Early Cross

What Early Cross does

Early Cross Co., Ltd. (株式会社アーリークロス) is a Fukuoka-headquartered specialist firm providing corporate defined contribution (DC) pension plan implementation support and ongoing investment education to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across Japan. Founded in December 2016 by Hanashiro Masaya, the company operates through offices in Fukuoka (headquarters, relocated April 2025), Osaka (opened July 2025), and Tokyo (opened September 2025). Its core service covers end-to-end DC plan deployment — from regulatory filing with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, through plan design, to post-launch employee investment education and account management — delivered via a partner-led channel of approximately 180 accounting firms plus regional financial institutions. Early Cross is registered as a DC pension plan administrative organization (No. 821) since August 2025, co-managing the SBI JPERS Pension Plan with SBI Benefit Systems, and since May 2026 holds an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) registration affiliated with Iizawa Securities for broader asset formation services.

The company's revenue model combines one-time implementation consulting fees with recurring monthly service fees under multi-year contracts, supplemented by newly launched IFA subscription services for corporate and individual wealth management. Customer acquisition is primarily channel-driven: partner accounting firms, regional banks and credit unions (e.g., Miyazaki Taiyo Bank, Koza Shinkin Bank), tax advisors, and administrative scriveners refer SME clients. Direct enterprise sales, online seminars, and content marketing (notably a 20,000-copy bestselling book and active social media channels) drive top-of-funnel demand. Target customers are SMEs subject to Japan's employees' pension insurance — an addressable market of roughly 2.79 million establishments, of which only ~2.1% (approximately 58,326 establishments) had implemented DC plans as of March 2025, leaving substantial penetration runway. Early Cross has accumulated 700+ corporate DC plan introductions since 2021 and received DC Excellent Company dual certification in 2026, including the governance category held by only 34 firms nationally.

Name

Early Cross

Legal name

株式会社アーリークロス

Website

https://early-cross.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Early Cross provides corporate defined contribution (DC) pension plan implementation, investment education, and ongoing administration services to small and medium-sized enterprises across Japan, delivered via a partner network of accounting firms and regional banks.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Corporate Defined Contribution Pension Consulting

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Pension Funds (52511), Agencies, Brokerages, and Other Insurance Related Activities (5242)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEABAE

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Wealth & Retirement Advisory

SECONDARYFSAAANAC

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services

Financial & Insurance/Asset & Wealth Management/Trust & Fiduciary Services (Trust Companies, Estate & Custody Trusts)

Keywords

• Corporate pension consulting
• Defined contribution plans
• SME retirement benefits
• Investment education services
• Financial product intermediation

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DC Plan Implementation Consulting: One-time implementation fee for DC plan design, administrative procedure support, and system launch. Fee structure depends on plan design complexity and number of enrolled employees. Recurring monthly service fee covers ongoing investment education, account management, and operational support.
2. DC Plan Administration (運営管理業務): As a registered DC plan administrator (登録番号821), provides ongoing plan operation management including investment product selection, information provision, and record-keeping services for the SBI JPERS Pension Plan.
3. IFA (金融商品仲介業) Services: Registered financial product intermediary (IFA) as of 2026-05-18 (Registration: Fukuoka Regional Finance Bureau Director (金仲) No.139), affiliated with Iizawa Securities. Provides asset management support for corporations and individual wealth management for executives and employees.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Early Cross provides one-stop consulting, implementation, and administration of corporate-type Defined Contribution (企業型DC) pension plans for Japanese SMEs, handling plan design, regulatory application procedures to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and ongoing employee investment education. It also co-manages the multi-employer SBI JPERS Pension Plan (registration no. 821) and offers Integrated Financial Product Intermediation (IFA) services for corporate executives and individuals through Iizawa Securities.

Product overview

株式会社アーリークロスは、中小企業向け企業型確定拠出年金（企業型DC）の導入支援をコアサービスとして提供する専門企業。主要製品として、制度設計から申請手続き、投资教育、導入後サポートまでワンストップで提供する「企業型DC導入支援サービス」と、SBIベネフィット・システムズと共同運営管理機関として提供する「SBI JPERS年金プラン」を展開。導入企業向けの「投資教育サービス」や2026年に登録完了した「金融商品仲介業（IFA）」など、資産形成支援のポートフォリオを拡充している。

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Corporate DC Pension Implementation Support Service (企業型確定拠出年金導入支援サービス) One-stop consulting, design, application, and ongoing administration service for SMEs introducing corporate-type Defined Contribution pension plans in Japan; covers plan design, regulatory application procedures to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and post-launch investment education. Priced via custom implementation fee plus recurring monthly service fee.
• SBI JPERS Pension Plan (SBI JPERS年金プラン) Multi-employer collective corporate DC pension plan co-managed with SBI Benefit Systems under Early Cross's MHLW registration no. 821; designed to be accessible to small establishments and sole proprietors with a low-cost index product lineup.
• Integrated Financial Product Intermediation (IFA) Services (金融商品仲介業サービス) IFA-registered advisory and intermediation service providing corporate financial-strengthening support for SMEs and individual asset-formation advisory for executives and employees, delivered through Iizawa Securities.

Quantifiable outcome

• CEO can potentially accumulate 50 million yen in retirement assets through optimized DC plan with full tax deductibility
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Iizawa Securities Co., Ltd. (アイザワ証券株式会社)coreTechnology or Integration · 18 May 2026IFA affiliation arrangement. Early Cross registered as financial product intermediary (IFA) under Iizawa Securities to provide corporate financial strengthening services and individual asset formation advisory within proper regulatory framework.
• Koza Shinkin Bank (コザ信用金庫)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 April 2026Business partnership to support Okinawa Prefecture SMEs with DC plan introductions. Koza Shinkin Bank, facing high employee turnover rates in the region, leverages its local trust network to distribute DC information to SME clients. Early Cross provides full implementation and ongoing financial education services.
• Miyazaki Taiyo Bank Co., Ltd. (株式会社宮崎太陽銀行)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 31 March 2026Business partnership to address retirement benefit gap for local SMEs in Miyazaki Prefecture by introducing corporate DC pension plans. Miyazaki Taiyo Bank leverages its local network and trust relationships with business owners; Early Cross handles system design, implementation support, and ongoing financial education for employees. Addresses the 'retirement benefit gap' where only 2.1% of establishments implement DC plans despite 98% of SMEs being subject to employee pension insurance.
• Aビスパ福岡 (Avispa Fukuoka)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 31 March 2026Official sponsor of J-League soccer club Avispa Fukuoka since 2021 (renewed 2025). Co-branding at matches; financial education events at stadium; joint 'money class' for youth academy players. Builds local community brand presence.
• Corporate Pension Union / J-FLEC (企業年金連合会 / 金融経済教育推進機構)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 February 2026Co-hosted seminar with Corporate Pension Union, City of Fukuoka, and J-FLEC on 'Financial Wellbeing and Employee/Corporate Value' featuring financial wellbeing expert Oe Kayo. Demonstrates social mission alignment and public institution credibility.
• Administrative Scrivener GOAL (、行政書士法人GOAL)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 7 January 2026Agency agreement enabling GOAL to provide DC plan introduction support to its existing client base of SMEs. Expands distribution through nationwide administrative scrivener network.
• NA Tax Co. (NA税理士法人)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 14 October 2025Business partnership for DC promotion among Tokyo (Ikebukuro)-based tax advisory clients. Combined tax advisory and DC implementation support.
• AND L Inc. (アンドエル株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2025Joint 'Wellbeing Package' offering combining Early Cross DC plan implementation and financial education services with AND L's corporate health management services (online medical consultations, counseling, pulse surveys, occupational health physician referrals).
• Best IT Tax Co. / 最高のIT税理士法人coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 September 2025Business partnership with Shizuoka-based ~60 employee accounting firm to co-promote DC plan adoption among SME clients. Combines tax/accounting advisory with DC implementation services.
• SBI Benefit Systems Co., Ltd. (SBIベネフィット・システムズ株式会社)coreTechnology or Integration · 6 August 2025Co-management of the 'SBI JPERS Pension Plan' (SBI JPERS年金プラン) — a multi-company collective DC pension plan. Early Cross serves as registered DC plan administrator (no. 821) and representative employer, managing investment product selection, information provision, and record-keeping. SBI Benefit Systems provides the plan infrastructure and investment platform.
• Money Forward Home Co., Ltd. (マネーフォワードホーム株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 August 2025Business partnership to integrate Early Cross DC plan support services with Money Forward ME personal finance management app. Enables employees to view DC pension assets alongside other financial accounts, supporting 'financial wellbeing' concept. Also includes investment from Money Forward Group.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Benefit One Inc. One of Japan's largest corporate employee benefit platforms, offering fringe benefits, welfare, and pension-related programs to SMEs and large corporates. Comparable in SME employee benefits distribution, but with a broader benefit portfolio beyond DC.
• Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank: Major Japanese trust bank offering DC plan administration, pension fund services, and asset management. Comparable in DC plan administration role to Early Cross's registered administrator function, though operating at institutional scale across all corporate tiers.
• Rakuten Securities: Major Japanese online brokerage operating a DC plan platform and broad retail investment services. Comparable in DC plan distribution and investment product intermediation, but at much larger retail scale and without Early Cross's SME consulting focus.
• Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Major Japanese securities group with DC plan platform and IFA-affiliated advisory services. Comparable in DC plan intermediation and investment product intermediation, though serving a broader retail and institutional customer base than Early Cross's SME focus.
• Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation: Japan's largest trust bank and a leading DC plan administrator (運営管理機関) serving corporate and individual customers nationwide. Comparable to Early Cross on the DC plan administration and record-keeping side, but at institutional scale and across all customer tiers.
• Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company, Limited: Major Japanese life insurer offering corporate pension, DC plan, and retirement benefit products. Comparable in retirement/pension services for Japanese corporates, but at institutional scale via insurance underwriting rather than consulting-led implementation.
• Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. Japan's largest securities firm with a DC plan platform and affiliated IFA services. Comparable in DC plan intermediation and investment education, though operating across all customer tiers at institutional scale.

Direct peers

• SBI Benefit Systems Co., Ltd. Operates multi-employer DC plan infrastructure including the SBI JPERS Pension Plan, which Early Cross co-manages. Direct peer in DC plan administration and platform delivery, but focused on infrastructure provision rather than SME-facing consulting and education.
• Money Design Co., Ltd. Robo-advisor and DC plan management firm (THEO, MEYA) combining digital investment advisory with iDeCo/DC services in Japan. Comparable as a tech-enabled DC plan and investment advisory operator, though focused more on individual investors than SME corporate implementation.

Emerging players

• WealthNavi Inc. Japan's leading robo-advisor for individual asset management, with growing overlap into DC-related advisory. Comparable in digital investment education and advisory, though focused on B2C mass-affluent investors rather than SME corporate implementation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/moneybook_ec
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@%E8%8A%B1%E5%9F%8E%E3%83%96%E3%83%A9%E3%82%B6%E3%83%BC%E3%82%BA
• Instagraminstagram.com/earlycross_fukuoka

Compliance4 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 Early Cross