The SaaS Source: September 2023
If you’re looking to stay on top of the news in the software-as-a-service (SaaS) industry in Japan, you’re in the right place. These are some of the stories that have been drawing attention among insiders in the past month.
Fueled by $93 Million in Funding, Josys Plans Overseas Expansion
According to a September 6 story in Tech in Asia, the startup Josys has raised $93 million that will help it expand to the United States and the Asia–Pacific region. The SaaS company was founded in 2021 by Raksul founder Yasukane Matsumoto, and allows teams that use it to work with tools from providers such as Google, Amazon Web Services, and Microsoft in a centralized location, while the companies can track how much money their teams are spending on them. Josys already counts Sony, Panasonic, Rakuten, and SoftBank among its 300 current customers. With the funding, which came through a series B funding round led by Global Brain and Globis Capital Partners, the company plans to scale its operations, add more mid-size customers, and expand its product and engineering team, in addition to developing in overseas markets.
Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Uses Integrated System for Greater Efficiency
Shipping giant Mitsui O.S.K. Lines is using a real-time intelligent data management cloud (IDMS) system alongside a SaaS/integration platform-as-a-service (iPaaS) system to streamline its operations, a Yahoo! News story from September 15 states (in Japanese). The implementation of the systems is a response to the need to integrate a wide range of multiple systems that each of Mitsui O.S.K. Lines’ business divisions use. The implementation of this new set of IDMS and SaaS/iPaaS systems enables wide-ranging data linkage of functions—including accounting, sales, operations, and back-office operations—in a multi-cloud environment. It is also expected to drastically cut down the man-hours that are necessary to link multiple applications and integrate operation management.
Orico Employs SaaS Platform for Contract Management
Orient Corporation, or Orico, has implemented a SaaS platform that can be used to search and manage contracts, ZDNET reported on September 14 (in Japanese). Known as Contract One and developed by SaaS industry leader Sansan, the platform helps to address one of Orico’s specific needs. The company manages and stores paper contracts for the more than 500 financial institutions it is associated with. Many of these are long-term contracts, and in some cases more than 100 contracts and memoranda are signed with a single affiliated financial institution. By employing a platform that accommodates the digitization and cloud storage of contracts and memoranda, these documents can then be searched and organized with greater efficiency and ease, while reducing the analog work required to process paper contracts, such as copying and filing.
Appier Named Outstanding Company by Asiamoney Poll
In a press release published on Bloomberg on September 5, it was announced that Appier received the Outstanding Company in Japan – Software & Service title from Asiamoney’s Asia’s Outstanding Companies Poll. The SaaS company, which harnesses artificial intelligence to assist digital marketing throughout the customer journey, from acquisition and engagement to conversion and retention. The poll recognizes listed companies that have performed well in areas that include financial performance, management team excellence, investor relations activities and CSR initiatives. This year, poll voters included some 1,200 fund managers, research analysts, bankers, and rating agencies.
