Smout

What Smout does

Smout (スマウト) is a regional connection platform operated by KAYAC Inc., a privately held Japanese creative and technology company headquartered in Kamakura, Kanagawa. Founded in 2018 and accessible at smout.jp, the platform connects individuals interested in regional living, relocation, and rural work with local governments, regional companies, NPOs, and communities across Japan. As of March 2025, the platform reported 70,000+ registered users, 1,100+ registered regions covering all 47 Japanese prefectures plus international locations, 16,533 project listings, and 63,194 cumulative user-region connections.

The core product is a web-based two-sided marketplace with four functional components: a Scout function enabling regional entities to proactively search and message interested users; a project posting feature for jobs, events, experiences, and reading content; a bidirectional messaging system; and a dashboard with analytics and relationship-tracking tools for regional organizations. Content is organized into three categories — Work (including regional coordinator / 地域おこし協力隊 positions), Events and Experiences (tours, trial stays, working holiday programs), and Reading content (migration reports and area introductions). No API, SDK, mobile app, or disclosed AI/ML capabilities exist in the product surface.

The business model is a hybrid B2B/B2C marketplace. Individuals register for free; regional entities pay a tiered subscription — Trial Starter (free), Economy (¥22,000/month, up to 3 projects, 5 scouts/month), and Premium (¥88,000/month with a ¥110,000 initial fee, unlimited projects and scouts) — with additional revenue from event and project sponsorship. GTM is community-led, with content marketing (Smout Lab, Migration Award), migration fairs and events (THE いわて DAY 2026, Ki Peninsula tour), Instagram, SEO, and direct sales to municipalities. Notable customers include municipal governments in Hyogo, Niigata, Hokkaido, Nagano, and Iwate prefectures, plus the NPO Takatamusha; in 2025 Smout also announced partnerships with 10 regional companies including Nakagawa Masasachi Shoten and Fisherman Services Corporation, and was commissioned by Japan's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications for coordinator recruitment PR.

Name

Smout

Legal name

株式会社カヤック

Website

https://smout.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Premium Subscription Plans: Three-tier subscription model for regional entities (municipalities, companies, organizations): Starter (free trial), Economy (¥22,000/month), and Premium (¥55,000/month). Premium tier includes unlimited project postings, increased scout limits, and priority support.
2. Event and Project Sponsorship: Facilitates sponsored content and featured placements for regional entities promoting migration events and initiatives

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Smout operates a two-sided web platform that connects individuals interested in regional relocation or rural lifestyle in Japan with local municipalities, companies, NPOs, and communities. Individuals register for free and receive proactive scout messages from regional entities, while regional actors post projects (jobs, events, trial stays, articles) and use dashboard tools to manage outreach. The platform monetizes primarily through tiered subscription plans (Starter free trial, Economy ¥22,000/month, Premium ¥55,000/month) sold to regional entities seeking unlimited project posting and scouting capabilities.

Product overview

Smout (SMOUT) is a regional connection platform that operates as a unified platform connecting Japanese regional governments, businesses, and communities with individuals seeking relocation, work, or lifestyle engagement opportunities in rural areas. The platform consists of the core SMOUT Platform with integrated features including Project Posting, Messaging System, Dashboard Analytics, and Scouting Function. The company offers three subscription tiers: Trial Starter Plan (free), Economy Plan (¥22,000/month), and Premium Plan (¥55,000/month). Content on the platform is organized into three main categories: Work projects (including regional recruitment and 地域おこし協力隊 positions), Events and Experiences (tours, workshops, trial stays, ふるさとワーキングホリデー programs), and Reading content (migration reports and area introductions). The platform supports user engagement through interest expressions ('興味ある' button) and direct application ('応募したい') functionality.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SMOUT Platform A two-sided web platform connecting individuals interested in relocation, regional work, or rural engagement with Japanese local governments, businesses, NPOs, and communities. Individuals register for free, browse projects (work, events/experiences, articles), and receive proactive scout messages from regional entities. Regional entities post projects and use dashboard tools for outreach.

Quantifiable outcome

• Platform has facilitated 63,194+ user-region connections
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 中川政七商店coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2025Business collaboration in 'migration recruitment' field. Nakagawa Masasachi Shoten, a traditional Japanese crafts company, partners with Smout to help attract talent to regional areas where they operate.
• フィッシャーマン・サービス株式会社coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2025Business collaboration in 'migration recruitment' field. Fisherman Services Corporation collaborates with Smout for regional talent acquisition support.
• 10 Companies Partnership for Migration RecruitmentcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025Smout announced partnerships with 10 companies including Nakagawa Masasachi Shoten and Fisherman Services Corporation in the 'migration recruitment' (移住採用) field. This is part of Smout's B2B strategy to help more companies engage in regional talent recruitment.
• 紀伊半島3県 (Mie, Nara, Wakayama)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmout was commissioned by the Ki Peninsula Migration Promotion Executive Committee to create the 'Ki Peninsula NEW ReLATION Program' - a 7-day tour program for people interested in regional work/life in the three prefectures.
• 総務省 (Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSmout was commissioned by the Ministry for 'Strategic Public Relations for Regional Revitalization Coordinators' (地域おこし協力隊の戦略的広報). Smout combines its platform expertise with creative content production to increase applications for regional coordinator positions nationwide.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Indeed Japan: Indeed is the dominant job search engine in Japan, including a large inventory of regional roles. Comparable as a discovery layer for jobs and regional employers, though its mode is passive search and aggregation rather than Smout's active scouting.
• Mynavi (MyNavi): Mynavi is a major Japanese job/recruitment media group operating across several matching products (new-grad, mid-career, regional). Comparable to Smout as a Japanese talent-matching provider with regional job listings, though Mynavi's footprint and orientation skew mainstream corporate rather than community-driven.
• BizReach: BizReach operates one of Japan's largest direct-scout job-matching platforms, where employers proactively message candidates. Directly comparable to Smout in the proactive-scout mechanic, though BizReach focuses on executive/white-collar roles rather than regional community roles.
• en world (en-japan): en-japan operates multiple Japanese job-matching platforms (en 転職, etc.) at significantly broader scale than Smout. Comparable as a Japanese two-sided talent marketplace, though en's focus skews more corporate/urban than Smout's regional community orientation.

Direct peers

• Wantedly: Wantedly is a Japanese talent-matching platform using story-driven profiles and direct messaging between candidates and employers. Comparable to Smout in core matching-mechanism logic — companies proactively reaching candidates — though its target users skew urban white-collar.
• WWOOF Japan: WWOOF Japan matches volunteers with organic host farms across Japan for short- and long-term stays. Directly comparable to Smout because it serves the same low-commitment pathway into rural Japan and operates a two-sided matching model connecting motivated individuals with regional hosts.
• Workaway: Workaway is a global platform connecting travelers with hosts for work-stay exchanges. Highly comparable to Smout in the dual-direction matching model and 'try-before-you-commit' engagement philosophy that lowers barriers between interested individuals and regional hosts.
• Green (green-japan.com): Green is a Japanese job-matching platform focused on social-good, sustainability, and regional employers. Comparable to Smout in operating a B2B two-sided talent-matching platform in Japan, with overlap in regional employers and lifestyle-oriented job seekers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/smout_official
• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://smout.jp
• Xx.com/smoutjp

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 Smout