Maaap

What Maaap does

株式会社Maaap is a privately held Japanese M&A intermediary founded in June 2007 (originally as 株式会社エスネッツ, rebranded to Maaap in November 2020) and headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company operates a three-pronged M&A business targeting Japan's small and mid-market segment: (1) the Maaap matching platform at maaap.net, which connects SME buyers and sellers for direct anonymous negotiation with no upfront, milestone, or consultation fees and an average deal timeline of roughly three months; (2) traditional M&A brokerage and financial advisory (FA) services covering intermediary and sell-side/buy-side engagements for succession-driven exits and strategic acquisitions; and (3) a white-label OEM platform program priced at ¥1,000,000 initial setup plus ¥100,000/month that licenses the matching technology to accounting firms, law offices, and other organizations entering M&A intermediation. Underlying technology consists of the buyer-seller matching platform with anonymous messaging, an OEM-customizable front-end (image replacement and configuration), and legacy infrastructure including an MVNO calling app built on SoftBank Telecom's 0570 number service and patented ComDesk (TEL FORCE) CTI system.

The business model is transaction- and licensing-led. The core Maaap platform charges transaction fees only to buyers upon successful deal closure, with free seller registration; traditional M&A engagements generate transaction-based success fees (e.g., ¥150M on a representative ¥1B deal); the OEM program produces recurring license revenue; and legacy service lines — CFO support/cost reduction consulting, SEO/EFO/website production, the MVNO discount calling app, MAXHUB interactive display rentals, LED lighting rental, offshore development/BPO via Vietnam, and digital signage — contribute supplementary professional-services and usage-based revenue. Distribution is sales-led direct engagement plus a self-service online platform, supplemented by event-driven marketing (AI Storm Special Seminar, MAfolova Festival 2026), partnership referrals from accounting and law firms, and app-store distribution for the consumer telecom app.

The company's primary customers are Japanese SME owners facing business succession challenges and SME/corporate buyers seeking acquisition targets, with secondary customer groups comprising platform OEM partners and corporate clients seeking cost-reduction consulting. Maaap is registered as a private support organization under Japan's M&A Support Organization Registration System administered by METI and has formally declared compliance with the SME M&A Guidelines (3rd Edition, August 2024). Representative Director 薛 仁興 (Sou Ahn) is a former CFO/COO of GMO Magclick (subsequently GMO Internet Group) and previously the youngest-ever listed-company CFO in Japan at age 26.

Name

Maaap

Legal name

株式会社Maaap

Website

https://maaap.info

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Maaap is a Japanese M&A intermediary operating a buyer-seller matching platform, traditional brokerage/FA services, and a white-label OEM platform for accounting and law firms, serving SMEs facing succession-driven exits and corporate/investor buyers in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

M&A Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAOAK

Valuation & Purchase Price Allocation (Deal Valuation)

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/M&A, Transaction & Restructuring Advisory

Keywords

• M&A advisory services
• M&A matching platform
• Business succession brokerage
• White-label platform licensing
• Corporate cost reduction

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory/Brokerage Fees: Traditional M&A intermediary and financial advisory services charging transaction-based fees. Covers both intermediary (両当事者と契約) and sell-side/buy-side FA engagements. Fee structure includes success-based components, with published fee schedule available.
2. Maaap Matching Platform (Buyer-Side Fees): M&A matching platform charging transaction fees only from buyers upon successful deal completion. Sellers access the platform for free. No consultation fees, upfront fees, or milestone fees charged, reducing customer risk.
3. OEM Platform Licensing: White-label licensing of M&A matching platform software to third parties (companies entering M&A intermediary business). Initial setup fee of ¥1,000,000 plus ¥100,000/month recurring license fee for 1-year renewable contracts.
4. CFO Support Services: Cost reduction consulting and CFO support services provided to businesses, including telecom cost optimization, LED lighting rental, office equipment, travel expense management, and other operational cost reduction services.
5. MVNO Telecom App Revenue: Discounted calling app generating revenue through carrier billing settlement with SoftBank, NTT docomo, and au carriers. Call rates approximately 40% below major carrier standards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Maaap provides M&A brokerage and advisory services for Japanese SMEs through a proprietary matching platform that connects business sellers and buyers for direct negotiation and transaction execution, with average closure time of approximately 3 months. Beyond the matching platform, the company offers traditional sell-side and buy-side financial advisory (FA) intermediary engagements, a white-label OEM platform program for partners entering M&A brokerage, and CFO support and business cost-reduction consulting covering telecom, utilities, lighting, and operational expenses.

Product overview

Maaap is primarily an M&A brokerage company operating three interconnected service lines: (1) Core M&A services including the Maaap matching platform, traditional M&A brokerage/FA services, and OEM platform licensing; (2) Internet consulting services encompassing SEO, EFO, website/app development, and CMS-based marketing tools; and (3) Cost reduction consulting including CFO support services, LED lighting, utilities management, and office solutions. The company previously operated MVNO discount phone services and various digital marketing tools.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Maaap M&A Matching Platform Digital matching platform at maaap.net connecting Japanese SME M&A buyers and sellers for direct negotiation and deal execution, with average closing time of approximately 3 months. Provides free listing for sellers, anonymous messaging, email alerts for matching listings, and advisor support on completion. Transaction fees are charged only to buyers upon successful deal completion.
• M&A Brokerage / Financial Advisory (FA) Services Traditional M&A intermediary and financial advisory services covering both intermediary (両当事者と契約) and sell-side/buy-side financial advisory engagements, with transaction-based fees and a published fee schedule. Includes deal structuring, valuation, negotiation support, and due diligence coordination across industries such as hospitality, healthcare technology, telecommunications, food & beverage, and D2C.
• Maaap M&A Matching Platform OEM Program White-label M&A matching platform licensing program enabling partners to launch M&A intermediary services under their own brand. Includes environment configuration and image replacement setup (¥1,000,000 initial fee), recurring license with server hosting and service monitoring (¥100,000/month), and 1-year renewable contracts.
• CFO Support and Business Cost Reduction Consulting Comprehensive CFO support and cost-reduction consulting covering telecom, electricity, LED lighting rental, MAXHUB interactive display rental, printing, travel, rent negotiation, and broader operational expense optimization for Japanese corporate clients, priced at ¥20,000/month.
• Cheaper Call App (格安電話) Mobile discount phone app leveraging SoftBank Telecom's 0570 number service for outbound calls at approximately 40% lower rates than major carriers (≈¥23/min vs ¥40/min standard). No registration required; carrier billing through SoftBank, NTT docomo, and au. Reached 50,000 downloads within 1 month of the December 2014 relaunch.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average transaction time of 3 months
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• AI Storm Corporation (株式会社AIストーム, Securities Code: 3719)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 June 2026Business alliance formed June 16, 2026 combining Maaap's M&A expertise with AI Storm's AI/DX capabilities. Includes establishment of M&A Promotion Office within AI Storm, joint M&A advisory services targeting AI and IT sector companies, and cross-selling to mutual customer bases. AI Storm to launch AI-Storm M&A matching platform (https://ai-storm-ma.com/) with Maaap providing advisory support and information services.
• Espoir Corporation (株式会社エスポア, Securities Code: 3260)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 July 2025Collaboration announced July 15, 2025 for business development purposes. Details of collaboration scope not publicly specified.
• Business Succession Support Center (事業引継ぎ支援センター)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial government-registered support organization partner for SME business succession and M&A transactions. Maaap is registered as a private support organization under this system.
• SoftBank Telecom Corporation (ソフトバンクテレコム株式会社)coreTechnology or IntegrationTechnology partnership for MVNO discounted calling service using SoftBank Telecom's 0570 number service (アドコール). Enables cheaper call app to route calls through SoftBank's telephone network, providing clear call quality without packet-based degradation.
• SoftBank Corporation (ソフトバンク株式会社)coreTechnology or IntegrationCarrier partnership for cheaper call app allowing carrier billing payment through SoftBank, NTT docomo, and au subscriptions.
• Japan Human Capital Corporation (日本ヒューマンキャピタル株式会社)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-organizer of the AI Storm Special Seminar on M&A fundamentals and market trends held June 16, 2026.
• Mafolova / Meinan M&A Corporation (マフォロバ株式会社・名南M&A株式会社)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCo-hosts MAfolova Festival 2026 industry event where Maaap's representative speaks on matching platform utilization strategies.
• MAXHUB Japan (Maxhub Mayass)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDistributor partnership for MAXHUB all-in-one interactive display boards. Maaap promotes and sells MAXHUB products as part of cost reduction consulting services.
• GMO Internet Group (GMOインターネットグループ株式会社)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFormer employer of CEO Xue Renxing; current referral and ecosystem partner. Maaap offers GMO Shift Manager (employee mynumber/shift management) as part of business services.
• Mobile Factory Inc. (株式会社モバイルファクトリー)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for discounted call app white-label brand 'KakeMax' (カケマックス) released October 2015.
• Fullcast Holdings (株式会社フルキャストホールディングス)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for discounted call app white-label brand 'Cheaper Call F' released June 2015.
• Selvantics (株式会社セレブリックス)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner for discounted call app white-label brand 'Cheaper Call CX' released March 2015.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves12 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Mafolova (Meinan M&A): Mid-sized Japanese M&A intermediary that co-hosts the MAfolova Festival where Maaap's CEO speaks. A regional/smaller-scale direct competitor serving overlapping SME succession and corporate M&A clients.
• Batonz: SME M&A matching marketplace in Japan enabling direct buyer-seller connections, often used for smaller succession deals. Comparable to Maaap's free-listing, success-fee matching approach for the lower end of the SME M&A market.
• Nihon M&A Center: Japan's dominant SME-focused M&A intermediary with the largest deal volume in the segment. Directly competes with Maaap for the same succession-driven SME seller base, using a comparable success-fee model and registered intermediary status.
• M&A Research Institute: Tech-enabled Japanese M&A intermediary targeting SMEs with a digital matching-and-advisory model. Closely comparable to Maaap in offering a platform-augmented intermediary service and is a direct competitor for SME succession mandates.
• M&A Capital Partners: TSE-listed M&A advisory firm specializing in Japanese SME succession and growth M&A. Competes head-to-head with Maaap for the same seller and buyer segments and shares the transaction-based fee model.
• M&A Cloud: Digital M&A matching platform for Japanese SMEs, combining an online marketplace with advisory support. Mirrors Maaap's matching-platform-plus-advisor hybrid model and targets the same SME succession market.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Tohmatsu (M&A Services): Big-4 firm providing end-to-end M&A advisory, integration, and valuation services to Japanese corporates and cross-border transactions. Competes for higher-value M&A mandates where Maaap is not positioned.
• KPMG Japan (Deal Advisory): Big-4 advisory practice offering M&A advisory, due diligence, and valuation services to mid- and large-cap corporates in Japan. Represents a broader incumbent competitor for larger mandates that Maaap's SME-focused platform cannot serve.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookm.facebook.com/maaap.net

Compliance2 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 Maaap