Raksul has raised $14.0M in total across 1 funding round.
Raksul's investors include Canvas Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, World Innovation Lab.
Raksul is a Tokyo-based technology company that started as Japan's leading online marketplace for printing services and has expanded into a B2B e-commerce platform serving small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) across printing, advertising, logistics, and corporate IT.[1][2][3][4] It builds a "sharing model" platform using technology to connect users with underutilized resources from printing companies, logistics providers, and others, enabling on-demand, low-cost services via Web-to-Print and related tools.[2][3] Raksul solves inefficiencies in traditional industries by digitizing supply chains, automating job matching (e.g., gang run printing software that optimizes sheet usage), and offering integrated services like design templates, variable pricing based on lead times, and multi-layered support including software, BPO, and upcoming finance tools.[2][3] Primarily serving over one million Japanese SMEs, it drives growth through ecosystem expansion, with strong momentum evidenced by investments like ¥2.1 billion from Fidelity and a shift toward an "End-to-End Technology Platform for Small Businesses."[2][3]
Founded in 2009 by Yasukane Matsumoto, who remains Chairman, Raksul emerged to disrupt Japan's fragmented printing industry by creating an online "Uber for printing" model.[2][5][6] Matsumoto and early team members identified excess capacity in local print shops and built a platform to aggregate jobs digitally, starting with Web-to-Print for flyers, business cards, and packaging.[1][2] Early traction came from restructuring supply chains—matching customer orders to printers based on expertise, pricing, and location—while introducing innovations like gang run software for cost efficiency.[2] Pivotal moments include a ¥2.1 billion funding round in the mid-2010s from investors like Fidelity, expansion beyond printing into advertising, logistics, and SaaS by 2020, and establishing a Vietnam development center to globalize engineering (now one-third international).[1][2][6] Under CEOs like Yo Nagami (since 2014), it evolved into a broader SME enabler.[3][6]
Raksul rides the wave of digitizing traditional Japanese industries—printing, logistics, advertising—where SMEs (99% of businesses) face structural inefficiencies like idle capacity and manual processes.[3][5] Timing aligns with Japan's push for Industry 4.0 and post-pandemic e-commerce acceleration, amplified by labor shortages and rising costs favoring platforms over capital-intensive models.[2][4] Market forces like SME digital adoption (e.g., Web-to-Print demand) and data leverage from 1M+ users position it strongly in a $100B+ fragmented market.[3] It influences the ecosystem by fostering "sharing economy" models for B2B, enabling SME growth via end-to-end platforms, and exporting tech talent strategies globally.[1][3]
Raksul is poised to solidify as Japan's SME Enabler by fully linking its transactions-software-finance ecosystem, targeting explosive growth in underserved traditional sectors.[3] Key trends like AI-driven optimization, SME fintech rollout (new fiscal year), and international expansion will shape it, potentially scaling beyond Japan via Vietnam engineering and global scalability focus.[1][3] Influence may evolve from printing disruptor to comprehensive B2B tech giant, empowering SMEs in a "Better Systems, Better World" vision—watch for ecosystem synergies driving user retention and new revenue streams.[3][5] This builds on its printing origins, transforming idle resources into a high-impact platform.
Raksul has raised $14.0M across 1 funding round. Most recently, it raised $14.0M Series B in February 2014.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 1, 2014 | $14.0M Series B | Canvas Ventures, Sapphire Ventures, Scale Venture Partners, World Innovation Lab |
