BABY JOB, Japan's first company to offer unlimited diaper use at daycare facilities, raises approximately 500 million yen in funding.

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The "Hand Held Diaper Climbing" program is the first subschool in Japan that allows unlimited use of disposable diapers at daycare facilities.
This service solves the problems of both parents and childcare workers by eliminating the need for parents to handwrite their names on diapers and bring them with them, and by eliminating the need for childcare workers to manage individual diapers.
In July 2019, the said service was fully launched and is currently (*as of July 2021) being introduced in over 1,000 childcare facilities; in 2020, the service won the Grand Prix of the Japan Subscription Business Awards.

Investors in this financing (in no particular order)

DIMENSION Corporation, Hack Ventures, Seibo Investment Works, SMBC Venture Capital, Senshu Ikeda Capital, Direct Marketing Mix, iSGS Investment Works, Mizuho Capital, Inc.

Comments from each investor

Hack Ventures, Inc.

We are pleased to make an additional investment following our initial investment last year. BABY JOB, led by President Ueno, continues to actively develop its business centered on the "hand-me-down preschool" business. Activities to solve social issues related to child-rearing are being promoted across the country, and we feel that their influence and attention are growing.
We are very pleased that many investors will join our shareholders through this fundraising. The fund will continue to support BABY JOB, a startup from Osaka, to the best of its ability.

interpoint (interword separation)Noriyuki Ito, Business Producer, DIMENSION Corporation

I feel that "Hand Held Up School" is a truly necessary service for both parents with children and childcare workers, and that it is a business of great social significance. We believe that the management team of Mr. Ueno, Mr. Nada, and Mr. Shinohara, who are earnest in their approach to management, will make this service grow into a business that reaches many parents who need it. I hope that DIMENSION will join other investors in supporting you in this endeavor.

interpoint (interword separation)Hyoma Seki, President, Seibo Investment Works Co.

Childcare facilities are an important social infrastructure for balancing work and child rearing, but as working styles become more diverse, more convenience and flexibility are required.
At the same time, there is an urgent need to reduce the workload of those working at childcare facilities, and BABY JOB Co., Ltd. is providing a service that is good for childcare facilities, childcare providers, and parents through "hand-me-down preschool," and we look forward to the social impact of this service.

interpoint (interword separation)Issei Ikeda, Deputy General Manager, Kansai Investment Sales Department, SMBC Venture Capital Co.

We are pleased to continue our support from last year. It has been a year of great upheaval in Corona, but it has also been a year in which we have been reminded that childcare facilities are an indispensable social infrastructure for balancing child rearing and work.
BABYJOB's "hand-me-down preschool" has been adopted by many childcare facilities in this difficult environment, contributing to the reduction of the burden on many parents and childcare workers, and the company is making steady steps toward growth. We are confident that the "Hand-operated Toen" will be adopted by more childcare facilities in the future and contribute to alleviating the burden of childcare, which is a social issue, and we have decided to invest in the company again. We will continue to do our utmost to support this project.

interpoint (interword separation)Yuki Kobayashi, President, Direct Marketing Mix Inc.

We decided to invest in BABY JOB because we share the vision of this service, which aims to realize the healthy growth of children, a sustainable work style for childcare facilities, and a society where parents can easily raise their children while working. We hope to use this investment as an opportunity to support the delivery of Hand-Off Childcare to as many users as possible, and to work together with BABY JOB to create a society in which all people can enjoy child-rearing through the co-creation of business.

Katsumi Hiramatsu, Representative Director, Senshu Ikeda Capital Co.

BABY JOB is a start-up company that solves social problems and is expanding the childcare environment throughout Japan to bring smiles to everyone's faces, with the vision of "a society where everyone can enjoy raising children.
The Senshu Ikeda Holdings Group is promoting co-creation with startups that will help develop the local economy and secure employment, and we sympathize with the "hand-me-down preschool" service that will accelerate parents' participation in society.
We have invested in BABY JOB, a company that contributes to the realization of SDGs (5) "Achieve gender equality" and (8) "Both job satisfaction and economic growth," because we would like to support the company by utilizing the Group's network.

Risa Yasuki, Investment Manager, iSGS Investment Works, Inc.

This service eliminates the need for parents to bring their own diapers and greatly reduces the burden on both parents and childcare workers by greatly reducing the need for childcare workers to manage diapers. In addition, BABYJOB has begun providing free disposable diapers to households on public assistance, and is actively engaged in projects that are highly valued from the perspective of the SDGs.
As a childcare support platform provider, we expect that the company will expand its business to solve various issues related to childcare by increasing the number of products other than diapers!

Takashi Nagato, General Manager, Osaka Investment Department, Mizuho Capital Co.

As the venture capital arm of the Mizuho Group, Mizuho Capital is committed to supporting the growth of its customers by fully utilizing the Group's comprehensive financial capabilities and customer base. Through this investment, we hope to firmly support BABY JOB's growth by leveraging the Mizuho Group's customer assets and sales capabilities.

Use of Funds and Future Development

Investments will be made in system development related to the hand-held kindergartens and new businesses, sales and marketing activities to further expand client facilities, and recruiting of excellent personnel.
By strengthening our business and management foundations, we aim to accelerate medium- to long-term growth and realize "a society in which all people can enjoy raising children.

The "Diaper Take Home Issue"

Many child care facilities ask parents to take home used diapers.
For parents, taking diapers home is "bulky and unhygienic," while for childcare facilities, "it is time-consuming to separate diapers for each individual," and "there is insufficient subsidy for the cost of disposing of diapers on site. On the other hand, childcare facilities also face such issues as "it is time-consuming to separate diapers for each individual child" and "there is insufficient support for the cost of disposing of diapers on site, so parents are forced to ask their children to take them home.
In June 2021, BABY JOB launched the "Association to Eliminate Diaper Take-Backs from Daycare Centers" and is conducting an online petition drive at Change.org in order to realize a society where people do not have to take home used diapers.
Sign the "No more diaper take-backs" online petition:http://chng.it/H5LkXX8bxk

About BABY JOB

In order to realize a society in which all people can enjoy child-rearing, this company works to solve social issues related to child-rearing, mainly through its "hand-me-down toen" service, a flat-rate diaper service for day-care centers.