Asia-based Rarejob, an online Skype-based English language education business, has raised YEN300m ($3m) from the KDDI Open Innovation Fund, Asia communication group KDDI’s first YEN5bn ($53m) venturing fund launched in 2012. Other firms that invested include YJ Capital, Yahoo Japan’s corporate venturing unit, and fellow corporate venturing firms Cyber Agent Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. Existing backer, Global Brain, which manages KDDI’s fund, also participated.
The latest deal follows the start-up’s 2008 YEN20m ($212,000) investment from Japan-based venture capital firm, Global Brain.
Rarejob provides pre-prepared English lessons from Philippine-based teachers using Skype. It has about 40 employees in Japan and 100 in the Philippines. The number of users is close to 170,000.
Other online English language lessons available via a Skype link in Japan include Langrich and Cafe Talk. Rarejob, however, claims to be the largest player when it comes to the number of lessons and teachers available.
The funds will be used to grow its number of lessons and teachers across its key markets.