Left:RareJob, Inc. Gaku Nakamura, CEO
Middle：shikaku square, Inc. Ikuo Sato, CEO
Right：Sight Visit Inc. Masato Kito, Managing Director

In December 2021, shikaku square, Inc. was established to manage “Shikaku Square” business, which is online learning for qualifications. Originally, the business was the initial service of SiteVisit, Inc. operating the electronic contract system now. Shikaku Square business will move forward as one of RareJob group members.
I asked top management of the three companies to talk about the background, the challenges and determination of this M&A.

Turning learning willingness of people of people into results

Sato
: “Shikaku Square” began offering online learning services, reducing costs significantly compared to brick and mortar schools which is the greatest advantage of this service. The number of members has been steadily increasing since the establishment of Site Visit in 2013.

Kito
: In recent years, we have focused on developing the service to enable members to keep learning more easily by improving our curriculum and making the system more convenient .

Sato
:That’s right. Nevertheless, the service essence of helping members pass exams for qualification, which is the most important outcome for them, has never changed. This should be said to be the value provided by “Shikaku Square” in a different dimension from the operating company.
This time we considered our core values and missions once again to join the RareJob group. What we should do is to support those who try to continue their learning to pass various qualification exams. We defined our mission to realize the core value is to transform people’s willingness to learn into achieving results.

Nakamura
: The keyword “results” is what each business of RareJob focuses on.

Sato
:Exactly. For example, the AI English speaking test PROGOS®, which was developed by the RareJob group, quantifies and visualizes your English speaking ability based on the international standard, CEFR. People are able to speak English fluently, which is “the result” as the speaking exam motivates them to keep learning and enables them to understand how to learn English efficiently. This concept inspires us to think about our mission as a member of the RareJob group.

Nakamura
: I feel that we have multiplied the core value of “Shikaku Square” by the view of the RareJob group.

Sato
: I believe that this M&A specified more clearly the direction we should take and the value we want to refine.

This M&A was started with the encounter of “earnest entrepreneurs”

Nakamura
: It was about 2016 when I first met Kito-san. We went to the same school and I met him at EdTech related events, and went for lunch together sometimes.

Kito
: I know about RareJob as the company operating a new English online learning service using Skype . I was thinking that not only English learning, but also all of learning including for qualification exams would be online, and RareJob was the service that gave us tips for the establishment of “Shikaku Square”. However, I didn’t know that the CEO of RareJob was from my school. When I actually met him, I felt that he was down to earth.

Nakamura
: From my point of view, Kito-san is a very earnest person. I feel the same way when looking at the company, business and his personality.

Kito
: Thank you. However, when I first heard about the merger of “Shikaku Square” with the RareJob group, I was surprised to say, “Seriously?”. But after that I was like, “Oh, that can be possible.”

Sato
: Even after joining Freee group, we have been always considering what scenarios can be possible for the development of the “Shikaku Square” business, in other words, the best way to make our services better.

Nakamura
: The RareJob group has the keywords of “education” and “developing employability skills,” and this is why we are “RareJob.” Though we started with the English related business, we are not the only company providing English online learning. We have always considered that we must enter new fields in order to expand and grow our business. I have been making connections with various companies and services in different industries to look for a way to establish new business for a long time. One day when I heard about the news that Site Visit, Inc, would join Freee Group, I thought “This can be an opportunity for us!”. So, I immediately contacted Mr Sasaki of Freee at the day after the news was announced.

Why was the RareJob Group chosen for the M&A?
Potential for leap forward and determination

Kito
: Site Visit’s mission is to “continue to grow together and create the future.” The idea came from my wish that we want our employees to grow and become happy by developing business and creating a new future.
Actually when the suggestion for this M&A came out, I intuitively thought that it looks like it’s going to work well.

Nakamura
: What made you think so?

Kito
: Firstly, specific synergies could be expected. I thought it would be good that we have a little different educational platform though they seem to be similar at a glance. Nakamura-san is another important factor. The atmosphere of the company and the organization reflects the nature of founders and managers themselves. In this aspect, RareJob is the earnest company because Mr Nakamura-san is earnest, and which is the same for business operations.
Only the RareJob group enables the “Shikaku Square” business to expand more and make the employees happier. I believed so.

Nakamura
: That’s a pleasant word, isn’t it?

Sato
: As Kito-san says, if our businesses are too close, conflicts are likely to occur. On the other hand, if they are too far away, it will be difficult to create synergies between businesses. I felt that the possibility will expand greatly by combining areas of mutual strength and areas that each of us does not possess.

Kito
However, this is just one of the scenarios, so there have been some difficult decisions we had to make. When I asked Sato-san to take the CEO position of shikaku square, Inc, he just said that he needed some time to think, which was the fearest moment for me.

Sato
: I wanted to make everyone who believes in and supports the business value of “Shikaku Square” even in a tough time happy. Even though joining the RareJob group is the most desirable scenario, we didn’t know whether this M&A would be fulfilled or not at that time. I have the solid determination to take responsibility to make our business more valuable for customers and make employees happy if I became CEO of shikaku square, Inc. I wondered who could achieve this more than me in any scenarios we would take and if someone with the same passion as mine would appear… The answer is nobody but me who can contribute to Shikaku Square business the most. Then, I prepared myself to take that position.

Nakamura
: The establishment of the management system for the margered company is the most important as the parent company. We began interacting with Sato-san online, but we believe that we are able to leave the business to Sato-san due to his passion for business growth, his personality and vision.

The happiness and peace for employees are the top priority

Nakamura
: The M&A this time was quite a big deal for RareJob, and we were required to make challenging decisions and moves. Sato-san and Kito-san said that “the happiness of the people who work” again and again and what we care for the most was particularly the acceptance of employees of shikaku square, Inc.

Sato
: We’ve discussed quite a lot about how to explain this event for employees to make them accept it properly, haven’t we?

Nakamura
: In fact, I wanted to see the people of “Shikaku Square” soon after the M&A announcement to make them feel easier because it affected them greatly and they would be worried about it. Actually, I announced it online that day, and we held a face-to-face meeting with them the following day.

Sato
: I was very grateful. I wanted our employees to accept this positively and start again. If we simply tell information, it will make them feel concerned unnecessarily. I believe that they also could feel that the CEO of the RareJob group thought us seriously.

Nakamura
:It was also good for us to assign an executive officer from our side to shikaku square.

Sato
: Yes, it was encouraging. Before the establishment of shikaku square, Inc., he came to our office and I was able to communicate with him sitting next to me. I believe that such spontaneous involvement and closeness have helped to enhance the sense of security for our employment moving to the new group.
Fortunately, they seemed to have more empathy and expectations for the educational business of RareJob than concern for joining the group. We could take a new step together with the same spirit.

Begin here
New growth of the new “Shikaku Square”

Sato
: Now, I feel like standing at the starting point. With a new mission, we will further expand the “Shikaku Square” service as a member of the RareJob group.

Nakamura
: I have great expectations. We can utilize our expertise and experience of RareJob to refine the strengths of “Shikaku Square”. Conversely, we will be able to utilize products which Shikaku Square business will create in the near future. As a result, we will expand our business field of “learning” and draw up a future that will grow more.

Kito
: I’m very excited to hear the two of you. As a founder, I would like to see the “Shikaku Square” service growing rapidly and running independently so that the shadow of the founder disappears from the “Shikaku Square.”
The RareJob Group is also looking forward to the future in which this M&A is said to become a turning point for further growth.