robottte Aims to Be an HR Platform for Essential Worker Industries, Secures ¥130 Million

robottte Inc. has successfully raised approximately ¥130 million through a third-party allocation of shares to DG Daiwa Ventures (a venture capital firm jointly established by DG Holdings Inc. (TSE Prime 8601) and Digital Garage Inc. (TSE Prime 4819)), as well as loans from Japan Finance Corporation and The Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi UFJ, Ltd.

robottte provides an HR platform that supports the entire process from hiring to retention for essential worker industries such as nursing care, healthcare, logistics, childcare, food service, building management, and security, primarily through its "HR Monster" partner tool for self-sufficient recruitment support. The funds raised will be used to accelerate product development, talent acquisition, and alliance strengthening, thereby building a recruitment infrastructure for the essential worker industries.

The Origin of robottte (1/5)

The origin of robottte lies in the personal experience of its representative, Kenichi Takahashi.

Takahashi founded a nursing care business that practiced advanced nursing care x IT at the time, achieving an M&A with a major nursing care provider, as the founder of Akarie Inc., known for its IT utilization in the nursing care industry.

As a manager of a nursing care business, he faced recruitment as one of the most serious challenges on a daily basis.

Recruitment activities and post-hire employee support are extremely important. However, the organizational structure could not keep up. In many cases, recruitment staff also handled nursing care duties, and the process of contacting applicants and arranging interviews relied on individual efforts.

This situation is not limited to the nursing care industry. Similar challenges arise in many industries that support people's lives and workplaces, such as healthcare, logistics, childcare, and food service. robottte was born to solve this structural issue.

Why Essential Workers? (2/5)

The scope of "essential workers" we refer to may be slightly broader than the general perception. It includes medical services for newborns, childcare, and educational services for schools. It also encompasses logistics and delivery that support daily life, food service, entertainment that enriches our lives, security and cleaning that protect our daily safety and security, and nursing care services for the elderly.

Over an approximately 80-year lifespan, each day is supported by countless such jobs and the people who perform them. For essential workers who support communities and daily life from the ground up, the ability of their workplaces to continuously secure necessary personnel is directly linked to the sustainability of society. In addition to the nursing care field, which is the origin of robottte, we are committed to supporting recruitment in the areas of essential workers as we define them.

Addressing One of Japan's Largest Social Issues (3/5)

In Japan, with its declining population, many industries are already facing "worker shortages" rather than "customer shortages."

Especially in essential worker industries such as nursing care, healthcare, logistics, and childcare, while aging populations and increasing demand continue, the working-age population is decreasing. The era has arrived where securing personnel, rather than growing a business, determines the very continuation of business operations.

We view this challenge not merely as a recruitment issue, but as a social issue related to the sustainability of Japanese society as a whole.

Supporting from Recruitment to Retention (4/5)

The success of recruitment is not determined by the number of applications received. It depends on whether companies can complete the hiring process on their own by engaging with each applicant, and whether those hired can thrive after joining the company—the future of the workplace hinges on this.

Our flagship service, "HR Monster," is a co-pilot recruitment system that supports companies in achieving self-sufficiency. In talent sourcing, the "channel mix"—how to combine multiple channels such as job boards,スカウト (scouts), referrals, and specialized agents—greatly influences results. We provide support by establishing a foundation where companies can manage their own recruitment, automating processes with the system when necessary, and appropriately utilizing human resources. We provide support with an eye toward the optimal division of roles.

The system centrally manages applications from multiple channels and enables 24/7 application response, thereby reducing the workload for recruitment staff and improving recruitment conversion rates.

Furthermore, "Talent Keeper" supports employee retention by detecting signs of turnover through post-hire employee follow-up. We provide support for optimizing recruitment and retention in an integrated manner, without separating them.

Customer Voices: Becoming a Recruitment Infrastructure Used in the Field (5/5)

Currently, robottte's services are expanding in labor-intensive industries such as nursing care, healthcare, logistics, and food service. The retention rate remains at 98%, and the services are increasingly used as recruitment infrastructure deeply integrated into field operations. We have received valuable feedback such as, "It was the most effective ICT tool we have ever introduced," and "We were concerned about the burden before implementation, but nearly a year after implementation, there have been almost no negative comments from the field." Expansion is progressing not only in the nursing care industry but also across the entire essential worker industry, including logistics, healthcare, and food service.

Our goal is not just a tool to streamline recruitment tasks. We aim to build a recruitment infrastructure for the essential worker industries and, beyond that, to create a foundation that supports the entire industry's talent circulation. To realize a world where necessary personnel reach the necessary places even in a society with a declining population. That is robottte's challenge.

Comment from DG Daiwa Ventures (DGDV)

Regarding this investment, we empathize with the strong determination and sense of ownership that CEO Takahashi holds towards transforming the essential worker industries, centered on nursing care. As the founder of Akarie Inc., which has high recognition in the nursing care industry, Takahashi established a nursing care business that advanced IT utilization at the time and achieved an M&A with a major nursing care provider. As a nursing care business operator and a serial entrepreneur with exit experience, he deeply understands the challenges on the ground and has directly confronted the structural issues of the industry, such as "unable to hire even with applications" and "high turnover after hiring." We believe that developing products rooted in these real-world challenges is a major strength of robottte.

While many companies are streamlining recruitment operations with AI, robottte leverages its understanding of the field to challenge the creation of a new recruitment infrastructure in the essential worker industries while accumulating data from recruitment to retention.

In Japan, with its declining population, securing personnel is not only a management issue for companies but also a social issue. Together with a management team that possesses passion, industry knowledge, and execution capabilities, we will continue to provide support to contribute to the creation of a foundation that supports the recruitment infrastructure of the entire essential worker industry, including nursing care, and ultimately, talent circulation and improved working conditions.

Yuta Sanada, Head of Domestic Investment / Senior Director Teppei Ando, Principal

Comments from Stakeholders (Existing Shareholders)

Daisuke Shimada (Founder / Angel Investor, Insight Core Inc.)

I have invested in and supported many startups, but few companies tackle "difficult but truly necessary areas for society" with the dedication that robottte shows. I see great potential in their vision, which starts with recruitment, retention, and on-site communication, and will eventually expand to labor and overall operations. Above all, I was deeply impressed by Takahashi's understanding of on-site operations and challenges, and his passionate drive to address them, as a serial entrepreneur in this industry. I am genuinely excited about robottte's challenge and wholeheartedly support its business growth.

Naoki Komiyayama (Professor, University of California, San Diego)

As a neuroscientist, I study the mechanisms by which living organisms flexibly change their behavior through experience. Intelligence is not about automating everything, but is built upon the "division of roles"—what to leave to reflex and what to leave to deliberation. robottte's question of "what to leave to the system and what to have people handle" strikes at the very essence of this. I support their challenge to create a society where people can focus on more human-like decision-making, rather than replacing people with technology.

Shingo Miyazono (Representative, Miyazono Accounting Office / Certified Public Accountant and Tax Accountant)

Your company's business, which offers fundamental solutions to the structural crisis concerning the survival of social infrastructure—the recruitment challenges of essential workers—is indispensable for Japan today. We deeply resonate with the philosophy that supports the core of corporate management, going beyond mere recruitment efficiency. From the perspective of a certified public accountant and tax accountant, we support the sound scaling of businesses required by society, backed by robust finances and governance.

Daishi Yoshida (Senior Specialist, NOUCHU INFORMATION SYSTEM CO., LTD.)

From my experience in the commercialization of AI technology and the planning and development of large-scale systems, I am impressed by robottte's development capabilities. Despite being a small team, they have internalized the development process utilizing AI's characteristics and consistently reflect this in their own products. The concept of "designing an organization that can continue to use AI without collapsing" can serve as a model for future development organizations. I have high expectations for their execution.

Shiro Orido (Founder / Representative Director, SUN Co., Ltd.)

I myself started a business in the field of dementia care and personally know the difficulties and nobility of the nursing care domain. That is precisely why I understand the value of robottte directly confronting this field. I have known Takahashi since his previous business, and he is an entrepreneur who listens to the voices from the field more than anyone else and builds his business with his feet on the ground. As someone who understands the field, I wholeheartedly support this challenge to support the workplaces of essential workers.

Representative's Comment

The essential worker industries are indispensable to society and are the areas where labor shortages are becoming most severe. We have been working to build a foundation that supports everything from recruitment to retention by directly confronting these fields and standardizing and automating the talent sourcing process.

Japan is currently experiencing a demographic decline, referred to as an "80% society" (referring to a population scale reduced to 80% of its peak). We will deliver value to various regions that meets the expectations of the Japanese investors and financial institutions who have decided to support us this time, in addition to the angels who have supported us previously. We will continue our challenge to refine our current products and organization and realize a habitable society where necessary personnel reach the necessary places.

Kenichi Takahashi, Representative Director, robottte Inc.

Company Name: robottte Inc.

Location: WIN Aoyama 942, 2-2-15 Minami-Aoyama, Minato-ku, Tokyo

Established: August 2021

Business: Development and provision of an HR platform for essential worker industries

Main Services: HR Monster (ATS), Talent Keeper (Retention Support), HR Chat