Linc Corporation

Linc Corporation, established on June 6, 2016, operates as a pivotal online services provider dedicated to supporting foreign talent throughout their lifecycle in Japan. The company was founded by CEO Shiyo Naka, who leveraged his personal experiences as a foreigner in Japan to address the challenges faced by this demographic. Before founding Linc, Mr. Naka, a Chinese native, came to Japan after high school, graduated from Keio University's Faculty of Law, and subsequently worked in the investment banking division at Nomura Securities, focusing on M&A and financing for IT companies. This background provided him with a distinct perspective on the systemic hurdles foreigners encounter in education and employment in Japan.

The company's core mission is to facilitate a seamless integration for foreign nationals by supporting their educational, career, and living needs, aiming to maximize their sentiment that "coming to Japan was the right choice." Linc targets Japan's significant labor shortage by creating an infrastructure to support foreign talent. Its business model centers on offering a suite of online services that assist with education, university admissions, and employment. The firm operates with a paid professional introduction service license. One of its initial products was "Linc Study," an e-learning platform specifically for Chinese students preparing for university entrance in Japan, providing lecture videos, practice questions, and Q&A sessions. Over time, the company has built a community of approximately 450,000 foreign residents, one of the largest in Japan.

Linc generates revenue through its platform that connects companies and schools with qualified foreign talent, creating a vertical integration of services covering various life events from studying and part-time work to full-time employment and career changes. The firm addresses the needs of both foreign individuals seeking opportunities and Japanese companies seeking to hire from a global talent pool. After securing a JPY 100 million seed funding round in February 2018 from Genesia Ventures and BEENEXT, the company has continued its expansion. More recently, in August 2024, Linc announced a funding round of JPY 230 million from en-japan inc., signaling continued growth and investor confidence in its strategic direction.

Keywords: foreign talent support, Japan education services, career services for foreigners, online learning platform, Japanese labor market, international student support, multicultural society, talent acquisition, human resources Japan, Linc Study, Shiyo Naka, cross-border recruitment, EdTech Japan, professional placement service, Japanese university admissions, foreign community platform, venture capital-backed, e-learning services, workforce solutions, Japan market entry