Child-rearing infrastructure iiba completes Series A funding round of approximately 300 million yen

iiba Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Nana Aizawa; hereinafter referred to as "iiba") is pleased to announce that it has completed a Series A funding round, raising approximately 300 million yen through a third-party allocation of new shares. We also announce the launch of a new management structure with the appointment of Ryubun Asayama as Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Yudai Hiroto as Chief Technology Officer (CTO).

Growth over the past year since the previous Pre-Series A round

*Comparison between April 2025 - April 2026

Since the official release of "iiba," we have supported the daily lives of child-rearing generations by providing information specifically for places used in child-rearing, such as playgrounds, restaurants, and lessons. The platform has now grown to include over 100,000 spot listings nationwide. Collaborations to solve regional issues, such as promoting DX for local governments and providing systems for regional businesses, have also expanded.

◾️ Main uses of funds

The funds raised this time will be primarily used for the following purposes to achieve our vision of "building new child-rearing infrastructure with the aim of creating a society where child-rearing is easier":

Strengthening product development:

Going forward, iiba will undergo a large-scale renewal from a "place-finding app" to a platform that supports the entire living flow of child-rearing households. We will invest in building a suite of functions that connect discovery to action and payment, as well as the data infrastructure to support it.

Expanding business development and collaboration with local governments:

We will vertically integrate the "upstream" of local government child-rearing support budgets with the "downstream" of child-rearing households' lives. We will deploy a system nationwide, in collaboration with local governments and regional businesses, to ensure that necessary support reliably reaches the households that need it.

Strengthening the organizational structure:

We will begin full-scale recruitment of top talent in product, engineering, and business development to drive this transformation, building an organizational foundation to support rapid growth.

Background of funding and management structure reform

This Series A round was conducted with the aim of accelerating business growth by strengthening product development and the organizational structure. Ryubun Asayama, who was involved in startup policy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and led business growth as a business manager at a health-tech startup, has been appointed COO, and Yudai Hiroto, who has been responsible for advanced development at Dwango, Mercari, and other companies, has been appointed CTO, to accelerate both business operations and product development. The development system for the upcoming major product overhaul is also set to launch in earnest.

◾️ Comments from new management members

COO Ryubun Asayama

I have been aware of iiba for three years, but I decided to join after learning more about Nana Aizawa's deep roots in this field and the future vision she is painting. While 12 trillion yen is invested in child-rearing support, the mechanisms to deliver it to the households that need it are immature, and a player is needed to bring together diverse stakeholders such as government, regional businesses, companies, and child-rearing households. iiba is in a position to conduct business that balances social impact and economic viability within this structure. I will leverage my experience to contribute to the growth of iiba's team and business portfolio, and to take on the challenge of changing the concept of business in the child-rearing domain.

<Profile>

After completing graduate school, I worked for a pharmaceutical manufacturer, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, a health-tech startup, and a VC before taking my current position. At the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, I was involved in the launch of cross-border open innovation policy. At a health-tech startup, I led the business and launched a service that provided electronic health record data to companies on a weekly basis for the first time in Japan.

CTO Yudai Hiroto

I myself have been raising a child for about two years. As someone directly involved, I have felt that there are many things in the child-rearing environment that can still be solved with technology. I will address this complex and significant social issue of declining birthrate by leveraging my experience and technology, while balancing social problem-solving with economic rationality. I aim to build an AI-native development organization and deliver valuable experiences to more parents and children, contributing to the company's growth.

<Profile>

After working at Dwango Co., Ltd., Mercari, Inc., and Yuimedi Inc., I founded a company. At Dwango, I was involved in Niconare and N Yobiko, and at Mercari, I was responsible for Mercari US Web, Mercari JP Web, Mercari Shops, etc., engaging in the launch of multiple new services and the replacement of existing services. At Yuimedi, I promoted improvements in the development organization as VPoE. I currently serve as a technical advisor to several companies. In OSS, I have been active mainly in Node.js and webpack.

◾️ Investors and operating companies in this round

We have gathered strong partners who resonate with our long-term vision of building child-rearing infrastructure, not only through investment but also by collaborating on business implementation in areas such as living infrastructure, local government collaboration, and risk.

In conjunction with this funding, we have entered into a capital and business alliance with Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

Comments from each company

Spiral Innovation Partners Inc.

Principal Takuhiro Matsumoto (Operates the Keio Rail Fund)

Child-rearing support budgets have expanded to approximately 12 trillion yen with the establishment of the Agency for Children and Families, but it is said that 750 billion yen annually goes undistributed to the households that need it. There is funding, but no system to deliver it. iiba aims to build infrastructure that "delivers" from discovery to payment by vertically integrating the "upstream" of administrative budgets with the "downstream" of child-rearing households' living routes. We highly value their ability to achieve both toC engagement through influencer marketing and toB/toG profitability. We will expand collaborations with living infrastructure companies, including co-creation with Keio Corporation through the Keio Rail Fund. We are looking for individuals who understand local governments and systems, and can turn connections into sales.

NEXTBLUE Fund No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership

Kanako Inoue

The challenge surrounding child-rearing lies in the fact that even when support and services exist, they are not sufficiently known or delivered to the people who need them. iiba is building new child-rearing infrastructure that connects regions, companies, and local governments, allowing natural access to necessary information and opportunities.

I felt great potential in Nana Aizawa's overwhelming leadership and her ability to engage diverse stakeholders, which led us to invest. As NEXTBLUE, we will fully support iiba's challenge.

Tokio Marine Holdings, Inc.

Global Brain Corporation (Selected for XLIMIT 4th Batch)

General Partner Torakichi Miyako, Director Lusheng Zou

"When you become a parent, your familiar town can feel like a completely unknown place." - iiba is a service that directly addresses the pressing issues faced by child-rearing households. The value it provides goes beyond mere information sharing; we are confident that it will evolve into social infrastructure that supports the lifestyles of all child-rearing households and leads the digitalization of their entire lives. We will continue to fully support the challenge of the passionate President Aizawa and her excellent team.

Comment from Nana Aizawa, Representative Director and CEO of iiba Inc.

We are delighted to welcome such strong investors as shareholders. iiba aims to build new child-rearing infrastructure by addressing structural issues related to child-rearing as a data platform connecting child-rearing households with regions, companies, and local governments, rather than just being an outing service.

This funding round and the launch of our new management structure are significant steps toward achieving that goal. The new iiba team will work as one, joining forces with all stakeholders to move forward. We ask for your continued support and anticipation for iiba's future endeavors.

About iiba Inc.

With the vision of "building new child-rearing infrastructure with the aim of creating a society where child-rearing is easier," iiba develops and operates the UGC data platform 'iiba' for places used in child-rearing, such as playgrounds, restaurants, and lessons. It also promotes DX for local governments, provides SaaS for store customer acquisition and management, and offers marketing support for child-rearing households.

Media

Featured on TV Tokyo's "Cambria Palace" and other media.

Awards and Selections

Selected for Toyo Keizai's "100 Amazing Ventures"

Selected for Nikkei Cross Trend's "100 Companies Creating the Future"

Winner of EY Innovative Startup 2024

Winner of Incubate Camp 17th as the first female entrepreneur in history

3rd Place in ICC 2025 Startup Catapult, etc.

We are looking for new team members

With this Series A funding, iiba is launching full-scale recruitment to drive business expansion.

iiba has achieved rapid organic growth through word-of-mouth and user-generated content (UGC) without significant advertising expenditure. In the past year, the number of registered spots has increased by +556% and sales by +700%. We are also preparing for a major product renewal. We are looking for colleagues to join us in creating this transformation, moving from a "place-finding app" to a platform that supports the entire living flow of child-rearing households, in various fields.

We are looking for individuals who:

Want to tackle the social issue of child-rearing with economic rationality, not just idealism.

Can proactively engage with and build bridges between government, regions, companies, and child-rearing households.

Can think independently, make decisions, and drive initiatives in the face of ambiguous questions.

Can turn challenges and uncertainties into driving forces, and enjoy hands-on work from 0 to 1 and 1 to 10.

Recruitment Areas:

Product (PdM / Designer)

Engineering (Members to lead the establishment of an AI-native development organization)

Business Development (Local Government Collaboration / Corporate Alliances)

Corporate

Would you like to join us in challenging the concept of business in the child-rearing domain, in positions that balance social impact and business viability?

▼Recruitment Special Site Here

https://corporate.iiba.space/career

◾️Company Overview

Company Name: iiba Inc.

Representative: Nana Aizawa

Location: Sumitomo Fudosan Toranomon Tower 13F, 2-2-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: Development and operation of the child-rearing focused map platform 'iiba', promotion of DX for local governments, SaaS business for stores, SNS marketing support business

Corporate Website: https://corporate.iiba.space/

Inquiries for Collaboration, Listings, and Partnerships: https://corporate.iiba.space/contact

Official Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/iiba_official/

【Media Inquiries Regarding This Matter】

iiba Inc. Public Relations Contact: pr@iiba.co.jp