Wantedly

About Wantedly

Wantedly is a Japanese technology company that has developed a social recruiting platform focused on connecting candidates with companies based on shared values and mission rather than salary or benefits. Founded in 2010 by Akiko Naka, the company aims to create a world where work drives passion. The service officially launched in February 2012.

Akiko Naka's journey to founding Wantedly was unconventional. After graduating from Kyoto University with a degree in economics in 2008, she joined Goldman Sachs in equity sales. The 2008 financial crisis and the subsequent departure of colleagues she admired led her to feel a lack of purpose, and she quit to pursue her passion for becoming a Manga artist. Her interest in technology, which began at age 12 when she built her first website, eventually led her to a position as a growth coordinator at Facebook Japan. This experience, combined with her earlier observations of widespread job dissatisfaction, inspired her to create a platform that would reinvent the hiring process. Naka became the youngest woman to take a company public on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.

Wantedly's business model is primarily a subscription-based SaaS model for its corporate clients. Companies pay a monthly fee to post an unlimited number of job listings and use the platform's features, with no success fees upon hiring. The platform serves a wide range of clients, from startups and SMEs to large enterprises like Uber and Airbnb. While it started in Japan, Wantedly has expanded internationally with a presence in Singapore.

The company offers several products. 'Wantedly Visit' is the core platform that allows potential employees to discover companies and request casual office visits to chat with the team, fostering a match based on culture and vision. 'Wantedly Hire' is an applicant tracking system (ATS) that helps companies manage their recruitment process from multiple sources in a centralized platform. Other tools include 'Wantedly People', a business card scanning and contact management app, and 'Engagement Suite', which features tools for internal communication and employee motivation.