Coubic

Coubic, founded in October 2013 by former Googlers including CEO Hiroshi Kuraoka, is a Tokyo-based technology company that developed a cloud-based online booking and customer management system. The firm secured $500,000 in a seed funding round in April 2014, with participation from DCM Partners and GREE Ventures, to accelerate product development. Another early-stage venture capital round followed in April 2015 before the company was ultimately acquired by STORES in August 2020.

The company's primary offering, now known as STORES Reservation, is a booking system designed for small and medium-sized businesses across a variety of sectors, including fitness centers, beauty salons, schools, and retail stores. The platform operates on a SaaS model, providing tools that allow business owners to create and manage their own online reservation pages with minimal technical knowledge. Revenue is generated through tiered subscription plans, including a free basic option and paid tiers that offer more advanced features. The system is designed to handle the entire customer journey, from booking and automated reminders to payments and customer relationship management.

The core product provides a suite of features aimed at streamlining business operations. This includes a website builder for creating reservation pages, a centralized reservation book that consolidates online bookings with those from other channels like phone calls, and customer management tools. A key aspect of the service is its mobile-first design, enabling business owners to manage their operations from anywhere via a dedicated iOS app. The platform supports various payment methods, including pre-payments, monthly fees, and ticket-based systems. A significant selling point is its integration with other products in the STORES ecosystem, such as POS and e-commerce services, offering a comprehensive solution for business management.

Keywords: STORES Reservation, Coubic, online booking system, customer management, SaaS, small business solutions, appointment scheduling, cloud-based software, mobile booking, CRM, salon management, fitness studio software, school scheduling, retail appointments, online payments, business operations, Tokyo startup, Hiroshi Kuraoka, DCM Ventures, GREE Ventures, hey, Inc.