2,048-bit SSL encryption, a segregated banking relationship with GMO Aozora Net Bank for per-investor virtual accounts, and an investor-facing My Page dashboard that displays fund status, CO2 reduction contribution (calculated via Ministry of the Environment and AIST methodologies), monthly operational reports, and electronic document delivery. Underlying power plants are equipped with 24/7/365 remote monitoring (handled operationally by KOSDAQ-listed S-Energy) and components from Trina Solar and Huawei.

RECrowd's revenue model is B2B2C: investors pay no subscription, registration, or membership fees. The operator earns a 50,000 yen private placement handling fee per fund at establishment and a 5% operator reward on the underlying business revenue of each fund over its multi-year operating period. Distribution is entirely digital and self-serve — telephone sales and in-person solicitation are prohibited under Second-Type Financial Instruments Business Association rules. The first fund, RECrowd® No.1 Towada Yatomezawa (49.5kW AC solar in Aomori Prefecture), launched in February 2026 with a 5,000,000 yen target and was fully subscribed by 10 investors at a 4.5% projected annualized return.

Name

RECrowd

Legal name

株式会社ＥＦインベストメント

Website

https://recf.jp

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

RECrowd is a Japanese crowdfunding platform, operated by EF Investment Co., Ltd. under a Type II Financial Instruments license, that lets individual investors participate in renewable energy projects from 100,000 yen per unit using a GK-TK priority/subordinated capital structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Renewable Energy Investment Platform

NAICS

Other Investment Pools and Funds (5259), Other Financial Vehicles (525990)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security Brokers, Dealers & Flotation Companies (6211)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate / Clean Tech & Decarbonization Funds (FSANAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

REC/GO Aggregation & Supply Origination (Generators/IPP Aggregators) (EUAMAKAH), Energy & Power Infrastructure Funds (Generation, Transmission, Storage) (FSANAEAB)

Keywords

• Renewable energy crowdfunding
• ESG investment platform
• Solar power investment
• Decarbonization investment
• Retail investment platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Marunouchi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 私募取扱手数料 (Private Placement Handling Fee): The operator (募集取扱業者) receives a handling fee per fund at the time of fund establishment. For the 十和田八斗沢 fund, this is 50,000 yen per fund.
2. 営業者報酬 (Operator Reward): The business operator receives operating rewards as a percentage of business revenue for managing the anonymous partnership. For the 十和田八斗沢 fund, this is 5% of business revenue. Membership registration, account management, and subscription application fees are free for investors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

RECrowd is a web-based crowdfunding platform that allows individual investors in Japan to participate in renewable energy power generation projects (solar, wind, biomass, geothermal) starting from 100,000 yen per lot. Investment funds are structured as anonymous partnerships (GK-TK scheme) using a priority/subordinated capital structure to limit investor risk, with expected annual returns of approximately 4.5%. Investors access funds via a self-serve online portal with eKYC identity verification, My Page dashboard, and per-investor CO2 reduction contribution tracking.

Product overview

RECrowd® (リクラウド) is a single-platform crowdfunding service for ESG and decarbonization investment, operated by EF Investment Co., Ltd. (金融商品取引業者 関東財務局長(金商)第2474号). The platform centers on a renewable energy investment marketplace where individuals can invest starting from 100,000 yen per unit in photovoltaic, biomass, wind, and geothermal power generation projects. The core product is the RECrowd crowdfunding platform itself, which hosts individual investment fund offerings structured as anonymous partnerships using the GK-TK (合同会社 + 匿名組合) scheme. Investors access funds through the My Page dashboard, which includes CO2 reduction tracking, operating reports, and electronic document delivery. As of February 2026, the platform's first fund — the RECrowd®1号 十和田八斗沢ファンド — is actively being raised.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• RECrowd® Crowdfunding Platform
• RECrowd®1号 十和田八斗沢ファンド (RECrowd No.1 Towada Yatōzawa Fund)

Quantifiable outcome

• CO2 reduction contributions tracked per investor proportional to their investment share
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, minor and supporting.

• S-Energy Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ: 095910)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerS-Energy Co., Ltd. is a KOSDAQ-listed Korean solar power pioneer with 20+ years of experience providing high-quality PV modules globally. The company serves as the maintenance operator for the power plants managed through RECrowd funds, providing technical management, remote monitoring, and emergency response services. Annual on-site inspections and 24/7 remote monitoring are included.
• 合同会社RECF電子募集１号coreOthersThe business operator (営業者) for the RECrowd® 1号 fund. This Godo Kaisha (合同会社) owns and operates the solar power plant. It is a legally separate entity from EF Investment, ensuring proper segregation of funds (分別管理). The fund's actual operations are delegated to EF Investment.
• 株式会社EFライフ（水面下）minorOthersEF Denki (EFグループ会社) provided subordinated investment capital for the 十和田八斗沢 fund as part of the priority-subordinated structure, contributing 550万 yen (53% of total fund capital) to absorb losses ahead of priority investors.
• 大手企業（売電先）coreOthersMajor corporations purchase electricity generated by the solar power plants at a fixed price (11.5円/kWh for the 十和田八斗沢 plant) under long-term power purchase agreements. These PPA contracts provide stable, predictable revenue for the funds.
• GMOあおぞらネット銀行supportingOthersDesignated bank for fund remittances. Each investor is assigned a unique virtual account for depositing investment funds. Funds are managed separately per fund (分別管理).
• 株式会社環境フレンドリーホールディングスcoreOthersParent company of EF Investment. Announced the RECrowd® 1号 fund launch on February 2, 2026. EF Investment is a consolidated subsidiary. Also identified as a related company for anti-social forces exclusion purposes.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Money Design (マネーフォワード / マネーデザイン): Japanese robo-advisor and ESG investment platform (THEO+) offering diversified ESG/decarbonization portfolios to retail investors under financial instruments regulations. Comparable as a broader Japanese retail ESG-investment incumbent competing for the same ESG-conscious individual investor segment, though via diversified funds rather than single-asset projects.
• SBI Social Lending (SBIソーシャルレンディング): Major incumbent Japanese P2P/crowdfunding platform from SBI Group offering renewable energy and business loan products to retail investors. Comparable as a broader incumbent in the Japanese crowdfunding space targeting the same retail yield-seeking audience, though not renewables-specialized.

Direct peers

• Fundeee (セキュリテ / Securities Crowd by JSF): Japan Securities Finance's securities-based crowdfunding platform offering pooled investments in solar, biomass, wind, and real estate projects to retail investors. Direct competitor with a similar renewable-energy-skewed fund lineup, Type II license, and Japanese-retail-only distribution model.
• Green Infra Lending (グリーンインフラレンディング): Japanese P2P/crowdfunding platform specializing in renewable energy project lending (solar, biomass, geothermal) targeted at retail investors with minimum investments in the 10,000-100,000 yen range. Directly comparable as a renewable-energy-focused Japanese crowdfunding venue.
• Funds (ファンズ): One of Japan's largest securities-based crowdfunding platforms, operating under a Type II Financial Instruments Business license and offering a marketplace of pooled investment funds (business lending, real estate, renewable energy) to retail investors with similar minimum-investment unit sizes. Directly comparable as a licensed Japanese crowdfunding competitor serving retail ESG and income-oriented investors.
• Crowd Bank (クラウドバンク): Japanese investment crowdfunding platform operated under financial instruments regulations, pooling retail capital into renewable energy, real estate, and business loans with similar 10,000-100,000 yen unit sizes and expected-yield-driven marketing. Directly comparable as a Type II-licensed Japanese crowdfunding competitor.
• ASSETMO (アセットモ) / Pocketo (ポケットo): Japanese securities crowdfunding platform offering pooled fund products (renewable energy, real estate) for retail investors. Comparable as a Type II-licensed marketplace using GK-TK-style structures and competing for the same retail ESG-investor wallet in Japan.
• Tsumiki (つみき) / Tsumiki Capital Management: Japanese securities-based crowdfunding platform offering pooled, fund-style investments (including renewable energy themes) to retail investors with small minimum investments. Comparable as a licensed crowdfunding operator using pooled-asset structures for retail ESG/decarbonization themes.

Emerging players

• Wunder Capital: US-based solar investment platform enabling individuals to invest in distributed solar projects via pooled fund structures. Comparable as an emerging international peer operating a retail-facing renewable-energy crowdfunding model similar to RECrowd's platform mechanics.
• Trine (Sweden): European retail solar investment platform enabling individuals to invest in solar projects via pooled structures with similar minimum-investment thresholds and impact-tracking features. Comparable as an emerging international peer in the retail-renewable-energy crowdfunding category with overlapping platform mechanics and value proposition.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RECrowd_jp
• Facebookfacebook.com/recf.jp

Compliance2 records

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 RECrowd