OnBoard
OnBoard K.K. is a Tokyo-based executive search and training firm that matches Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with female outside directors and audit/supervisory board members, leveraging an AI-powered platform covering approximately 4,100 female executives sourced from securities reports.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded-
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What OnBoard does
OnBoard K.K. is a Tokyo-headquartered executive search and talent development firm founded in 2021 by lawyers Naomi Koshi (越直美) and Kaoru Matsuzawa (松澤香). The company specializes in matching Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with female outside directors, audit and supervisory board members, and audit and supervisory committee members. Its service portfolio combines a curated proprietary candidate pool of approximately 2,100 pre-screened female executives with structured training seminars, networking events, and an AI-powered search platform launched in December 2025. Both founders practice as outside directors at major Japanese listed companies (SoftBank Corp. and Plaid Inc. respectively), providing firsthand boardroom credibility that anchors the firm's positioning.
OnBoard firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- OnBoard
- Legal name
- OnBoard株式会社
- Website
- https://onboardkk.com
- Company type
- Private
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- OnBoard K.K. is a Tokyo-based executive search and training firm that matches Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with female outside directors and audit/supervisory board members, leveraging an AI-powered platform covering approximately 4,100 female executives sourced from securities reports.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
OnBoard industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Executive Search and Board Advisory Services
- NAICS
- Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro industry
- C-Suite & Board SearchFunctional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops)Executive & Leadership Direct Hire
Keywords
Where OnBoard is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
OnBoard business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Executive Matching/Recruitment Services: OnBoard matches companies seeking female outside directors and audit & supervisory board members with qualified candidates from its network. The company charges fees for this matching service, connecting businesses with lawyers, certified public accountants, and corporate executives.
- Seminars and Training Programs: OnBoard generates revenue through paid seminar programs for female outside director candidates and practicing executives. Multi-session annual seminar packages and individual session fees are charged, with additional fees for networking events. Annual packages range from 120,000 to 140,000 JPY, with individual sessions at 20,000 JPY each.
- AI Search Platform Subscriptions: The company offers a free basic tier for its AI-powered female executive search platform and a paid tier that enables AI-based free-text search capabilities, providing a freemium revenue model with conversion to paid subscriptions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | 女性社外役員のための企業価値向上セミナー 2026年度 (Full package) |
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | イントロダクションセミナー (Introduction Seminar) |
| Freemium | Monthly | 女性役員AIサーチ (Female Executive AI Search) |
| Subscription | Annual | 女性社外役員のための実践セミナー 2025年度 (Full package - prior year) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
OnBoard product offering
Product offeringCore offering
OnBoard K.K. matches Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with female outside directors, audit & supervisory board members, and audit & supervisory committee members drawn from its proprietary candidate pool of roughly 2,100 female executives. It complements this matching service with paid multi-session training seminars for aspiring and current female directors and "女性役員AIサーチ," Japan's first AI-powered platform for searching approximately 4,100 female executives sourced from securities reports. Co-founders personally screen candidates and consult on skill matrix alignment, compensation benchmarks, and governance best practices.
Product overview
OnBoard provides a comprehensive platform for female executive recruitment and development in Japan, consisting of three main offerings: (1) 女性役員AIサーチ (Female Officer AI Search) - an AI-powered search platform enabling companies to find and match with female executive candidates based on structured data and natural language queries; (2) Seminar services including イントロダクションセミナー (Introduction Seminars), 女性社外役員のための企業価値向上セミナー (Practical Seminars), and 企业様向け無料セミナー (Corporate Seminars) that train aspiring and existing female executives; and (3) Matching services that connect companies seeking female board members with qualified candidates, including lawyers, accountants, and business executives.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- 女性役員AIサーチ (Female Executive AI Search) AI-powered self-service search platform that lets companies find and screen female executive candidates (lawyers, CPAs, business operators) using structured filters and natural-language free-text search, backed by approximately 4,100 profiles sourced from Japanese securities reports filed between July 2024 and June 2025. Targets Japanese companies seeking female outside directors and audit & supervisory board members.
- マッチングサービス (Matching Service) Fee-based executive matching service that connects Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with qualified female outside directors, audit & supervisory board members, and audit & supervisory committee members, drawing on OnBoard's proprietary pool of approximately 2,100 pre-screened candidates. Includes needs assessment, candidate shortlisting, interview facilitation, and consultation on director compensation.
- 女性社外役員のための企業価値向上セミナー 2026年度 (Corporate Value Enhancement Seminar for Female Outside Officers 2026) Eight-session continuous paid training program (140,000 JPY for the full 2026 package, 120,000 JPY for the 2025 package; 20,000 JPY per individual session; 10,000 JPY networking add-on) for women who are or aspire to be outside directors and audit & supervisory board members. Covers legal/accounting fundamentals, governance, and practical boardroom skills.
Quantifiable outcome
- Trained and matched female executives to serve as outside directors at listed companies and startups through personalized introduction services.
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use OnBoard
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
OnBoard technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability6 records
Feature2 records
OnBoard partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- 第二東京弁護士会 (Second Tokyo Bar Association)coreOnBoard participates in the Second Tokyo Bar Association's Outside Director Candidate Seminar program, promoting female lawyers from the Bar's candidate directory to serve as outside directors. The partnership supports the Bar Association's diversity and gender equality initiatives by connecting member lawyers with corporate board opportunities.
- Japan Wire (共同通信社)minorOnBoard CEO Naomi Koshi's English-language article on US Supreme Court decision regarding Trump tariffs was published through Kyodo News' Japan Wire platform, extending her thought leadership reach to international audiences.
- 東京弁護士会 (Tokyo Bar Association)coreOnBoard has a partnership agreement with the Tokyo Bar Association for the provision of its female outside director candidate directory. The partnership enables OnBoard to access and promote female lawyers registered with the Tokyo Bar Association as potential outside director candidates, while the Bar Association benefits from OnBoard's matching services to increase female representation on corporate boards.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
OnBoard competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with a strong board and CEO practice in Japan and a well-known commitment to diversity in board placements. Competes directly with OnBoard in the Japanese outside director search market.
- Boyden: Global executive search firm with Japan operations and active board practice serving Japanese listed companies and multinationals. Competes with OnBoard for senior executive and director placements.
- Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm with one of the largest board practice operations in Japan, including dedicated CEO/board succession and director placement work. Spencer Stuart directly competes with OnBoard for C-suite and outside director mandates at Japanese listed companies.
- Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established Japan operations and a dedicated board and CEO practice. Directly comparable to OnBoard for executive and outside director search work in the Japanese market.
- Odgers Berndtson: Global executive search firm with Japan operations serving board and senior executive mandates. Comparable to OnBoard in the Japanese C-suite and outside director placement market.
- Stanton Chase: Global executive search firm with established Japan presence (Stanton Chase Japan) conducting board, CEO, and senior executive searches. Directly comparable to OnBoard's target market and service offering.
- Korn Ferry: Global executive search and talent consulting firm with a sizable Japan presence and active board services practice. Competes with OnBoard for executive and board-level search engagements at Japanese listed companies.
- DHR International: Global executive search firm with Japan coverage and active board practice. Directly competes with OnBoard for executive and board-level placements at Japanese companies.
- Egon Zehnder: Global executive search firm with a strong Japan office focused on board, CEO, and senior executive searches. Competes directly with OnBoard for Japanese outside director mandates.
Emerging players
- Robert Walters Japan: International professional recruitment firm with a Japan office that places senior professionals, including governance and legal roles. While not exclusively focused on outside director placement, it overlaps with OnBoard's market in placing senior corporate talent in Japan.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
OnBoard social profiles
Digital presenceOnBoard financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
OnBoard leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
OnBoard funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
OnBoard M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about OnBoard
What does OnBoard do?
OnBoard K.K. matches Japanese listed companies and pre-IPO startups with female outside directors, audit & supervisory board members, and audit & supervisory committee members drawn from its proprietary candidate pool of roughly 2,100 female executives. It complements this matching service with paid multi-session training seminars for aspiring and current female directors and "女性役員AIサーチ," Japan's first AI-powered platform for searching approximately 4,100 female executives sourced from securities reports. Co-founders personally screen candidates and consult on skill matrix alignment, compensation benchmarks, and governance best practices.
Is OnBoard a public or private company?
OnBoard is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was OnBoard founded?
OnBoard was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is OnBoard based?
OnBoard is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does OnBoard make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Executive Matching/Recruitment Services are the primary driver. The others are seminars and Training Programs and AI Search Platform Subscriptions.
Who are OnBoard's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Heidrick & Struggles, Boyden, Spencer Stuart, Russell Reynolds Associates, Odgers Berndtson, Stanton Chase, Korn Ferry, DHR International and Egon Zehnder. Robert Walters Japan is listed as an emerging player.
Does OnBoard have an API?
No public API is recorded for OnBoard.
What industry is OnBoard in?
OnBoard's product category is Executive Search and Board Advisory Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAAAA, C-Suite & Board Search, with a secondary code of BPACAAAB, Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops). Its NAICS code is 561312 and its SIC code is 7361.