Japan learning platform Mana.bo raises $3m Series A round

Set up in April 2012, Mana.bo provides online tutor services in partnership with client companies in the education industry. Using this B2B2C model, the company has been able to expand its coverage by leveraging the brand names of its clients.

Mana.bo - which received seed funding from Cyber Agent Ventures last year - recently launched a new online real-time tutoring service, Katei Kyoshi, and is poised to launched another consumer-focused service in the fall. The new capital will be used to hire staff and promote the new service. Currently the start-up already claims to have 500 online students registered, mainly from top Japanese universities.

There has been quite a bit of venture capital activity in Japan's education space in recent times. In August, online cram school Aoi.com managed to raise $1.2 million. The same month Life is Tech, a Tokyo-based IT boot camp program for elementary and junior high school students, raised JPY310 million from Japanese investors Jafco, Mistletoe, KCJ Group, DeNA and Recruit Holdings.

Another education-focused investment in Japan's tech space to take place this year involved Tokyo-based educational app developer Smart Education. CyberAgent and Infinity Venture Partners invested JPY550 million in the company.

Benesse has a track record for investing alongside Japanese VCs. In March it also took part in a GBP3.4 million ($5.8 mllion) Series B round investment in Quipper, a UK company that develops educational mobile applications, alongside Globis Capital Partners. Both investors had also taken partn in the Series A round. 

 

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• Topics
• North Asia
• Venture
• Early-stage
• Japan
• Education
• Mitsubishi UFJ Capital
• Venture
• Nissay Capital