I-plug

About I-plug

i-plug Inc. is a Japanese human resources technology firm that operates 'OfferBox,' a direct recruiting platform for new graduates. The company was founded in Osaka on April 18, 2012, by Tomoya Nakano, who now serves as the Representative Director and CEO. Nakano's own early career experiences, which included a brief stint at a company followed by a period of unemployment, inspired him to create a service that addresses the mismatches between students and companies in the traditional job-hunting process. He later gained 10 years of experience in the recruitment advertising market at Intelligence, Ltd. (now Persol Group) and earned an MBA from Globis University Graduate School of Management before establishing i-plug.

The company's core service, OfferBox, reverses the traditional recruitment model by allowing companies to search for and send offers directly to students. Students create detailed profiles that can include videos and photos, providing a more holistic view of their personalities and skills than a standard resume. The platform utilizes an AI-powered search system that analyzes corporate user behavior to display students who are a likely match for the company. This model aims to reduce mismatches and the time and cost associated with mass entry-based recruitment. The service operates primarily on a success-based fee model, where companies pay when a student accepts an offer, although fixed-cost plans are also available.

i-plug went public and was listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Mothers market (now Growth market) in March 2021. This was a strategic move to increase the company's credibility and expand its capacity for innovation. The company has since grown its portfolio through acquisitions, including e-falcon Co., Ltd. in 2018, which provides the 'eF-1G' aptitude test, and Maximize Inc. in 2022. These additions have expanded i-plug's services across the HR pipeline, from recruitment and selection to employee development and retention. As of March 2025, i-plug had 299 employees (on a non-consolidated basis) and had expanded its services to include the mid-career recruitment platform 'PaceBox', launched in 2022.