HQ CEO Shoji Sakamoto (center right), Nissay Capital President Kosuke Ueda (center left) and others considering a strategic partnership with HQ.
“There are some very strong players. (Strategic partnership)Naturally, I am aware of this as a countermeasure.” (HQ CEO Shoji Sakamoto)
HQ, a startup that develops new welfare services using AI, announced on December 12, 2024,Raised 2 billion yen in Series B round and began considering strategic partnerships with three companies including Nippon Life’s wholly owned subsidiary VC, Nissay Capital.announced.
In the welfare services industry, Benefit One, a major industry operator that operates Benefit Station, was acquired by Dai-ichi Life Insurance Company in May 2024 for approximately 292 billion yen and became a wholly owned subsidiary.
As HQBy deepening our collaboration with the Nippon Life Group, we hope to differentiate ourselves from leading services such as Benefit One, which boasts an overwhelming market share.is.
Cybozu and Orbis also introduced
HQ, which was founded in 2021, provides welfare services specializing in remote work, and from April 2024, it will provide benefits services such as Cafeteria, which will become a powerhouse of Benefit One and Relo Club, which operates Welfare Club. HQ” has been launched.
Although the specific number of contract companies and sales for Cafeteria HQ have not been disclosed, according to HQ,Implemented by companies of various sizes, including Orbis, Cybozu, Timey, and Kubell (formerly Chatwork)It is said that progress is being made.
At the press conference on the 12th, representatives from three companies considering strategic partnerships were also present: Nissay Capital, Omron, and NTT Data Smart Sourcing. The three companies also invested as new investors in Series B funding.
At a press conference, Nissay Capital President Kosuke Ueda said,We have pursued collaboration with the Nippon Life Group and the acquisition of business synergies.”He explained. Regarding the consideration of this strategic partnership, he expressed his hopes for growth as Nippon Life Group’s “new services in the non-insurance field.”
“Nippon Life’s core businesses, such as insurance and pensions, are not limited toWe currently provide a variety of services that contribute to human capital management, which is a major issue for companies.I am doing it.
(Our strategic partnership with HQ) goes beyond simply introducing customers.By leveraging the strengths of both groups, we can work to improve the sophistication of our services.(Mr. Ueda)
Made Benefit One a subsidiaryDai-ichi Life isMedium-term management plan for three years starting from FY2024“We aim to grow the profit contribution of non-insurance areas to 60 billion yen in 2030”To this end, the company is positioning “strategic investments, including strengthening the Benefit One platform,” as a new business.
“We take pride in our ability to never lose in terms of product.”
Along with the funding announcement, HQ also revealed seven new products that will be released after 2025.
New services on the welfare platform include “coaching” and “incentive plans” to motivate employees, a service to centrally manage in-house systems and childcare support, a service to exchange gratitude among employees, and a management service for book purchasing systems. , which will be launched in stages by 2026.
At the press conference, CEO Sakamoto said”We take pride in our ability to never lose on the product side, but the reality is that there are differences in resources in every aspect.”He said the following:
“(By starting to consider partnerships with the three companies), we would like to fully utilize the trust that we have gained from our wide sales network and the close relationships we have built with enterprise companies to deliver services.
The goal is to have 1 million users in three years, and I think we’re growing at a pace that will allow us to reach that goal. With the launch of the new service next spring, we believe we can make a significant increase.”
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Source: BusinessInsider
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