Pole&Line

What Pole&Line does

Pole&Line LLC (Pole&Line合同会社) is a Tokyo-based boutique human capital services firm founded in February 2015 by Masaki Saito. The company operates with a small team of approximately 13 professionals out of a headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo, and serves Japanese enterprises — particularly those undergoing digital transformation — with four integrated service lines: (1) executive search (High-class Agents) for difficult-to-fill CxO, VPoE, CTO, and specialist roles using a 1/1 matching philosophy rather than volume-based submissions; (2) HR Advisory covering organizational design, compensation restructuring, and recruitment strategy; (3) RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) where a dedicated Pole&Line professional is embedded inside the client's hiring team; and (4) Incubation / Venture Investment combining capital with HR support for early-stage startups.

The underlying technology is human expertise rather than proprietary platforms or algorithms; the firm's core "product" is its relationship network with passive candidates and senior executives, with each agent capped at roughly three concurrent engagements to enable deep client engagement. The firm claims a 99% interview pass rate and targets 100%, against industry screening pass rates of 1-2%. Marquee clients include Japan Digital Design (MUFG's digital subsidiary, partnered since 2018), Tokyo Gas (since 2021, scaling an in-house engineering team to 35+ people), SATT (3-year RPO 2022-2025), and Theoria Technologies (since 2024).

The business model is professional services revenue generated primarily through retainer fees for executive search and RPO engagements, contingency fees (35% of theoretical annual salary, sometimes 50%+ for competitive roles) for placements, and project-based advisory fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held, founder-owned with no institutional investors reported, and operates exclusively within the Kanto region of Japan.

Name

Pole&Line

Legal name

Pole&Line合同会社

Website

https://pnl.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Pole&Line is a Tokyo-based boutique executive search and HR advisory firm founded in 2015, serving Japanese enterprises—particularly DX-focused organizations—with high-difficulty CxO and specialist hiring, RPO, HR advisory, and startup incubation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

C-Suite & Board Search (BPACAAAA)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• HR advisory consulting
• Headhunting agency
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

渋谷区, 東京都

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Revenue model

1. Executive Search / Retainer Fee: For high-difficulty positions, Pole&Line charges a retainer (upfront fee) before candidate search begins, plus a success fee upon placement. The retainer ensures dedicated resources and deep commitment. For less complex roles, a contingency model is used at 35% of theoretical annual salary.
2. HR Advisory / Consulting: Ongoing advisory engagements for organizational design, compensation restructuring, and hiring strategy. Billed based on engagement scope and duration, often as a retainer or project fee. Advisory may lead into execution services (search/RPO) billed separately.
3. RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing): A dedicated recruitment professional is assigned to the client company as part of the hiring team. Billed based on scope, engagement time, and contract terms, with flexibility built into the retainer-style agreement rather than per-transaction pricing.
4. Incubation / Venture Investment: Pole&Line provides capital investment to early-stage startups in exchange for equity, combined with ongoing HR and recruitment advisory services. Revenue realization comes through investment returns and continued service fees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Pole&Line is a boutique human resources services firm providing high-end executive search (headhunting for CXO, VPoE, CTO, and hard-to-fill specialist roles), HR and organizational design advisory, end-to-end recruitment process outsourcing (RPO), and an incubation/venture investment program for early-stage startups. The firm differentiates through a 1/1 matching philosophy, agent caseloads capped at roughly three engagements, and integration of search, advisory, and RPO under one roof.

Product overview

Pole&Line is a boutique HR consulting firm offering four interconnected service lines: executive search (ハイレイヤー人材エージェント) for high-difficulty executive and specialist positions, HR advisory (HRアドバイザリー) for organizational design and recruitment strategy consulting, RPO (採用代行) for end-to-end recruitment process outsourcing, and incubation (インキュベーシヨン) combining venture investment with talent support for startups. The four services are designed to address the full spectrum of talent acquisition challenges from executive search to organizational transformation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 99% interview/screening pass rate (targeting 100%)
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Startup portfolio companies (via Incubation program)coreOthersPole&Line invests capital in early-stage startups and provides ongoing HR/advisory support as part of its incubation program. The company seeks to be a long-term HR partner for invested startups, providing talent acquisition and organizational design services alongside capital.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• JAC Recruitment: One of Japan's leading mid-to-senior level executive search firms, focused on bilingual professionals and specialist talent. Directly comparable to Pole&Line in serving enterprise Japanese clients with specialist and C-suite hiring, though operating at substantially larger scale.
• en world Japan: Executive search arm of en Japan, focused on mid-to-senior specialist roles for multinational and Japanese enterprises. Comparable in executive search delivery for Japanese enterprise clients.
• Egon Zehnder: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm. Comparable in targeting senior leadership and specialist roles with relationship-driven, boutique-quality service.
• Michael Page Japan: International recruitment firm with deep Japan operations, serving specialist and managerial roles. Comparable to Pole&Line in serving enterprise clients with high-difficulty searches, though at larger scale and broader geographic footprint.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm. Comparable in serving C-suite and senior leadership search mandates for enterprise clients, though at vastly larger scale and with broader consulting offerings.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm specializing in C-suite and Board placements. Directly comparable in serving executive-level search mandates for large enterprises, including in Japan.
• Robert Walters Japan: Global executive search firm with a strong Japan presence, focused on mid-to-senior professional and specialist roles across industries. Directly comparable in executive search delivery model and enterprise client base in Japan.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm focused on CEO, board, and senior leadership hiring. Comparable to Pole&Line's C-suite focus, though operating globally with a more established brand.

Emerging players

• Wantedly: Tech-focused hiring platform popular with Japanese startups and DX teams. Comparable in serving the DX talent market that Pole&Line targets (e.g., engineers, data scientists), though via a self-service platform model rather than retained search.

Broad incumbents

• Recruit Holdings (RGF HR Agent): Japan's largest HR services conglomerate with executive search operations under RGF. Broad incumbent in the same industry with overlapping executive search capability, but as part of a much larger diversified portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/poleandline

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Pole&Line