By Image Credit,The Bridge
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On the 11th, the custom-made care service Ichirou announced that it has raised a total of ¥1.13 billion in its Series B round. Investors include Fast Track Initiative, Aflac Ventures Japan (AVJ No. 2 Investment Limited Partnership), MPower Partners, Open Network Lab (ESG No. 1 Investment Limited Partnership), Cygames Capital, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance Capital, Meiji Yasuda Future Creation Investment Limited Partnership, and One Capital, with additional financing from the Japan Finance Corporation. The total amount raised to date has reached approximately ¥1.54 billion.
The company’s main business is a platform that matches caregivers and nurses on-demand to meet home care needs not covered by public nursing care insurance. Users can request services as soon as the same day, from a minimum of two hours per session to 24/7 availability, flexibly responding to the diverse needs of care recipients and their families.
Last year, Ichirou obtained the international certification “B Corp,” which evaluates public interest and environmental considerations. Additionally, in collaboration with the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, it established the “Care-Related Services Business Association,” setting up a system to lead the resolution of industry-wide issues.
This round of funding is planned to be allocated to strengthening the development of nursing care work support systems, recruiting engineers and specialized nursing/care personnel, accelerating nationwide expansion through advertising operation optimization, and developing new services. The publicly disclosed total of past funding rounds amounts to approximately 390 million yen (Seed: 65 million yen, pre-A: 105 million yen, Series A: 220 million yen), and with Series B, the company has significantly expanded its funding foundation.
via PR TIMES
