Aoizemi

Aoi.co., Ltd., operating as Aoizemi, was an Ed-Tech company established in March 2012 with a mission to eliminate disparities in education. The founder, Takaki Ishii, was inspired to start the company after his experience as a financial planner, where he observed the significant burden of塾 (juku - cram school) expenses on household finances. This insight led him to create a high-quality, low-cost online educational service.

The company's primary service, Aoizemi, was an online learning platform for junior high and high school students in Japan. It offered a freemium business model. The core feature was free, live-streamed classes broadcast on weekday evenings. Students could interact with lecturers and each other through comments and questions during these live sessions. For paying subscribers, Aoizemi provided access to a library of over 4,000 on-demand lecture videos, downloadable texts, and individual support, creating a comprehensive learning cycle. The platform also included a social learning feature called "Timeline," where students could support and motivate each other.

A significant milestone for the company occurred in November 2017, when it was fully acquired by Z-kai Inc., a major player in the Japanese education industry. The acquisition was intended to combine Aoizemi's online platform and operational expertise with Z-kai's high-quality educational content and resources to enhance their collective Ed-Tech services. Despite this, the Aoizemi service was officially terminated on March 11, 2022. Keywords: online learning, EdTech, juku, cram school, live-streaming education, e-learning, Japanese education, secondary education, high school prep, Z-kai, online tutoring, educational platform, mobile learning, freemium model, educational video, social learning, test preparation, university entrance exams, Takaki Ishii, Aoi Co. Ltd.