#Japan #Tokyo #FoodTech #Goals #HANZO

Goals Secures 1.33 Billion Yen in Funding

In a significant move aimed at addressing the challenges within the Japanese food industry, Goals Inc., based in Minato Ward, Tokyo, has successfully secured a total of 1.33 billion yen in funding during its pre-Series B round. This fundraising saw participation from both new investors such as WiL and Serverworks Capital Corporation, and existing investors including ALL STAR SAAS FUND, Angel Bridge Inc., and Mizuho Capital. With this recent funding, Goals has now amassed a total of 4.09 billion yen since its inception.

The Challenge Facing the Food Industry

Japan's food industry is grappling with various challenges, including soaring ingredient prices, food waste, labor shortages, and detrimental working conditions. Goals is on a mission to eliminate waste in the food sector, aiming to improve operational processes and optimize supply chains to address these pressing issues.

To specifically target the challenges in the food and beverage sector, Goals launched the automated ordering cloud service "HANZO Automatic Ordering" in October 2020. This service has been adopted by numerous restaurant chains, effectively reducing food waste and stockouts through AI-driven order management and significantly cutting down the time and effort required for ordering processes.

Additionally, Goals offers products like "HANZO Labor Costs," which provides AI-driven forecasts of sales and customer traffic to create optimal staff allocation models, and "HANZO Cost Analysis," which visualizes and analyzes ingredient costs by both store and ingredient type. This entire suite of services aims to optimize critical operational costs involving ingredients and labor within the restaurant industry.

Strategic Use of Funds

The funds raised will be utilized to strengthen both the development and sales teams. Goals aims to further enhance its services and support systems to improve profitability within the restaurant industry. Looking ahead, the company plans to leverage the consumer demand data collected through its current services to develop new offerings that enhance inventory optimization for food distribution companies and manufacturers. This innovative approach seeks to address the challenges of food waste on a broader scale across the food industry.

Funding Summary

• - Total Amount Raised: 1.33 billion yen
• - New Investors: WiL, and Serverworks Capital Corporation
• - Existing Investors: ALL STAR SAAS FUND, Angel Bridge Inc., Mizuho Capital
• - Use of Funds: To strengthen development and sales operations, including personnel recruitment to support these enhancements.

Investors' Perspectives

Toshiaki Namba, Partner at WiL

Initially, I found the concept of automatic ordering a bit mundane. However, I was impressed to learn how Goals has meticulously addressed the complexities involved in restaurant inventory management, resulting in significant improvements in service quality. Their noble mission to eliminate waste in the food industry, led by the exemplary leadership of CEOs Sasaki and Watanabe, makes me excited to be part of their growth journey.

Yoshitaka Oishi, CEO of Serverworks

I am thrilled to invest in a company that is tackling the serious social issue of food waste through technology. Given the challenges that the food industry faces, Goals' unique services are perfectly aligned with the current demands for both efficiency and sustainability in the sector. We are committed to sharing our cloud expertise to support Goals in scaling its business.

Hiro Maeda, Managing Partner at ALL STAR SAAS FUND

Participating in this new funding round for Goals, which we have supported since its seed phase, is incredibly exciting. Their ability to transform the cost structures of their clients promises to revolutionize the food industry. The seamless integration of inventory management with demand forecasting and procurement optimization lends itself to enhanced customer profitability, which is reflected in their impressive customer retention and acquisition.

Yutaro Kawanishi, Partner at Angel Bridge

Following our previous investment, we have chosen to invest additionally in Goals. The food and beverage industry still presents great opportunities for DX, and Goals is aptly capturing true customer pain points with its comprehensive HANZO product line. Their enhanced leadership team is now even stronger, and we are committed to partnering closely for further success.

Toshiya Sonoda, Investment Manager at Mizuho Capital

Continuing our investment from Series A, I firmly believe that Goals' offerings address critical challenges within the food industry, such as rising costs and labor shortages. I trust the team will lead the sector to greater heights.

CEO Sasaki's Statement

We sincerely thank both our new investors and our ongoing supporters for their confidence and assistance. The food industry is facing numerous issues such as escalating costs and workforce shortages exacerbated by the projected 2024 crisis. Since our establishment, we have remained dedicated to tackling social challenges related to the food sector. With the acquisition of this funding, we plan to deliver greater value to more food service enterprises through enhanced team capabilities and an expansion into food distribution and manufacturing sectors based on accumulated demand insights.

Investor Dialogue and Hiring Initiatives

We have also published a dialogue between our CEO Sasaki and partner Toshiaki Namba from WiL, where they discuss the motivations for this investment as well as future outlooks. Interested parties can read the full conversation on our Note page: Investor Dialogue.

Furthermore, we are actively strengthening our hiring efforts across all positions, aligning with our mission to eliminate waste in the food industry. We encourage those interested in joining our endeavor to visit our recruitment page: Goals Recruitment.

About Goals

• - Company Name: Goals Inc.
• - Location: 5-3-2 Shiba, Minato, Tokyo
• - CEO: Suguru Sasaki
• - Founded: July 2018
• - Business: Development, sale, and operational support of cloud services aimed at food service companies.
• - Company URL: Goals Official Website