キャリアスタート（株）

What キャリアスタート（株） does

Career Start Co., Ltd. (キャリアスタート株式会社) is a Japanese fee-based employment agency founded in April 2012 by Shimoyama Keiichiro (下山慶一郎), specializing in early-career placement for young job seekers in their 20s — primarily second new graduates (第二新卒), already-graduated job seekers (既卒), and freeters (フリーター) transitioning into regular employment, alongside a new-graduate recruitment stream. Headquartered in Tokyo's Minato-ku (Shinbashi) with branches in Osaka and Fukuoka, the firm employs approximately 130 people and serves both candidates (free of charge) and client companies nationwide via phone, Zoom, and in-person counseling. The firm holds both 有料職業紹介事業 license 13-ユ-305582 and 労働者派遣事業 license 派13-318095 from Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and operates proprietary media assets including the YouTube channel "キャリスタ就活研究所" and the blog/web media "キャリアクション" to drive top-of-funnel candidate acquisition.

The business operates as a dual-sided recruitment marketplace: job seekers register through the website, LINE, or phone and receive career counseling, interview training, resume support, and placement support, while client companies are served through dedicated consultants who conduct requirements-gathering, source matched candidates from an internal database, perform first-round interview outsourcing (面接代行), and provide post-placement retention support. Revenue is generated through success-based placement fees charged to employers (transaction-fee model — no charges until a hire is finalized) plus a secondary temporary staffing/dispatch revenue stream. Differentiated offerings include the proprietary "Connect" post-placement retention program (reported 95% retention rate Jan–Jun 2023) and "Camista College," an IT-engineer training module aimed at inexperienced candidates transitioning into IT roles. The firm ranks top-3 in Rikunabi NEXT's GOOD AGENT RANKING 2022 and has earned multiple #1 rankings in Japan Marketing Research機構 surveys for early-career job-hunting support.

Since founding, Career Start has cumulatively placed over 2,000 candidates and now registers more than 40,000 job seekers annually, with reported KPIs of 90%+ interview-to-offer ratio, 95% post-hire retention (Jan–Jun 2023), and 82%+ user satisfaction. Named enterprise clients include a top-3 construction consultancy (130 construction-management hires per year nationally), Japan's largest portal-site operator (35 sales hires in six months with 4 top-sellers promoted within three years of joining), a JASDAQ-listed firm (50 inexperienced IT-engineer hires in six months), and a mobile-retail startup (20 hires per year, 80% contract rate). The firm remains privately held with no external funding rounds disclosed and operates under sole founder leadership.

Name

キャリアスタート（株）

Legal name

キャリアスタート株式会社

Website

https://careerstart.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Career Start Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-based fee-based employment agency founded in 2012 that specializes in early-career placement for young Japanese job seekers (second new graduates, freeters, and new graduates), serving both candidates (free) and employer clients nationwide through contingency placement, retention support, and IT-engineer training across Tokyo, Osaka, and Fukuoka.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Recruitment Services

NAICS

Employment Placement Agencies (561311)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Career Coaching, Mentoring & Placement Support Services (EDAAAKAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Career Readiness & Employability Skills (Resume, Interview, Networking) (EDAMAKAG), Career Services & Career Readiness (EDALABAB), Career Exploration & Labor Market Readiness (EDAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Youth recruitment services
• Fee-based employment agency
• Early career placement
• Job seeker counseling
• Corporate hiring support

Headquarters

HQ city

東京（港区）

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 人材紹介事業（有料職業紹介）: Career Start operates as a licensed fee-based employment agency (有料職業紹介). The company charges client companies a success fee only when a candidate is successfully placed and hired. The fee structure is entirely performance-based: no charges are incurred until a hiring deal is finalized. This is a traditional contingency recruitment model where the agency bears the risk of placement and earns a placement fee (typically a percentage of the hired candidate's annual salary).
2. 労働者派遣事業: Career Start also holds a temporary staffing license (労働者派遣事業許可番号 派13-318095) alongside its placement license, suggesting a secondary staffing/dispatch revenue stream.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Career Start is a licensed fee-based employment agency that places young Japanese workers (second new graduates, 既卒, freeters, and new graduates in their 20s) into corporate positions. The company provides free career counseling, job matching, and interview training to job seekers, while charging client companies a success fee only upon successful placement. It also offers a post-placement retention support program (Connect) and an optional IT-engineer training program (Camista College).

Product overview

キャリアスタート（株）は、第二新郎・既卒特化型人材紹介サービス「キャリアスタート」を中核に、新卒紹介事業を展開する。若年層特化型の就職・転職支援プラットフォームとして、面談・求人紹介・面接対策・入社後フォローアップを含む総合サービスを提供。メディア事業としてYouTubeチャンネル「キャリスタ就活研究所」やウェブメディア「キャリアクション」を運営し、 кампус支援 такжеも提供。オプショナルサービスとして定着サポートプログラム「Connect」や、ITエンジニア転向支援の「Camista College」を展開。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• キャリスタ就活研究所: YouTube channel providing job hunting and career change advice through short videos
• キャリアアクション

Products and services

• Second New Graduate / Already-Graduated Placement Service (第二新卒・既卒事業) Career counseling, job matching, and end-to-end placement support for second new graduates (within three years of first joining the workforce) and already-graduated Japanese job seekers (既卒) who lack formal career-track experience. Free for job seekers; client companies pay a success fee upon placement. Includes interview preparation, resume support, and post-placement retention follow-up.
• New Graduate Placement Service (新卒事業) Job-hunting and placement support for Japanese university students and new graduates entering the workforce for the first time. Includes career counseling, anxiety and concern resolution, matching to appropriate companies, and post-placement follow-up. Free for job seekers; client companies pay a success fee upon placement.
• Camista College (キャリスタカレッジ)

Quantifiable outcome

• 入社後の定着率 95%（2023年1〜6月実績）
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UZUZ: UZUZ is one of Japan's most direct peers to Career Start, specializing in 第二新卒/既卒/20代の若手 career change support with career counseling and placement services — same target persona, same dual-sided CA/RA model, same free-for-candidate pricing. Both compete for the same niche.
• アイデム (Aidemy): アイデム is a long-running Japanese HR media and recruitment company with established new graduate and youth job fairs. Comparable in serving the 20-something job seeker with placement + media (job magazines, events), making it a direct competitor for the same candidate supply.
• Brighthouse (ブライシス): Brighthouse (formerly ネオキャリア若年層領域) focuses heavily on second new graduates and early-career placement with both permanent placement and dispatch services — directly comparable offering, geographic overlap (Tokyo HQ), and target demographic identical to Career Start's.
• レバレジーズ (Leverages) / レバテック (Levtech): Leverages operates Leverages (Freeter/second new graduate/Haken) and Levtech (IT engineer), both youth-skewing recruitment brands. Same contingency-fee model, same target segment, and explicit competition for Career Start's IT training (Camista College) crossover candidates.
• DYM (ディーアンドワイエム): DYM operates the "Second new graduate agent HOP" and Web Engineer-style youth recruitment brands, specializing in 第二新卒 and entry-level IT talent. Overlapping candidate persona and service model with Career Start, especially Camista College's IT-engineer angle.

Broad incumbents

• エン・ジャパン (en Japan): en-japan operates the broadest Japanese job board portfolio (en-tennis, en-world, etc.) and serves both new graduates and mid-career candidates. A larger incumbent with broader scope but overlapping target employers — could move aggressively into Career Start's 20-something niche if it prioritized.
• Indeed Japan: Indeed is the global incumbent job search platform with deep Japanese market presence (job board + sponsored listings). Indirectly competes for both candidate supply and employer demand across all segments including 20-something, and its AI-driven matching represents the technology disruption risk to traditional agencies like Career Start.
• リクルート (Recruit Holdings): Recruit Holdings operates タウンワーク, はたらいく, リクナビ, リクナビNEXT, and other platforms spanning new grad to mid-career recruitment. The dominant Japanese recruitment incumbent whose size, brand, and tech investment dwarf Career Start — the existential competitor for any niche recruitment firm.
• パーソルキャリア / doda: パーソルキャリア operates doda, one of Japan's largest job boards and placement agencies for both new graduates and mid-career hires. A large incumbent with comparable services across Career Start's candidate segments, with stronger brand recognition and enterprise relationships.
• ビズリーチ (BizReach): BizReach operates Japan's leading mid-career and class-of-employment platform plus HRMOS ATS. While primarily focused on experienced hires, its scale, brand, and platform technology make it a relevant incumbent whose expansion into early-career segments would directly threaten Career Start.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/career_kousiki
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCKn2zoKF7e3vxH2XTGAl1RQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%E6%A0%AA%E5%BC%8F%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BE-133491084147852
• Instagraminstagram.com/careerstart0411
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/%E3%82%AD%E3%83%A3%E3%83%AA%E3%82%A2%E3%82%B9%E3%82%BF%E3%83%BC%E3%83%88%EF%BC%88%E6%A0%AA%EF%BC%89

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 キャリアスタート（株）