About for Startups
Company profile
Company name
for Startups, Inc.
Location of head office
Azabudai Hills Mori JP Tower 31F 1-3-1 Azabudai Minato-ku Tokyo 106-0041 Japan
Capital
JPY 238 million (as of March 31, 2025)
Established
September 1, 2016
Representative
Yuichiro Shimizu, CEO
Yukiko Tsuneda, COO
Number of regular employees
211 (as of April 1st, 2024)
Nature of business
Growth industry support services
License
Employment placement business license 13-Yu-307946
Additional information
Member of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)
Member of the Japan Association of New Economy (Shinkeiren)
Member of the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA)
Selected as a supporter company of J-Startup by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry
Group companies
for Startups Capital, LLC.
- VC member of the Japan Venture Capital Association (JVCA)
Board Members
Yuichiro Shimizu
REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR, CEO
After launching the career change service "Doda" at Intelligence, Ltd. (currently Persol Career Co., Ltd.), in 2016 he established NET jinzai bank, Inc. (currently for Startups, Inc.) to engage in support services for growth industries, and became its president and CEO. Also in 2016, in the Japan Headhunter Awards, he was named Japan's first Hall of Fame headhunter. He has served since 2019 on the venture ecosystem committee of the Japan Venture Capital Association, and in 2020, he was appointed to a task force on startup policy under Keidanren's Sub-committee on Startups. Vice-chairman of Global Startups Ecosystem Committee.
Yukiko Tsuneda
REPRESENTATIVE DIRECTOR, COO
Graduated from Musashino Art University and obtained an MBA from Globis University. She joined for Startups, Inc. in 2016 after working at Sammy Networks and serving as a business manager at Metaps Inc.She spearheaded the growth of the core Human Capital business and held successive leadership positions, including Managing Director and Executive Vice President overseeing all sales. She assumed the position of Representative Director and COO in 2026.A member of the Japan Association of Corporate Executives (Keizai Doyukai) since 2020, she served as Vice Chair of multiple committees before being appointed as an Executive Board Member in 2025.
Kazuhiko Shimizu
DIRECTOR
He worked at Glorious Co., Ltd. and RSS Kokokusha (currently Fringe81 Co., Ltd.), and then participated in the launch of NET jinzai bank at Saint Media, Inc. (currently Willof Work, Inc.). He has continued to gain experience in the human resources business, and after becoming an executive officer in 2018, he took charge of human resources as CHRO. He became a director and head of the Human Resources Division in June 2019, and he became the head of the Acceleration Division in July 2019. In May 2021, he became a representative of for Startups Capital Inc.
Taro Saito
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR
After working at Dentsu Inc. for ten years, in 2005 he established dof inc., a company whose mission is to create culture and value. He solved essential issues for a variety of companies and brands, from the formulation of corporate missions, visions, and values to product development, marketing strategies, and final output of advertising materials. He has served as outside director of ZOZO, Inc., and co-founder of CC Inc. He became an outside director of our company in 2019.
Takaaki Umezawa
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR
Chairman of CIC Japan. He opened CIC Tokyo in 2020. He served as Chairman of A.T. Kearney Japan for 12 years starting in 2014, driving growth strategies for Japanese companies and initiatives to solve social issues. He currently serves as a Senior Advisor. With over 25 years of consulting experience in strategy and innovation across Japan and the U.S., he also serves on numerous government committees regarding tourism and urban policy. He is the co-author of NEXTOKYO (Nikkei BP), among others.
Yoshihiko Takubo
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR
Specially Appointed Vice President and Professor at the Graduate School of Management, Globis University. He holds a Bachelor of Science (Engineering), Master of Science (Engineering), and Doctor of Philosophy (Science) from Keio University. Completed the PED program at IMD in Switzerland. Prior to assuming his current position, he worked at Mitsubishi Research Institute, Inc. He also serves as an outside director for listed companies and start-up companies.
Aiko Kokubo
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR (FULL-TIME Audit and Supervisory Committee Member）
After joining Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC, she gained extensive experience in financial audits, primarily for Japanese global corporations. Following her transfer to the advisory division, she engaged in a wide range of advisory services, including internal audit support, overseas subsidiary management, financial closing period unification, acceleration of financial reporting, IFRS implementation, post-merger integration (PMI) advisory, and executive compensation consulting. Appointed as an Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member) of the Company in 2025. Certified Public Accountant.
Masao Horiuchi
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member）
After joining Daiwa Corporate Investment Co., Ltd., he joined Intelligence, Ltd. in 1995. He served as a Corporate Auditor of CyberAgent, Inc. in 1998 and Head of the Internal Control Office of USEN Corporation in 2009. In 2010, he was appointed Director and General Manager of the Management Division at U-NEXT and registered as a tax accountant. In 2017, he became a Full-time Corporate Auditor of U-NEXT HOLDINGS Co., Ltd. (current position) and also served as an Outside Director (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member) of CyberAgent, Inc. He assumed his current position as Outside Director of the Company in 2020.
Yoshihiro Akimoto
OUTSIDE DIRECTOR (Audit and Supervisory Committee Member）
After being registered as a lawyer in 2000, he worked at Asahi Law Offices (currently Nishimura & Asahi), then at GREE, Inc. as an in-house lawyer, and became independent in 2014. He is a partner at Eiwa Law Office. He became an outside corporate auditor of our company in 2018. He also serves as an outside corporate auditor of Giftee, Inc. and an outside corporate auditor of Mirrativ, Inc.
Executive officers
Isao Kikuchi
EXECUTIVE OFFICER, CORPORATE DEPT.
At Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC, he did statutory audit work for domestic and global companies and was involved in advisory services to support measures such as the development of internal controls and introduction of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS). In 2018, he joined for Startups, Inc. as a corporate auditor. He then took on the management of the Corporate Division, with responsibility for all back office operations. He became a director in 2019. He is a certified public accountant.
Naoki Rokumaru
Executive Officer and CEO of Syngress, Inc.
Started his career in alliance sales at an internet venture, where he was involved in launching a subsidiary in the advertising agency sector. Later, he joined Pasona (formerly Pasona Career), a major human resources company, where he participated in establishing a team specializing in the internet sector. In 2015, he joined Net Jinzai Bank (now For Startups, Inc.), focusing on supporting growth industries by assisting leading startups in building their CxO and executive teams. Currently serves as the CEO of Singless Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the company.
Mai Okamoto
Executive Officer, Human Capital depT.
Joined Saint Media Co., Ltd. (now Will of Work Co., Ltd.) before joining Net Jinzai Bank (now For Startups, Inc.) in 2016. As a Principal, he supported high-level and CxO positions while also serving as Senior Manager of the Sales Strategy Division within the Human Capital Headquarters. In this role, he was responsible for formulating corporate sales strategies, assigning corporate clients, making contract decisions for new business partners, and promoting collaboration with venture capital firms.
Wataru Mizote
Executive Officer, Human Capital dept.
After beginning my career at Recruit Co., Ltd., I joined GREE, Inc., where I contributed to launching the company's smartphone business and establishing its European office. I subsequently led global business expansion at AOI Pro. Inc. and Metaps Inc., focusing on developing new global markets and partnerships. At 17LIVE, I was responsible for launching the Japan operation and played a key role in growing the global live streaming market. In 2022, I joined "for Startups, Inc.", where I initially focused on talent development and organizational design within the Human Capital Division. I now lead the strategic planning division, leveraging my experience to drive core business growth, empower emerging leaders, and support the evolution of Japan's startup ecosystem.
Shigeru Takeuchi
Executive Officer, CTO
After joining Yahoo Japan Corporation as a web engineer, I worked at GMO TECH, Inc., where I launched an advertising ASP service, became the development manager, and experienced the company's IPO. After that, I gained experience as a freelance full-stack engineer and joined NET Jinzai Bank, Inc. (now for Startups, Inc.) in 2015. I was the 1st engineer to be involved in all aspects of development and also experienced the company's IPO. I became the product owner of the company's service "STARTUP DB" in January 2022, and became a professional officer (Chief Technology Officer) in April 2023.
Satoko Suzuki
Executive Officer, OPEN INNOVATION DEPT.
She worked at Recruit Co., Ltd., then gained experience in corporate sales at an advertising agency, and transitioned to Sumitomo Realty & Development Co., Ltd. After working at Kaizen Platform, Inc., she joined Metaps Inc., where she was in charge of PR for the companies and services of the entire group as an executive officer. She became a participant in for Startups, Inc. in 2019, taking a leading role in talent production, and became an executive officer in 2021. She is executive director of the New Norm Consortium, a mentor in a support program of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and a radio personality.
History
4/2013
Founding of the NET jinzai bank division of Saint Media, Inc. (currently Willof Work, Inc.), a subsidiary of the Will Group
9/2016
Establishment of NET jinzai bank, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of the Will Group) in a company split
3/2018
Company name changed to for Startups, Inc.
4/2018
Became a member of the Japan Venture Capital Association
5/2018
Release of Startup DB, an information platform specialized in the area of growth industries
4/2019
Launch of the Open Innovation service
7/2019
Began a business alliance with Crunchbase, Inc. (U.S.)
3/2020
Listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Mothers Index (stock code: 7089)
6/2020
Became a member of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren)
8/2020
Business alliance with SMBC Group
1/2021
Became a member of the Japan Association of New Economy (Shinkeiren)
5/2021
Establishment of for Startups Capital Inc., a subsidiary that engages in investment
Offices
Head office「The Flagship」 AZABUDAI
for Startups, Inc.
for Startups Capital, LLC.
for Startups Capital, LLC.
