Helpfeel and Karakuri Host Joint Study Session: Explaining 'Conditions for Winners' in the AI Agent Era and Potential of Domestic AI
Helpfeel and Karakuri held a joint study session to discuss the 'Conditions for Winners' in the AI agent era and the potential of domestic AI. They also announced a strategic partnership to advance AI utilization in corporate customer touchpoints.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 24, 2026 at 19:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 24, 2026 at 10:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 24, 2026 at 15:23 (4h 51m after Collected)
Helpfeel Inc. (Headquarters: Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture, CEO: Issei Rakusai, hereinafter: Helpfeel) and Karakuri Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Shimon Oda, hereinafter: Karakuri) held a joint study session for media representatives titled "What are the 'Conditions for Winners' in the AI Agent Era? Insights from the Forefronts of Silicon Valley and Japan" at Helpfeel Tokyo Office on April 6, 2026.
During this study session, Helpfeel CEO Issei Rakusai and Karakuri CPO Tomofumi Nakayama took the stage to deliver lectures on changes in market structure due to the rise of AI agents, winning strategies for domestic AI, and the knowledge strategies required for companies. Concurrently, both companies announced the formation of a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the utilization of AI in corporate customer touchpoints.
Joint Study Session by Helpfeel and Karakuri held on April 6, 2026
■ Background
In February 2026, triggered by Anthropic's announcement of new AI agent functionalities, renewed attention has been drawn to the emergence of new AI startups and changes in the competitive environment surrounding existing SaaS, accelerating the argument that "SaaS is dead." Amidst these environmental shifts, companies are being questioned on how to leverage AI and build competitive strength.
Helpfeel operates an "AI Knowledge Data Platform" that covers everything from FAQs and knowledge search to Voice of Customer (VoC) utilization, promoting the establishment of a knowledge base to support corporate AI utilization. Karakuri, on the other hand, deploys an AI platform primarily in the customer support domain and has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "GENIAC" project, working on the development of domestic AI models.
In this study session, Helpfeel CEO Rakusai, who stayed in Silicon Valley for the past two months, and Karakuri CPO Nakayama, who leads domestic AI development, took the stage to share their perspectives from the forefronts of Japan and the US on changes in market structure and future outlook in the AI agent era.
■ Content of the Study Session
1. What are the 'Conditions for Winners' in the AI Agent Era, as felt from the forefront of Silicon Valley?
Speaker: Issei Rakusai, CEO, Helpfeel Inc.
Mr. Rakusai lectured on the structural changes in the AI market that became apparent through his dialogues with investors, accelerators, and technology company stakeholders in Silicon Valley from January to March 2026. He specifically pointed out that the evaluation criteria for AI companies are diverging from those of traditional SaaS companies, and that business models themselves need to be redesigned, assuming that AI will handle business operations.
Issei Rakusai, CEO, Helpfeel Inc.
As background, he mentioned that in Silicon Valley, "investment in AI usage fees" is beginning to be recognized as one of the new evaluation metrics. While traditional SaaS has primarily been built on "server costs" and "personnel costs," "AI Native SaaS," designed with AI in mind, adds "AI usage fees" to these, fundamentally changing the business structure. He explained that how much AI handles practical work and how much cost is invested for it will be a crucial factor in assessing future corporate value.
He also stated that the competitive areas for new AI startups can be organized into three layers: the "Context Layer," the "Security Layer," and the "Model Layer." Among these, Helpfeel positions itself as responsible for the "Context Layer," which supports the knowledge and context utilized by AI, automating and assisting the complex process of transforming scattered corporate information into "AI-Ready knowledge data." He indicated that future AI companies will not merely provide products but will shift towards a service provider model, offering value for overall operations and outcomes.
Diagram organizing new AI startups into three layers (from presentation materials)
2. Can domestic AI compete with overseas players? — Insights from the GENIAC Phase 3 results announcement, revealing the reality of domestic AI.
Speaker: Tomofumi Nakayama, CPO, Karakuri Inc.
Mr. Nakayama lectured on areas where domestic AI can demonstrate value, based on the results of GENIAC Phase 3 and the current market environment.
Tomofumi Nakayama, CPO, Karakuri Inc.
Specifically, he presented three areas: ① "Specialized domains" deeply optimized for specific tasks, ② "Unique data domains" that cannot be replaced by publicly available data, and ③ "Self-owned domains" such as defense, finance, and medical, where self-sufficiency itself holds value. He explained that the competitiveness of domestic AI will be demonstrated in these fields.
Main application areas of domestic models developed in GENIAC (from presentation materials)
Furthermore, he cited "現場力" (on-site capabilities) as Japan's strength, stating that on-site improvements...
During this study session, Helpfeel CEO Issei Rakusai and Karakuri CPO Tomofumi Nakayama took the stage to deliver lectures on changes in market structure due to the rise of AI agents, winning strategies for domestic AI, and the knowledge strategies required for companies. Concurrently, both companies announced the formation of a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the utilization of AI in corporate customer touchpoints.
Joint Study Session by Helpfeel and Karakuri held on April 6, 2026
■ Background
In February 2026, triggered by Anthropic's announcement of new AI agent functionalities, renewed attention has been drawn to the emergence of new AI startups and changes in the competitive environment surrounding existing SaaS, accelerating the argument that "SaaS is dead." Amidst these environmental shifts, companies are being questioned on how to leverage AI and build competitive strength.
Helpfeel operates an "AI Knowledge Data Platform" that covers everything from FAQs and knowledge search to Voice of Customer (VoC) utilization, promoting the establishment of a knowledge base to support corporate AI utilization. Karakuri, on the other hand, deploys an AI platform primarily in the customer support domain and has been selected for the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's "GENIAC" project, working on the development of domestic AI models.
In this study session, Helpfeel CEO Rakusai, who stayed in Silicon Valley for the past two months, and Karakuri CPO Nakayama, who leads domestic AI development, took the stage to share their perspectives from the forefronts of Japan and the US on changes in market structure and future outlook in the AI agent era.
■ Content of the Study Session
1. What are the 'Conditions for Winners' in the AI Agent Era, as felt from the forefront of Silicon Valley?
Speaker: Issei Rakusai, CEO, Helpfeel Inc.
Mr. Rakusai lectured on the structural changes in the AI market that became apparent through his dialogues with investors, accelerators, and technology company stakeholders in Silicon Valley from January to March 2026. He specifically pointed out that the evaluation criteria for AI companies are diverging from those of traditional SaaS companies, and that business models themselves need to be redesigned, assuming that AI will handle business operations.
Issei Rakusai, CEO, Helpfeel Inc.
As background, he mentioned that in Silicon Valley, "investment in AI usage fees" is beginning to be recognized as one of the new evaluation metrics. While traditional SaaS has primarily been built on "server costs" and "personnel costs," "AI Native SaaS," designed with AI in mind, adds "AI usage fees" to these, fundamentally changing the business structure. He explained that how much AI handles practical work and how much cost is invested for it will be a crucial factor in assessing future corporate value.
He also stated that the competitive areas for new AI startups can be organized into three layers: the "Context Layer," the "Security Layer," and the "Model Layer." Among these, Helpfeel positions itself as responsible for the "Context Layer," which supports the knowledge and context utilized by AI, automating and assisting the complex process of transforming scattered corporate information into "AI-Ready knowledge data." He indicated that future AI companies will not merely provide products but will shift towards a service provider model, offering value for overall operations and outcomes.
Diagram organizing new AI startups into three layers (from presentation materials)
2. Can domestic AI compete with overseas players? — Insights from the GENIAC Phase 3 results announcement, revealing the reality of domestic AI.
Speaker: Tomofumi Nakayama, CPO, Karakuri Inc.
Mr. Nakayama lectured on areas where domestic AI can demonstrate value, based on the results of GENIAC Phase 3 and the current market environment.
Tomofumi Nakayama, CPO, Karakuri Inc.
Specifically, he presented three areas: ① "Specialized domains" deeply optimized for specific tasks, ② "Unique data domains" that cannot be replaced by publicly available data, and ③ "Self-owned domains" such as defense, finance, and medical, where self-sufficiency itself holds value. He explained that the competitiveness of domestic AI will be demonstrated in these fields.
Main application areas of domestic models developed in GENIAC (from presentation materials)
Furthermore, he cited "現場力" (on-site capabilities) as Japan's strength, stating that on-site improvements...