What Zenshin does

Zenshin (株式会社ゼンシン) is a Sendai-headquartered, privately held social welfare and sports education operator founded in August 1996. The company runs a two-pillar business: (1) disability welfare services — including after-school daycare (放課後等デイサービス), child developmental support (児童発達支援), and Type B employment support (就労継続支援B型) — delivered through approximately 13 facilities across Miyagi, Yamagata, Iwate, Okinawa, and Hokkaido prefectures, and (2) the Avanzare Junior Soccer Club (アバンツァーレジュニアサッカークラブ), a youth soccer school in Yamagata founded in 1999 with nine national tournament appearances. The disability welfare programs are anchored on the proprietary Soccer Support Program® (サッカー支援プログラム®), a trademarked (registration #6649392, December 2022) rehabilitation methodology that uses soccer activities to promote motor and social development in children with disabilities; it was developed with advisory support from Tohoku University Professor Emeritus Kazuo Hongo and has generated peer-presented research at the Japan Society for Developmental Support covering 211 service users.

The company's revenue model is primarily recurring, anchored on Japanese public welfare insurance reimbursements from municipal governments for after-school daycare, child developmental support, and Type B employment services, plus monthly tuition from the youth soccer school. Distribution is a hybrid of direct service delivery at company-operated facilities and a newly launched franchise channel — the first franchise location (Avanzare Sports Miyagi Furukawa) opened in June 2025. Zenshin is actively expanding the addressable surface through the upcoming July 2026 opening of a home-visit nursing station (Sorte Yabuki / 訪問看護ステーション ソルチ矢巾) in Iwate Prefecture, which extends the company into medical care delivery. Go-to-market is community-led and direct-to-consumer: families access welfare services through municipal welfare systems, soccer enrollments are direct, and customer acquisition is driven by word-of-mouth, parent communities, school referrals, Instagram activity posts, and earned media coverage in local outlets (Yamagata Shimbun, Kahoku Shimbun, Nikkei, Miyagi TV). Sub-brands include Avanzare Sports, Terra Grassa, Avanzare Play, and the Sorte nursing station.

Customer segments are three vertical groups: (i) children aged 6–18 with developmental or intellectual disabilities (primary), (ii) adults with disabilities served via Type B employment support (primary), and (iii) preschool and elementary-school children in the soccer school (secondary). The company employs 100+ people as of June 2026, is capitalized at ¥10 million, and operates without disclosed external institutional investors, with founder Tadashi Maeda (前田忠曉) as representative director since inception and Masahito Tanifuji joining as director in October 2022.

Name

Zenshin

Legal name

株式会社ゼンシン

Website

https://zenshin-tm.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Zenshin is a Sendai-based private welfare and sports education operator that delivers disability after-school daycare, Type B employment support, and a youth soccer school across 13 facilities in 5 Japanese prefectures, anchored on its trademarked Soccer Support Program® rehabilitation methodology.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Disability Welfare Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Vocational Rehabilitation Services (62431), Child and Youth Services (62411), Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Disability Services & Assistive Solutions (Accessibility, Assistive Tech) (BPAGALAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGAEAG)

Keywords

• Disability welfare services
• After-school daycare
• Soccer coaching
• Employment support
• Child development

Headquarters

HQ city

Sendai

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Disability Welfare Services (Social Welfare): Government-subsidized welfare services including after-school daycare (放課後等デイサービス), children's developmental support (児童発達支援), and Type B employment support (就労継続支援B型). Revenue is generated through welfare service fees reimbursed by municipal governments under Japan's welfare insurance system.
2. Soccer School Operations: Junior soccer school (サッカースクール) operations for children aged preschool through elementary school. Revenue generated through monthly tuition fees from enrolled families.
3. Visiting Nursing Services: Home-visit nursing station (訪問看護ステーション) providing medical care services at patients' homes. Opening July 2026 in Iwate prefecture, integrating with existing welfare services.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Zenshin operates disability welfare services (after-school daycare, child development support, and Type B employment support for persons with disabilities) and youth soccer schools in Japan. The company combines its proprietary Soccer Support Program® (soccer-based rehabilitation) with welfare services across 13 facilities in Miyagi, Yamagata, Iwate, Okinawa, and Hokkaido prefectures, serving children and adults with disabilities as well as typically developing youth.

Product overview

Zenshin operates a portfolio of social welfare and sports education services. The core offerings include: (1) アバンツァーレスポーツ - disability child welfare services using the proprietary サッカー支援プログラム® soccer-based rehabilitation program across 13 locations; (2) テラグラッサ - Type B employment support services for persons with disabilities providing vocational training through coffee roasting, agriculture, and manufacturing; (3) アバンツァーレジュニアサッカークラブ - youth soccer schools; and (4) 訪問看護ステーション ソルチ矢巾 - home visiting nursing services. The company also operates アバンツァーレプレイ (play-based daycare) and various product businesses (coffee sales, handmade accessories) that support employment outcomes for disabled individuals. The portfolio is structured around using sports (soccer) and vocational activities as tools for social inclusion and independence.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• サッカー支援プログラム®: 放課後等デイサービス・アバンツァーレスポーツが実践する支援プログラム。スポーツ・サッカーを通じて障がいのある孩子们的運動発達と社会性発達を促進する目的を持つ。
• Terra Grassa (テラグラッサ)
• アバンツァーレ

Products and services

• Avanzare Sports (アバンツァーレスポーツ) Disability welfare service (after-school daycare and child development support) providing soccer-based rehabilitation programs for children with disabilities aged 6-18. Operates 13 facilities across Miyagi, Yamagata, Okinawa, Iwate, and Hokkaido prefectures.
• Avanzare Junior Soccer Club (アバンツァーレジュニアサッカークラブ) Youth soccer school for children aged 3-12 in Yamagata City with dedicated training facilities. Founded 1999 with 9 national tournament appearances. Emphasizes character development alongside technical skills.
• Terragrassa (テラグラッサ) Type B employment support service for persons with disabilities, providing job training through coffee roasting, agriculture (grape and perilla cultivation), toy production, cleaning, and vending machine management. Also offers home-based work options. Operates in Natori City Miyagi and Ebetsu City Hokkaido.
• Avanzare Play (アバンツァーレプレイ) After-school daycare service with play and learning concept for children with disabilities. Offers indoor activities including seasonal crafts and cooking alongside the Soccer Support Program® methodology, providing a safe environment for elementary school children and preschoolers regardless of gender.
• Sorte Yabuki Visiting Nursing Station (訪問看護ステーション ソルチ矢巾) Home visiting nursing station providing medical care at home including medication administration, injections, IV drips, and nursing-related services, coordinated with welfare services for seamless care covering living, growth, and employment support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Correlation between Soccer Support Program use frequency and improved motor and social development scores in children with disabilities (211 children studied, research presented at Japan Society for Developmental Support)

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 株式会社みんなのみらい計画 (Minna no Mirai Keikaku Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2024Business partnership for expanding social welfare services and creating new support programs for children and people with disabilities. Collaboration focuses on developing innovative approaches to disability welfare and employment support.
• 一般社団法人は青少年ワークサポートセンター広島 (General Incorporated Association Youth Work Support Center Hiroshima)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 December 2022Business partnership for cooperation in youth support and disability employment services. The partner organization specializes in support for young people at risk of social withdrawal, providing life training, employment transition support, and Type B employment services. Both companies collaborate on seminars and events related to youth employment and social participation.
• AFL発達支援研究所 / 本郷一夫氏 (AFL Development Support Research Institute / Professor Emeritus Kazuo Hongo)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2020Advisory partnership with Professor Kazuo Hongo, former Tohoku University Professor Emeritus specializing in developmental psychology. Professor Hongo provides guidance, cooperation, and review for development of rehabilitation programs at the company's after-school daycare services. His expertise in developmental psychology supports evidence-based program development.
• 尚絅学院大学 (Shokei Gakuin University)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2019Mutual cooperation and collaboration agreement covering education and human resource development, academic research, regional tourism and industry promotion, and regional community activation. The partnership supports research collaboration and student internship programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Aoyamakai (青山会): Social welfare corporation operating multiple disability service facilities across Japan, including employment support and after-school programs. Comparable to Zenshin as a multi-facility disability services provider with a similar service mix, though without the differentiated sports-based rehabilitation methodology.
• Riei Gakuen (類央会): Regional social welfare corporation operating multiple disability service facilities including child and adult programs. Comparable to Zenshin as a multi-facility welfare operator with a similar mix of disability services across child and adult populations, though operating primarily in a specific regional territory.

Direct peers

• LITALICO: Listed Japanese welfare services platform operating LITALICO Junior for child developmental support and after-school daycare, and LITALICO Work for adult employment support. Comparable to Zenshin as the largest direct competitor in Japan's disability welfare services sector with overlapping service lines across children, adults, and employment support.
• Kids Public: Tokyo-based pediatric healthcare and developmental support company operating 発達支援 and 放課後等デイサービス facilities alongside online pediatric consultations. Comparable to Zenshin for its focus on child developmental support services and after-school daycare for children with disabilities.

Emerging players

• Welby: Japanese welfare and healthcare platform providing digital tools and services related to disability and chronic-condition management. Comparable to Zenshin as a Japanese company building technology-enabled services for the welfare sector, though with a more digitally-focused delivery model.
• Wonder Art Productions: Japanese welfare social enterprise combining disability services with creative-industry programs (art, design, performance). Comparable to Zenshin as a Japanese welfare social enterprise building innovative programs for people with disabilities while operating a hybrid social/commercial model.

Broad incumbents

• Nichii Gakkan: Large Japanese company providing childcare, welfare, and healthcare services with national presence under the ニチイ brand. Comparable to Zenshin as a broad incumbent operating both childcare and disability welfare services, though at a much larger corporate scale.
• Sompo Care: Subsidiary of Sompo Holdings and one of Japan's largest welfare operators providing elderly care, disability services, and child welfare across the country. Comparable to Zenshin as a broad incumbent in the Japanese welfare sector with overlapping service lines and substantially larger national scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/avanzare_sports
• Facebookfacebook.com/zenshin.corporate

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Zenshin