In November 2024, MUFG Innovation Partners (MUIP) made an investment in Kasanare Co., Ltd., a company that provides customizable enterprise generative AI software that addresses various business challenges.
Kasanare’s solution
Kasanare (pronounced “ka-sa-nah-ray”) is a service that combines various technological components that maximizes the performance of large language models (LLMs) to provide solutions tailored to the challenges faced by businesses. It enables company-wide utilization of LLMs while meeting existing system and data protection requirements.
CEO Kyoichi Yasuda saw a fundamental issue in improving operational efficiency based on his experience in digital transformation (DX) consulting: “In general, for any operational efficiency initiative, there is a learning curve for users before they can use the implemented tools properly. Users have to learn something new, and that becomes an additional workload. As a result, the introduction of tools intended to improve efficiency can paradoxically increase the burden on frontline employees.”
This insight led to the founding of Kasanare with a new approach that helps to drive digital transformation without requiring workers to learn how to use new tools.
The unique “Kasanare Technology Pieces”
What makes Kasanare distinctive is its unique set of technology called “Kasanare Technology Pieces”. This enables Kasanare to create a unique AI solution tailored to the business of each client company by combining various technology features such as search algorithms, data optimization and security enhancement. For example, Kasanare is able to combine a Microsoft Azure security-related technology piece, a multilingual response-related technology piece and a computer memory-related technology piece to create a safe environment for use of generative AI that supports a client company’s unique security policy and complex authentication management.
The results have been promising. In an initiative with Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking Corporation, a Kasanare-designed AI system achieved a correct answer rate of more than 90% and a 50% reduction in the time required to respond to inquiries. Kasanare supports efforts to leverage generative AI in DX in a wide range of fields, including for improved internal efficiency in internal help desks and internal training, and improved operational efficiency in call centers and FAQ systems.
Investment from MUIP and growth strategy
Yasuda explains the reason for receiving investment from MUIP as follows: “Through our project with Mitsubishi UFJ Trust and Banking, we realized that the MUFG Group is proactively adopting generative AI, and that this effort has significance not just to MUFG but to society as a whole. We found MUFG’s approach to be compatible with our business, and we were confident that we could create further value together. This led us to invite them in the recent financing round.”
Kasanare’s growth strategy includes three stages. First, it aims to evolve its current AI technology to provide more advanced and personalized solutions. Second, it aims to offer comprehensive services that not only improve the operational efficiency of its clients’ businesses but expand its role as a partner for its clients’ workstyle transformation by supporting talent development and team management. Third, it plans to expand the use of generative AI for digital transformation by collaborating with domestic and international companies, government agencies, and educational institutions.
Future outlook: new forms of AI-human collaboration
The company name “Kasanare” (which stands for “customer-success-knowledge”, in Japanese) embodies the idea that client success overlaps with the company’s achievements, and that the company will build the future together with its clients. Kasanare aims to be more than just a tool provider, but a company that promotes operational efficiency toward success. As AI increasingly replaces humans in a range of manual tasks, Kasanare hopes to realize a society where AI and humans collaborate seamlessly to enhance workstyles and the quality of life.
Kasanare places importance on transparency and ethical considerations in addition to technological development. It is working to redefine the future of work and success based on the philosophy that AI will handle the learning and working, while people will focus on creative tasks and decision-making.
Through its collaboration with Kasanare, MUIP will pursue new possibilities for the use of generative AI in companies, with the expectation to drive new transformations in operational efficiency within the MUFG Group and its client companies.
