Japanese HR startup raises $3m to focus on local tourism employment

Japanese talent recruitment technology startup Grooves raised US$3 million today from local travel agency JTB Corporation and the All-Japan Tourism National Fund.

The company, which claims to have a network of over 5,000 corporations in Japan on its platform, plans to use the fresh funds to focus on boosting employment in the country’s tourism segment. The startup also aims to promote its growth in all of Japan’s provinces through the investment, according to a statement.

From left: JTB Corporation Managing Director Kazuhiko Kaneko and Grooves CEO Yukihiro Ikemi / Photo source: Grooves

Grooves, which aims to connect Southeast Asians to job opportunities in Japan, also said it looks to leverage the capability of foreign workers to strengthen the country’s tourism industry. “We believe that the linguistic and management skills of these foreign workers will help elevate the tourism experience in Japan,” said Grooves CEO Yukihiro Ikemi.

The HR tech startup said earlier this year that it received US$920,000 from the PNB-Inspire Ethical Fund. Grooves used that earlier funding to tap into the Southeast Asian market, starting with Malaysia, where it had set up its regional headquarters. The company said it has raised over US$12 million since being founded in 2004.