My History
About a decade ago, we, kaonavi, Inc., were among the first companies in Japan to launch a talent management system, and today, "kaonavi," a cloud-based talent management platform, is used by more than 4,000 companies. We have since expanded our offerings to include multiple SaaS products, such as "Roummate," a labor and HR compliance management system, and "Yojitsutics," a budget planning and performance management tool.
At the core of all our services is our purpose: to leverage technology to better understand individual talents and personalities and to create a society where diverse career paths and working styles are embraced. When we first started developing our platform, the concept of talent management—and even systems for managing HR data—barely existed in Japan. At the time, there was little perceived need for such tools. For instance, compensation structures were largely based on seniority: employees would receive set salary increases in their fifth year, and promotions to management were tied to tenure. Evaluations were largely standardized, and while managers might have had a general sense of their team members’ skills and talents, the information was often scattered across paper-based resumes or simple organizational charts. In short, people data was fragmented and difficult to access. Recognizing this, we set out to centralize employee data. Once centralized, the next step was to make the data accessible in real time to those who needed it. This idea became the foundation for our vision of a "Talent Data Platform"—a system that aggregates HR data from various sources into a single, accessible platform.
Over the course of my professional career and the journey of building our company, I have witnessed many shifts in how business is conducted. In the past, business models were largely built through accumulation: manufacturing was a prime example. Companies focused on building up human resources and investing in equipment, and employees steadily gained technical skills over time. In that era, lifetime employment and seniority-based systems were highly effective.
Today, however, the landscape is different. Creativity has become a key driver of business success. A single talented individual—or even a young, small team—can now build major businesses from the ground up. As a result, companies are increasingly shifting their focus from simply securing headcount to unlocking and maximizing each individual's talents and uniqueness. In addition, the internet has accelerated the openness and fluidity of information, further fueling this shift toward valuing individuality and diverse perspectives. In today’s world, organizations need systems that help them bring out the best in every individual. That is why we believe that talent management powered by technology is more important than ever.
The Present
Talent management systems play a critical role in supporting human capital management, but one of their defining characteristics is that there is no single correct way to use them. The best approach varies from company to company. To address this, we have not only focused on system implementations but have also worked closely with each client to propose optimal usage strategies and maximize the impact of our solutions.
Initially, we offered one-on-one support. However, as the number of companies using "kaonavi" grew, we launched kaonavi Campus—a platform designed to support more users while empowering them to learn independently. The concept behind kaonavi Campus is similar to a university where kaonavi users gather to study talent management. Since there is no universal answer, it encourages users to proactively think about what approaches best suit their organizations. By combining "hard support"—the implementation of kaonavi—with "soft support"—guidance on how to effectively leverage the platform—we have created an environment where user communities are thriving and peer-to-peer interaction is flourishing.
The SaaS industry, where we operate, is one of the fastest-moving sectors today. Compared to a decade ago, the landscape has changed dramatically, with many new competitors and players emerging. In business management, it’s easy to focus on steadily building up annual profits, but I believe it’s even more important to stay flexible and adapt to change. In today’s rapidly shifting environment, past success does not necessarily guarantee future results. That's why it is crucial to maintain a mindset that constantly questions conventional wisdom.
For corporate leaders, this is especially critical. As leaders, we must be willing to question—even let go of—our own past successes. We must maintain a wide perspective, continuously observe the evolving world around us, and maintain the ability to view ourselves objectively. This is the mindset I consciously uphold as I continue to drive our business forward.
For the Future
In April 2025, we joined the Carlyle Group, a leading U.S. investment fund. With this partnership, we aim to expand our business over the long term while adapting to evolving market needs, ultimately realizing kaonavi’s purpose: “Implement technology to "WORK"
and modify the specifications of society leveraging individual power”.
In recent years, there has been growing demand for kaonavi to offer not only talent management functionalities but also solutions covering broader HR and adjacent areas. In response, we are pursuing a multi-product strategy. One of our key strengths lies in our ability to centralize data and add value to it. For example, by combining talent management data—such as evaluation, placement, and transfer information—with HR data like payroll, attendance, and health records, we can transform scattered information into valuable, actionable insights.
We are currently in what we call our “second phase,” where we are integrating AI with the data we have aggregated to introduce new functionalities and further optimize the relationship between companies and individuals. AI is particularly well suited to talent management, as it excels at making recommendations based on historical data. Moreover, the more data we accumulate, the broader the range of options AI can suggest, helping to unlock greater individual potential.
Looking ahead, our "third phase" involves taking talent management beyond the boundaries of a single company and contributing more broadly to society. Our goal is to realize this vision not only within Japan but across Asia as a whole. While adjusting talent deployment within a company is certainly one way to maximize both individual capabilities and corporate profits, we believe even greater possibilities can emerge when talent management extends across multiple organizations.
We are targeting Asia for expansion because we see strong economic growth across the region, as well as a rising awareness among workers. While labor management practices must be localized to accommodate differences in legal and tax systems across countries, we believe that talent management and communication are universal, transcending borders.
Moreover, one of the founding motivations behind our company has been to create a globally recognized HR technology originating from Japan—one that empowers individual talents and uniqueness. As we move forward, we will continue to focus on steadily achieving each phase in pursuit of our broader vision.