ZENKIGEN

ZENKIGEN Inc. (株式会社ZENKIGEN) is a Tokyo-based technology company that builds software for corporate recruiting. Its principal business is the planning and operation of "harutaka", a recruiting DX service covering video and online interviews and the touchpoints of the candidate selection process. Alongside the product business, the company organizes "ZENKIGEN Lab", a collaborative research program whose researchers publish columns and present academic work on topics such as hiring assessment and workplace communication.

The company describes its approach as "ZENKIGEN Technology", an integration of three disciplines — IT, Science and Design — used to build technology centered on people rather than to reinforce cognitive bias or exclude candidates. Its stated values include neutrality between job seekers and employers, avoiding designs that advantage only one side. The name derives from the Zen term "zenkigen", meaning the full expression of a person's capacities, and the company frames its vision as contributing, through technology, to a society where individuals and companies can fully realize their abilities.

ZENKIGEN is headquartered on the 21st floor of Shiroyama Trust Tower in Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, and also operates the ZENKIGEN Sazan Beach Office in Chigasaki, Kanagawa. It held capital of ¥100,000,000 as of March 2026 and is led by Co-Founder and CEO Hibiki Nozawa.

Founding story

ZENKIGEN was established in October 2017 by Hibiki Nozawa and Takahiro Mizuno. Nozawa joined Intelligence Co., Ltd. (now Persol Career) as a new graduate in 1998, then joined CyberAgent in 1999 when it had fewer than ten employees, holding roles in the Osaka office, the president's office and business management through its Mothers listing; he later joined SoftBank's president's office after participating in SoftBank Academia, and helped establish SB Power Co., Ltd. and launch its electricity retail business before founding ZENKIGEN in 2017. Co-founder Takahiro Mizuno began his career at Yasuda Fire & Marine Insurance in 1999, joined Intelligence in 2000, founded Knock-on Co., Ltd. in 2005, and held roles including new business manager at AOI Pro. and founding member of Unicon Pte. Ltd. The founding message frames the company under the slogan "For Our Next Generations".

Business model

ZENKIGEN sells its harutaka recruiting software to employers. According to a third-party investor-data profile, the company operates a subscription revenue model in which clients contract directly and select service levels within the harutaka offering, producing recurring revenue; it also runs joint research programs and related HR services.

Subscription contracts for the harutaka recruiting DX suite, sold directly to corporate clients who select service tiers, generating recurring revenue.

Traction

An HR-industry directory lists approximately 50 employees and capital of ¥100,000,000; the company's own site states capital of ¥100,000,000 as of March 2026. A third-party investor database states that as of February 2026 the company planned to expand recruitment cloud services, enhance AI interview functions, and grow adoption and partnerships.

Latest developments

In May 2026 ZENKIGEN concluded an OEM business alliance agreement with Link and Motivation, described as accelerating collaboration that began with a capital and business tie-up. In July 2026 it announced an API integration between harutaka and the HRMOS recruiting applicant-tracking system, aimed at unifying data and supporting AI-based standardization of selection quality and automated interview scheduling. ZENKIGEN Lab researchers presented research on workplace communication at the 38th SEAD symposium in May 2026 and appeared at symposia and industry-association sessions on hiring assessment during 2026.