Benesse Holdings, Inc. Invested by "Benesse Digital Innovation Fund" Capital and business alliance with Natee, a creator co-creation marketing business

Benesse Holdings, Inc.
Invested by “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund” Capital and business alliance with Natee, a creator co-creative marketing business Strengthening influencer marketing using TikTok for “Kodomo Challenge” and “Shinkenzemi”

Benesse Holdings, Inc. (Headquarters: Okayama City, Okayama
Prefecture, President and CEO: Hitoshi Kobayashi, hereinafter referred to as Benesse) has announced Natee Co., Ltd., a creator co-creative marketing business specializing in short movies such as TikTok. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Ryoken Kojima; hereinafter: Natee).
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Background and future development of the capital and business alliance Up until now, Benesse has upheld the corporate philosophy of “well-being” and has provided services to enrich people’s lives, centered on education and nursing care businesses. Natee, which we have partnered with this time, is developing a creator co-creation marketing business specializing in short movies with the mission of “making human beings talents”. It is a company that implements promotional measures of “co-creation type”.
With the rapid changes in customer needs and the increasing
penetration rate of smartphones, there is a growing need to use SNS as a point of contact with many middle and high school students (*Reference 1.). Among them, TikTok is used by 62.4% of teens, and more usage is expected in the future.
Under these circumstances, in collaboration with Natee, we will strengthen digital marketing using short movies such as TikTok in marketing activities that increase children’s motivation to learn through popular creators. In addition, we will consider developing businesses such as creator schools by utilizing Natee’s TikTok creator training know-how and Benesse’s learning know-how.
About Natee Co., Ltd. (https://natee.jp/)
Natee is a creator economy company whose mission is to “turn humanity into talent!”
In the creator co-creative marketing business, which specializes in short movies, we provide “co-creative” promotion measures that combine client products and brands with the worldview of TikTok creators. In an era when SNS has spread and anyone can become an advertising tower, we aim to promote “participatory promotional activities” and realize a new form of advertising.
Comments on the capital and business alliance
Natee Co., Ltd.
Mr. Ryoken Kojima, Representative Director
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We are very pleased to be able to form a capital and business alliance with Benesse, one of the most trusted leading companies in Japan. At first glance, it may seem like an unexpected combination, but Benesse, which upholds its corporate philosophy of “living well,” and Natee, which upholds “humanity as talent,” are pursuing the same future. led to this partnership. In addition to strengthening the promotion of Shinkenzemi, which we have been working with until now, we will also strengthen concrete cooperation such as jointly launching a school project for creators. We will further increase the value we provide. Benesse Holdings, Inc. Finance Department Financial Strategy Section Benesse Digital Innovation Fund Kentaro Watanabe
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Natee has a vision of “Making Humanity Talent.” promotion has been realized. As a result, I was strongly impressed by the fact that the world is changing from a world driven by only a few top creators to a world where many middle creators can also play an active role, which is why I decided to invest. Regarding digital marketing that utilizes SNS, which will continue to expand in the future, while carefully unraveling the problems that are complicatedly intertwined within our company, we are thinking together about how to make it more effective and moving forward together. We are pleased to be able to build a deep relationship through our partnership.
■ Reference 1.
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Source: August 2022 Information and Communications Policy Research Institute, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, “FY2021 Survey Report on Information and Communications Media Usage Time and Information Behavior”
-Overview-About Benesse Digital Innovation Fund (DIF)
■ Background of establishment
DIF aims to further promote DX in existing businesses and services by investing in education, life, nursing care, and DX-related venture companies, as well as to “co-create new businesses” with venture companies.
・DIF Management Office: dif@mail.benesse.co.jp / URL:
https://www.benesse.co.jp/digital/fund/
■ Investment target
・Companies that can expect business synergies with the Benesse Group in areas such as education, lifestyle, and nursing care
・Companies with planning and development capabilities for services related to DX promoted by Benesse
・Companies with innovative technologies and markets in Benesse-related fields, or companies that can be expected to develop such technologies ■ Investment amount
・Up to 5 billion yen in total over 5 years (Investment ratio is assumed to be several percent to 15%)
■ History of investments and partnerships
・Code Chrysalis https://www.codechrysalis.io/ja
・Hmcomm https://hmcom.co.jp/
・Forth Valley Concierge https://www.4th-valley.com/
・ Arsaga Partners Co., Ltd. https://www.arsaga.jp/
・paiza Co., Ltd. https://paiza.jp/
・LX DESIGN Co., Ltd. https://lxdesign.me/
・learningBOX Co., Ltd. https://learningbox.co.jp/
-Reference material-
About Benesse’s DX strategy
In its medium-term management plan, Benesse aims to “evolve core businesses” and “challenge new areas”, and positions “promotion of DX” as a central strategy related to both. Benesse has been striving for many years to improve the value it provides through the use of digital technology in order to realize its corporate philosophy of
“well-being.” In order to further promote DX at Benesse, an
organization called Digital Innovation Partners (DIP) will be established in the spring of 2021 under the direct control of the president. We are driving the realization of the medium-term management plan by integrating the information system department, the human resource development department, and the consulting department for promoting DX. In addition, in recognition of these efforts, Benesse has been certified as a “DX Certified Business Operator” based on the DX certification system established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
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DX-related transmissions so far
■ Benesse Group’s DX
https://www.benesse.co.jp/digital/
■ About the Digital Innovation Fund
https://www.benesse.co.jp/fund/
■ Benesse Holdings New Medium-Term Management Plan FY2021-2025 https://pdf.irpocket.com/C9783/BYOH/gLgt/NOtl.pdf
■ Benesse establishes “Digital Innovation Fund” Investing in education and nursing care ventures with an investment limit of 5 billion yen Strengthening Investments and Collaboration -Starting Activities in November, Planning to Invest in Code Chrysalis and Hmcomm-
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/en/news/management/2021/11/05_5646.html ■ Formed a capital and business alliance with Code Chrysalis, a school that trains ready-to-use programmers in three months
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/ja/news/release20211125_002.pdf ■ Capital and business alliance with Hmcomm, which has strengths in AI development
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/en/news/management/2022/02/09_5670.html ■ The third round of investment in the “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund” has been decided　Capital tie-up with Forth Valley Concierge, which has strengths in global recruitment support
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/en/news/management/2022/03/14_5686.html ■ Capital and business alliance with Arsaga Partners Co., Ltd., a provider of one-stop DX solutions　Investment by the “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund” to accelerate the DX promotion of the Benesse Group’s services and businesses
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/ja/news/management/2022/07/21_5842.html ■ Invested by “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund” Capital tie-up with paiza, a learning and employment support service for engineers Aiming for co-creation of IT engineer training and employment support fields https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/en/news/management/2022/08/31_5857.html ■ Invested by “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund” Equity with LX DESIGN, which connects schools with people who want to be teachers as a side job
Business alliance: LX DESIGN × Classi, aiming to enhance “exploration” time https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/ja/news/management/2022/10/12_5871.html ■ Invested by “Benesse Digital Innovation Fund”　Capital and business alliance with e-learning system provider learningBOX　Accelerating the provision of services to meet the needs of CBT at schools
https://blog.benesse.ne.jp/bh/ja/news/management/2022/11/04_5878.html that’s all