Nishika

Nishika is a Japanese platform that hosts data science and AI competitions, while also functioning as a recruitment service for data scientists and AI engineers. The company was founded by Kohei Yamashita (CEO) and Kensuke Matsui (CTO). Kohei Yamashita, after graduating from the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tokyo, gained experience at an investment fund and later at a US-based AI startup before establishing Nishika Inc. Kensuke Matsui holds a master's degree in informatics from Kyoto University and has a background in developing recommendation engines and advertising delivery algorithms at a major human resources company.

The platform serves a dual purpose. For businesses, it offers a solution to data science and AI challenges by allowing them to crowdsource models and solutions from a community of over 40,000 data scientists (as of July 2024). Companies can post competitions with prize money to find the best predictive models for their specific needs. Simultaneously, Nishika operates as a specialized recruitment platform, connecting companies with skilled data science professionals from its user base who are seeking employment or career changes. For data scientists and students, Nishika provides a space to test and improve their skills, build a track record through competition results, and find job opportunities. The business model appears to be based on fees from companies for hosting competitions and for successful talent recruitment.

Keywords: data science competitions, AI recruitment, machine learning, predictive modeling, talent acquisition, crowdsourcing, data analysis, AI engineering, tech talent, Japan