be-FULL Inc. Raises 100 Million JPY in Pre-Series A First Close

be-FULL Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo City, Tokyo; CEO: Ryota Iwai; hereinafter "be-FULL") announces the completion of a 100 million JPY funding round in its pre-Series A first close. The investment was secured through a third-party allotment from the "Shinhan-GB Future Flow Investment Business Limited Partnership" (hereinafter "SHGB"), jointly operated by Global Brain Corporation (CEO: Yasuhiko Yurihara; hereinafter "Global Brain") and Shinhan Venture Investment Co., Ltd. (hereinafter "Shinhan Venture Investment").

About be-FULL Inc.

be-FULL operates under the mission of "making every individual and organization mutually committed." The company develops and provides "PX Cloud," a platform that leverages AI to analyze meeting data and support management. Through features such as organizational issue visualization, management skill assessment with feedback, and AI-generated meeting minutes, be-FULL enables tangible improvements in management capabilities at the daily operational level—beyond what traditional training can achieve.

The platform has been adopted by major enterprises including Toyota Group and Panasonic Group, delivering measurable outcomes such as an average monthly reduction of 9 hours in meeting time and a 40% increase in employee engagement. be-FULL has received high recognition both domestically and internationally, including selection in the Microsoft for Startups program, designation as Japan's representative in the METI J-StarX program, selection in Tokyo's startup support initiative, and winning the CIOReview APAC award.

Background and Future Outlook of the Funding

Middle management in Japanese companies faces increasingly severe challenges. Managers are burdened with growing workloads due to the prevalence of playing-manager roles, increased management complexity from work-style reforms and harassment prevention, and the need to implement strategic initiatives such as MVV (Mission, Vision, Values) and organizational transformation at the frontline. The responsibilities expected of managers continue to expand year by year.

Meanwhile, traditional management training and assessment services often yield only temporary results and fail to drive sustained behavioral change at the operational level. be-FULL addresses this structural challenge with a unique approach combining AI and technology, and is already being utilized primarily by large enterprises.

Moving forward, be-FULL aims to transform the role of corporate managers from mere "administrators of tasks" into "decision-makers and motivators" who enhance team performance.

Additionally, to adapt to diverse work styles such as hybrid and distributed teams, be-FULL will further evolve "PX Cloud" into the "Operating System for Management" in modern organizations, aiming to contribute to corporate growth and societal advancement.

The funds raised in this round will be allocated to the following three areas:

Product Development Enhancement: Expanding the AI analysis capabilities of PX Cloud and improving support quality

Sales and Marketing Strengthening: Accelerating customer acquisition and expanding case studies

Hiring and Organizational Growth: Strengthening the business execution team through recruitment of engineers, product managers, sales, and customer success professionals

Comments from Investors

Sakamoto Shoko (General Partner, Global Brain Corporation)

"Severe labor shortages and excessive workloads on middle managers are critical business challenges that undermine corporate competitiveness. We invested to support be-FULL's ambitious mission of 'AI-driven replacement of human resource and operational management.' Despite the scale of this challenge, the team led by Mr. Iwai has already begun delivering tangible results at leading Japanese enterprise clients through their 'deep domain expertise' and 'hands-on execution capability.' We are delighted to walk alongside them as they take the first steps toward solving these issues. We will continue supporting them in delivering this value to more users as a driving force for transforming workplaces into AI-native environments."

Dong-eun Kim (Director, Global Brain Corporation)

"What impressed me most through repeated conversations with the be-FULL team was their deep understanding of customer challenges and their ability to consistently translate insights into product development.

As AI adoption accelerates, many companies are exploring new ways of organizational management and leadership. In this context, be-FULL has been steadily building customer value by directly addressing frontline challenges, demonstrating significant growth potential. We are thrilled to partner with Mr. Iwai and the team. We look forward to their growth into a key enabler of organizational transformation for more enterprises and will fully support them at Global Brain."

Comment from be-FULL Inc.

Ryota Iwai, Representative Director and CEO

"We are deeply encouraged by the investment from Global Brain.

Through my own experience in management and HR roles within corporations, I have become firmly convinced that 'organizational change enables both business growth and employee fulfillment to coexist.' I believe middle management—the 'hub' connecting leadership and frontline teams—holds the key to this transformation.

However, many middle managers are caught between top management and frontline demands, struggling alone under heavy workloads and complex management responsibilities. This is not an individual issue but a structural one. be-FULL is tackling this structural challenge with the power of AI and technology. Under our mission of 'making every individual and organization mutually committed,' we will accelerate product evolution and business expansion through this funding round.

We are actively seeking team members who resonate with this mission and vision and are eager to grow our business together. Those interested are welcome to reach out to us."

Photo

Group photo with Global Brain Corporation members. From left: Ryota Iwai (CEO, be-FULL), Dong-eun Kim (Global Brain), Shoko Sakamoto (Global Brain), Ryota Mae (CSO/CAO, be-FULL), Naoki Kojima (CTO, be-FULL)

Group photo of be-FULL Inc. members

Corporate Overview of be-FULL Inc.

Company Name

be-FULL Inc.

Headquarters

4-10 Nihonbashi Tomizawa-cho, Chuo City, Tokyo

Representative

Representative Director and CEO Ryota Iwai

Established

June 5, 2024

Capital

53 million JPY (103 million JPY including capital reserves)

Legal Advisor

IZUMI & Partners (Attorney: Nobuhiro Ikeda)

Business

Development and provision of 'PX Cloud,' a mid-management support platform

URL

https://befull-lifedesign.com/

Corporate Overview of Global Brain Corporation

Company Name

Global Brain Corporation

Headquarters

2-17-1 Shibuya, Shibuya City, Tokyo

Representative

Representative Director and President Yasuhiko Yurihara

Established

January 1998

Business

Venture capital operations

URL

https://globalbrains.com

Shinhan-GB Future Flow Investment Business Limited Partnership (