relay operates an 'open-name' business succession platform that publicly profiles business owners and their stories to attract successors through empathy-driven matching. Launched in 2020 and headquartered in Miyazaki, the service has published about 800 successor recruitment listings and produced roughly 170 matchings, with reported top commercial matchmaking metrics in Japan for 2020–2024. The company has expanded partnerships with municipalities via programs such as "relay the local," driving substantial growth in local collaboration and third-party succession matches. relay plans to deepen municipal collaboration, increase successor-article publication, develop features tailored for small businesses, and create infrastructure to bring engaged population into regions. Financially, relay has raised a total of ¥740 million to date (including the ¥340 million Series A) and has supplemented equity with debt financing from regional banks to support its expansion. The company is also actively hiring across business, operations, and coordination functions to scale its regional implementation.

Total raised

$2M

Funding rounds

1

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Mar 2026