What unlock.ly, Inc. does

unlock.ly, Inc. is a Tokyo-based private Japanese company founded in September 2021, operating an integrated HR and M&A platform focused on Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The company operates two principal business lines: (1) HR services including 'unlock.ly Agent', an executive search and mid-to-senior-level placement agency specializing in consulting, IT/DX, and business professionals, and 'unlock.ly RPO', a recruitment process outsourcing service on monthly fixed-fee contracts; and (2) M&A and succession services including M&A consulting (FA), M&A advisory retainers ('Kaisha Kauzo Komon' / 会社買うぞ顧問), and a succession investment practice where the company acquires 100% equity in operating SMEs via special purpose companies (SPCs) and provides long-term hands-on management support. Its go-to-market is sales-led: founder-CEO Teppei Mishima personally leads enterprise relationships with SME owner-managers, supported by an in-house team of HR consultants drawn from en Japan, Robert Walters, KornFerry, Recruit, and other major firms.

The business model combines transaction-fee revenue (HR placement success fees), recurring subscription revenue (RPO monthly retainers, M&A advisory retainers), and one-time ownership revenue (succession investment acquisitions held for operational improvement and group synergies). Pricing is not publicly disclosed; placement is free to candidates with revenue tied to employer success fees, while RPO contracts are monthly fixed fees with flexible terms. The company holds regulated Japanese HR licenses (有料職業紹介事業 license 13-ユ-314004 obtained February 2022; 労働者派遣事業 license 派13-317254 obtained April 2024). On the proprietary technology front, no in-house platform is disclosed; the offering is fundamentally a people-and-relationships service. In November 2025, the company entered a channel partnership with DigiRise to co-sell the 法人リスキリング® AI adoption program to its SME clients, adding AI/DX advisory as a new service line.

The succession investment arm has been the primary growth driver: between August 2023 and September 2025, unlock.ly acquired four operating businesses — どんどん (Dondon bento chain, ~70 stores, Tokai region), a Kanto funeral services company, FUKUDA (Kyoto engine oil wholesaler), and 共栄テクニカルシステム (construction CAD/estimation software) — through which group consolidated revenue grew from approximately 5 billion JPY to over 60 billion JPY in roughly two years. The company is headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, with operating support in Shizuoka via the Dondon subsidiary, and remains 100% owned by the management team with no external institutional funding beyond founder capitalization of 6 million JPY.

Name

unlock.ly, Inc.

Legal name

株式会社unlock.ly

Website

https://unlockly.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

unlock.ly, Inc. is a Tokyo-based private Japanese firm founded in 2021 that combines HR services (executive placement, RPO) with M&A advisory and SME succession investments, primarily serving Japanese small and medium-sized enterprise owners facing talent shortages and succession needs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR & M&A Advisory Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Help Supply Services (7363), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

RPO Technology, ATS Administration & Recruitment Operations (BPACABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

M&A / Corporate Finance Finders (Deal Origination) (FSAEAMAD)

Keywords

• Executive recruitment services
• Recruitment process outsourcing
• M&A advisory services
• Business succession investment
• SME HR consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. 人材紹介 (Placements): Fee-based placement services for mid-to-senior-level professionals, specializing in consulting, IT/DX, and business functions. Revenue recognized upon successful placement.
2. RPO (採用代行): Monthly fixed-fee RPO contracts providing end-to-end recruitment support, from strategy to execution, targeting companies seeking to build sustainable hiring capabilities.
3. M&Aアドバイザリー・コンサルティング: M&A advisory (FA) agreements, consulting retainers, and spot consulting fees for buy-side and sell-side mandates. Revenue recognized per engagement milestone or retainer.
4. 会社買うぞ顧問: Advisory retainer service for owner-managers aiming for 100億円-scale growth via M&A, led by founder Mishima.
5. 事業継承投資 (Succession Investment): Acquisition and long-term hold of SME businesses as a 'successor' partner, generating returns through operational improvement and group synergies.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

unlock.ly provides HR services (executive search/placements via unlock.ly Agent and recruitment process outsourcing via unlock.ly RPO) and M&A services (M&A consulting, business succession investments through SPC structures, and the 会社買うぞ顧問 Kaisha Kauzo Komon advisory subscription). It acquires and operates SME subsidiaries (Dondon bento chain, FUKUDA engine-oil wholesaler, Kyoei Technical System CAD/estimation software) while offering B2B advisory and recruiting services to Japanese SME owner-managers facing succession, talent, and growth challenges.

Product overview

unlock.ly is a unified business services platform combining HR solutions (talent recruitment, RPO, employment placement) with M&A advisory and business succession investment services. The portfolio consists of two main pillars: (1) HR services including unlock.ly Agent (mid/high-level talent recruitment agency), unlock.ly RPO (recruitment process outsourcing), and (2) M&A services including M&A consulting, succession investments, and 会社買うぞ顧問 (M&A advisory subscription). The company also partners with 株式会社デジライズ for AI tools adoption support. Services are delivered through a combination of in-house expertise and acquired company subsidiaries, supporting SMEs with both talent and succession challenges.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• unlock.ly Agent: Executive search and placement service for mid-to-high-level professionals in consulting, IT, finance, and business sectors. Focus on 'ハイクラス' talent, approximately 80% of registered candidates earn 7.5M+ JPY annually.
• unlock.ly RPO
• 会社買うぞ顧問 (Kaisha Kauzo Komon)
• M&Aコンサルティング

Products and services

• unlock.ly Agent Mid-to-high-level talent recruitment agency specializing in IT/DX, consulting, and business professions (sales, marketing, planning). Features agents with 100+ successful placements, proprietary media content for employer branding, and career support from resume review to interview preparation and salary negotiations. Free for candidates; employer pays success fees.
• unlock.ly RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing) Comprehensive recruitment transformation service that goes beyond task coverage to design sustainable recruitment systems aligned with business strategy. Covers recruitment planning, talent pool formation, screening coordination, and ongoing optimization. Sold as a monthly fixed-fee subscription with flexible contract terms.
• M&Aコンサルティング (M&A Consulting) M&A advisory services including buy-side/sell-side consulting, FA (Financial Advisor) role, due diligence support, contract preparation, and deal execution. Services range from strategic consulting retainers to spot consulting for specific issues.
• 事業承継投資 (Business Succession Investments) Business succession investment where unlock.ly acts as a successor to SME owners, providing long-term management support while preserving company culture. Targets companies facing succession challenges, with hands-on operational and strategic management. Executed four acquisitions to date (Dondon, FUKUDA, Kanto funeral company, Kyoei Technical System).
• 会社買うぞ顧問 (Kaisha Kauzo Komon) M&A advisory subscription service for companies aiming to reach JPY 10 billion in revenue via M&A. Led by founder/CEO Mishima personally. Provides M&A strategy, hands-on guidance, and knowledge transfer to owner-managers seeking accelerated non-organic growth.
• 法人リスキング® (AI/DX Adoption Program via DigiRise partnership) Partnership-enabled AI tools introduction and utilization support program developed with DigiRise Inc. Combines M&A and HR expertise with AI adoption support ('M&A×AI' and 'HR×AI'), targeting SMEs facing DX and productivity challenges. Up to 75% of costs eligible for government subsidies.

Quantifiable outcome

• 集团的連結売上高を5億円→60億円超へ拡大（直近2年）
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 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.

• 株式会社デジライズcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 18 November 2025AI导入·活用支援プログラム『法人リスキリング®️』の展開するDigiRiseとパートナーシップ契約を締結。『M&A×AI』『HR×AI』で未来志向の中小企业支援を実現。投资先だけでなく、広くAI导入を通じた生産性向上や人材不足に悩む企业の課題解决を積極的に支援してまし，客户へのAI导用支援サービス提供で協調。

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves11 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Robert Walters Japan: Specialist professional recruitment firm focused on mid-to-senior level roles across IT, consulting, finance, and sales. Directly comparable to unlock.ly Agent — several unlock.ly consultants are former Robert Walters hires, indicating near-identical service positioning.
• M&A Capital Partners: Japan-focused SME M&A advisory firm offering sell-side, buy-side, and consulting services. Closely comparable to unlock.ly's M&A consulting and succession investment pillars, competing for the same SME owner-manager relationships.
• en world Japan: Mid-to-senior level bilingual talent recruitment agency specializing in consulting, IT, and finance. Direct competitor to unlock.ly Agent for high-salary Japanese and bilingual placements, with overlapping target customer base.
• Strike Co., Ltd. Specialist SME M&A intermediary and brokerage in Japan. Direct competitor in succession-focused M&A advisory, serving the same owner-manager target segment with similar buy-side and sell-side mandates.
• Nihon M&A Center: Japan's dominant SME succession and M&A advisory broker, handling thousands of deals annually. Directly comparable to unlock.ly's M&A consulting and succession investment businesses, serving the same SME owner-manager segment with similar buy-side and sell-side services.

Broad incumbents

• Randstad Japan: Global staffing and HR services leader operating across Japan in placement, RPO, and talent solutions. Adjacent incumbent competing with unlock.ly RPO for outsourced recruitment contracts at mid-market and enterprise clients.
• Recruit Holdings: Japan's largest HR services platform spanning placement, RPO, recruitment media, and HR tech. Operates broadly across the entire HR stack, dwarfing unlock.ly's Agent and RPO businesses; an incumbent whose scale and data assets set competitive benchmarks.
• Korn Ferry: Global executive search and organizational consulting firm with significant Japan presence. Comparable to unlock.ly Agent at the senior/leadership tier and adjacent to the M&A consulting practice; broader portfolio beyond niche SME succession.

Emerging players

• Linc'well: Japan-focused digital HR platform offering recruitment media, RPO-style services, and HR tech tools. Comparable emerging player bringing tech-enabled approaches to the same SME and mid-market HR buyer segment unlock.ly targets.
• Visional (ビズリーチ): Operator of BizReach, Japan's leading online platform for direct recruitment of high-class talent. Comparable tech-enabled competitor to unlock.ly Agent for mid-to-senior executive and professional placements via a marketplace model.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unlock-ly

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 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 unlock.ly, Inc.