Japanese expert network Arches raises $2.6 million for further expansion

Japanese expert network Arches has raised 410 Million Yen ($2.6 million) in Series B funding to drive its next chapter of growth.

In a statement, Arches announced that Kusabi, Visional, SMBC Venture Capital, Grove Advisors Ventures, and seven angel investors from Japan and abroad have agreed to investing in the Tokyo-based company, lifting its total funds raised to 640 million Yen ($4.0 million).

Founded in 2019, Arches has since its inception grown into one of Japan’s larger homegrown expert networks. The firm provides around 300 clients across Asia Pacific – mainly private equity, hedge funds, and consulting firms – with access to industry experts, supporting investment decision, thought leadership, and expert project insights.

“Our expert matching service, in which experts are interviewed on an hourly basis, is favored by more than 300 clients worldwide, mainly consulting firms and investment companies that wish to gather highly specialized knowledge in a pinpoint manner quickly. Our database has grown to over 100,000 experts, mainly in Asia,” explained Hiroki Kato, CEO of Arches.

Arches currently operates with five locations in Asia, in Tokyo, Ho Chi Minh City, Singapore, Shanghai, and Hong Kong. The firm has 130 staff.

With the mission to grow into a leading player in the Asian landscape, and taking on the likes of industry giants GLG, Guidepoint, Capvision and Alphasights, Arches will put its latest funds to work to grow its footprint and network.

“Using the funds raised this time, we will deepen our services and expand our geographic coverage, aiming to become a ‘comprehensive platform of global knowledge,” Kato said.

Among other, Arches will expand its expert matching service, grow the number of experts in its database, and build a knowledge bank powered by AI, which will drive the delivery of insights to clients. Arches is also eyeing the expansion into a new vertical – the human resources domain, with more details yet to be released.

According to data from Inex One, the global expert network industry grew by 1% in 2023 to value of $2.3 billion. The sector is served by around 150 expert networks that are considered to have a proven track record.