ROLEUP

What ROLEUP does

ROLEUP is a Tokyo-headquartered, privately-held M&A advisory firm founded in September 2022 by Tatsuya Watanabe, a former Japan Private Equity director and Big4 FAS (PwC, Deloitte) professional. The firm targets Japan's underserved "mid-scale" M&A market — companies that are too large for small-cap brokerages but too small for bulge-bracket banks — and offers an end-to-end service stack spanning M&A advisory, financial/tax/legal/business due diligence, enterprise valuation (DCF, comparable, net-asset methods), PMI support, strategy and risk consulting, tax advisory, audit/AUP, and professional talent introduction. Service delivery is structured through three wholly-owned licensed subsidiaries — Roleup Tax Corporation (established Oct 2023), Roleup Administrative Solicitors Office (Nov 2024), and Roleup Audit Corporation (Nov 2025, focused on PE/LBO audit work) — enabling one-stop execution without external referral leakage. The firm operates two beta-stage digital platforms: the ROLEUP Platform (May 2024), which matches M&A professionals (CPAs, tax accountants, FA alumni) with project-based engagements, and the Professional Manager Platform (Nov 2024), which matches CEO/COO/CFO candidates with SMEs facing succession gaps.

Revenue mechanics are primarily transaction-based (M&A success fees and project-based DD fees, with disclosed DD engagement pricing from JPY 3M to JPY 7M) layered onto retainer and per-engagement revenue from tax and audit subsidiaries, plus potential referral economics from the matching platforms. GTM is sales-led and consultative, focused on Japanese mid-market C-suites and business owners via direct enterprise outreach, PE-fund and intermediary referrals, and high-profile industry seminars (Nikkei, JBpress, A.T. Kearney). Geographic footprint is Tokyo-centric with a Sendai branch opened in September 2025 and a second Marunouchi office opening July 2026; cross-border capability is supplied by February 2026 membership in the Prime Global network (120+ countries, 316 member firms). The firm holds the government Small/Medium M&A Guidelines (3rd edition) compliance registration and Roleup Tax Corporation is certified as a Business Innovation Support Organization by METI, both of which support deal flow from Japan's regulatory succession-program pipelines.

Name

ROLEUP

Legal name

株式会社Roleup

Website

https://roleup.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Short description

ROLEUP is a Japan-based M&A advisory firm founded in 2022 that delivers end-to-end transaction services — advisory, due diligence, valuation, PMI, tax, and audit — to mid-market companies, SME owners facing succession gaps, and PE funds.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. M&A Advisory Fees: ROLEUP generates revenue primarily through M&A financial advisory fees, including deal-based success fees and retainer arrangements for M&A strategy, execution support, due diligence, and PMI services. Given the project-based nature of M&A mandates, revenue is transactional but recurring through client relationships and referrals.
2. Professional Services (Tax & Audit): Revenue from tax advisory, tax filing, audit services, and professional talent placement (有料職業紹介) conducted through group companies (Roleup Tax Corporation and Roleup Audit Corporation). These services generate recurring retainer and per-engagement fees.
3. Project Referral Fees (ROLEUP Platform): The ROLEUP Platform connects M&A professionals with project engagements, potentially generating referral or placement fees for matching services. Platform is in beta.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ROLEUP is a Japan-based professional services firm delivering end-to-end M&A advisory including strategy formulation, financial/tax/legal/business due diligence, valuation, financial advisory (FA) for buy-side and sell-side, post-merger integration (PMI) support, tax services via Roleup Tax Corporation, accounting audit via Roleup Audit Corporation, legal services via the Administrative Scrivener Office, and executive search. The firm targets mid-cap Japanese companies, SME owners facing succession gaps, and PE fund portfolio companies.

Product overview

ROLEUP is an advisory firm offering end-to-end M&A services through a combination of core consulting services and group subsidiaries. The core services include M&A Advisory, Due Diligence, Valuation, PMI Support, Tax Services, Audit/AUP, and Professional Talent Introduction. These are supported by group companies: ROLEUP税理士法人 (tax advisory), ROLEUP監査法人 (audit services), and ROLEUP法律援助事務所 (legal services). Additionally, ROLEUP operates two digital platforms—ROLEUP Platform for M&A professional project matching and ROLEUP プロ経営者 platform for professional manager-business matching—extending the firm's reach into digital talent and deal marketplaces.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• M&A Advisory M&A strategy formulation and deal execution support, from target search and selection through negotiation and closing. Serves mid-market companies, SME owners, and PE funds in Japan.
• Due Diligence Financial, tax, legal, and business due diligence services that identify critical issues and reflect them in transaction terms. Pricing ranges JPY 3M–7M per engagement based on disclosed case studies.
• Corporate Valuation Enterprise valuation using DCF, comparable company analysis, and net asset methods to provide objective negotiation basis for M&A transactions.
• PMI Support Post-M&A integration support including integration planning, Day 1 response, synergy monitoring, and tax/financial/legal integration coordination.
• Tax Services (via Roleup Tax Corporation) Tax advisory including tax due diligence, structuring, organizational restructuring, cross-border transaction risk analysis, tax compliance, succession tax, and PMI tax support. Delivered by wholly-owned subsidiary Roleup Tax Corporation.
• Audit / AUP (via Roleup Audit Corporation) Accounting audit services including statutory audit, LBO loan audits aligned with financing covenants, agreed-upon procedures (AUP), and PE portfolio company audits. Delivered by wholly-owned subsidiary Roleup Audit Corporation.
• Professional Talent Introduction Executive search services for successors, CEOs, COOs, CFOs, and other CxO candidates for M&A support and succession planning at SMEs. Operated under paid employment placement business license (13-ユ-317902).
• Strategy & Organization Consulting Management strategy formulation, business process reform, and management control enhancement consulting for mid-market Japanese companies.
• Risk Advisory Governance, cybersecurity, and GX (green transformation) management infrastructure consulting.
• ROLEUP Platform M&A professional matching platform for project-based work in due diligence, valuation, PPA, PMI, and FA services. Currently in beta. Connects freelance professionals with project engagements on a remote-first basis.
• ROLEUP Professional Manager Platform Platform connecting professional managers (CEO, COO, CFO, CxO candidates) with SMEs requiring succession solutions. Aims to create a 'strong SME alliance' through professional management. Currently in beta with 100+ manager candidates registered.

Quantifiable outcome

• Ranked 8th in Japan M&A Review 2026 H1 Mid-scale Market (under $50M announced deals), up from 21st the prior year
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prime GlobalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 February 2026ROLEUP Group joined Prime Global, an international accounting firm network, as a member firm (joined February 10, 2026). Prime Global is one of the world's three major accounting firm associations with presence in 120+ countries, 316 member firms, 1,271 offices, and 53,000+ professionals. The partnership enables cross-border M&A advisory, overseas subsidiary DD, international tax structuring, and global audit coordination for ROLEUP's Japanese client base.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves13 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• M&A Capital Partners: Listed Japanese M&A advisory firm focused on SME succession and mid-market deals. Closely comparable business model to ROLEUP with similar target customer profile (SME owners) and similar transaction-fee revenue structure.
• Strike Co., Ltd. TSE-listed Japanese M&A intermediary focused on SME business succession. Highly comparable service offerings, target customers, and league-table positioning to ROLEUP.
• M&A Souken (M&A総研ホールディングス): TSE-listed Japanese M&A advisory firm specializing in small-to-mid-cap SME succession deals. Direct competitor to ROLEUP in the same league-table rankings with comparable service offerings.

Broad incumbents

• Deloitte Tohmatsu Financial Advisory: Big 4 FAS arm in Japan. Competes with ROLEUP for financial and tax DD mandates on mid-market deals, with significantly larger bench and global footprint; many of ROLEUP's senior team are alumni of this firm.
• Nihon M&A Center: Largest Japanese SME M&A intermediary, listed on TSE Prime. Operates as a direct competitor in the same succession-driven mid-market segment that ROLEUP targets, but at materially greater scale and brand recognition.
• Yamada Consulting Group: Listed Japanese consulting group offering M&A advisory alongside tax, accounting, and management consulting. Comparable in providing integrated professional services but operates much more broadly across many segments.
• PwC Advisory LLC: Big 4 advisory practice in Japan offering M&A DD, valuation, and PMI services. Direct competitor in the mid-market DD segment and source of talent for ROLEUP's team.
• Houlihan Loky Japan: Global independent M&A advisor with Japan presence. Competes for upper-mid-market and cross-border M&A mandates where ROLEUP is building capability through Prime Global.

Emerging players

• AtoG Accounting Firm (アトア会計事務所): Independent Japanese accounting/audit firm offering M&A advisory and DD services to mid-market clients. Comparable in independent positioning and similar professional services bundling.
• Search Fund Japan (searchfund.jp): Japanese search fund community and platform that ROLEUP's Tax Corporation sponsors. Adjacent ecosystem participant in the same SME succession space, focused on operator-led acquisitions of SMEs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 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 ROLEUP