Rarejob, a Japan-based English language learning platform, is set to float on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market.
In June 2013 Rarejob raised ¥300m ($3m) from the KDDI Open Innovation Fund, Asia communication group KDDI’s first ¥5bn ($53m) venturing fund, launched in 2012.
Other firms to have invested in Rarejob include YJ Capital, Yahoo Japan’s corporate venturing unit, and fellow corporate venturing firms CyberAgent Ventures and Mitsubishi UFJ Capital. Existing backer Global Brain, a Japan-based venture capital irm that manages KDDI’s fund, also participated.
The startup also raised ¥20m ($212,000) funding from Global Brain in 2008. Rarejob provides pre-prepared English lessons from Philippine-based teachers using Skype.