【Z-kai Group and manabo】
manabo Inc. and Zoshinkai Publisher Inc. form a capital and business alliance
November 1, 2016
Zoshinkai Publishers Inc.
November 1st, 2016 - Zoshinkai Publishers Inc. (Headquarters: Sunto-gun, Shizuoka, Japan; CEO Takaaki Fujii, below, “Zoshonkai”), the holding company of Z-kai Group, has announced that in October 2016 the company agreed to invest 250 million yen as capital increase in a third-party allocation of shares by manabo Inc. (Headquarters: Roppogi, Minato-ku, Tokyo; CEO Katsuhito Mihashi, below, “manabo”) and that the two companies have formed a capital and business alliance. The two companies will continue to discuss and collaborate in services including online tutoring services. This collaboration will bring about the development of new services to meet our customers’ expectations and to increase corporate value.
Background
With the rapid spread of the use of ICT (Information, Communication and Technology) in education, educational companies are focusing on the improvement of services and the creation of added value for their customers. ICT makes it possible to reduce the physical restrictions of time and location and to make learning significantly more effective.
The Z-kai Group, through Z-kai Inc. and other subsidiaries of Z-kai, will continue to utilize ICT in offering high quality services and added value free of the physical restrictions of time and location, in order to deliver the high-value services that our customers really need.
Standing and strengths of the companies
In today’s rapidly-evolving educational environment, manabo offers an original online-based tutoring service. Students and alumni of top-ranked universities are ready to provide online tutoring 24/7 via the student’s smartphone or tablet device, making it possible for questions to be answered at any time in any place.
The Z-kai group offers a wide variety of educational services, including correspondence courses, publications, mock examinations, Cambridge English Examinations and ICT-based services, aimed at students ranging from kindergarten children to adults. The group delivers these services on the basis of the corporate philosophy “excellence in education for future global leaders” through Z-kai Inc., Z-kai CA Inc., Z-kai Educe Inc. and other subsidiaries.
In addition, the group also operates cram schools catering to students attending elementary to high school as well as English language conversation school, and markets textbooks and tests to public schools, cram schools and prep schools throughout Japan through Eikoh Inc., Educational Network Inc., Shane Corporation Ltd. and other subsidiaries of ZE Holdings Inc., a group company of Zoshinkai.
Anticipated outcome of the alliance
As described above, the Z-kai Group offers a wide variety of educational services. While the group already offers high-quality response services backed by know-how acquired through long experience, delivering responses takes time and services may not always available when no tutor is present in the learning center.
The alliance with manabo will, by making available the technologies and services of manabo, enable the Z-kai Group to reduce response times, to offer 24/7 online tutoring services and to create an ideal response system supporting all subscribers; and services will continue to be improved.
Nature of Business (projected)
From 2017:
- Provision of online tutoring services to 9th grade Z-kai students preparing for high school entrance examinations.
- Provision of online tutoring services to all Z-kai Asteria (*1) students.
- Provision of online tutoring services to all Eikoh Nabio cram school (*2) students.
In addition:
The two companies will continue to discuss and develop together new services to boost expansion and to meet customers’ expectations.
[Notes]
*1:Z-kai Asteria is a new-style learning service that provides comprehension exercises and answer checking via the medium of a tablet device (aimed at 7th grade and above junior high school students/not restricted by grade). The trademark “Asteria” is used under license from Infoteria Corporation.
*2:Navigator/student one-on-one tuition: the service is aimed at high school students.
About manabo Inc.
- Company name: manabo Inc.
- Address: Sumitomo Fudosan Roppongi-dori Bldg. 6F, 7-18-18, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0032
- President, Representative Director: Katsuhito Mihashi, CEO
- Capital: 621,22 million yen
- Established: April, 2012
Press Contact:
◆Zoshinkai Publishers Inc.
Tel: 055-976-5568 (hours: 9am-5:30pm)
◆Z-kai Inc.
Tel: 055-976-8947 (hours: 9am-5:30pm)
E-mail: press@zkai.co.jp
◆manabo Inc.
03-5413-8188 (10:00-19:00)
E-mail: info@manabo.com
