日本語
System development is a major challenge for startups. With limited funds and time, they must build a system that anticipates future growth. Facing such a challenge, KAEN Inc. turned to Solashi for system development. As a result, the sales platform "TAAAN" achieved over 900% business growth in just two years.
This time, we spoke with Mr. Kawada, CEO of KAEN, about the unique development challenges of startups, how they were solved, and their approach to system development.
Bridging the Gaps in B2B Sales
―― First, please tell us about your business.
Mr. Kawada:
We operate the B2B sales and marketing platform "TAAAN", which connects SaaS providers with sales agents to generate efficient business meeting opportunities.
At KAEN Inc., our mission is to "ignite industries that change the times," and we are working to build a distribution infrastructure that supports the development of new industries and services.
Traditional B2B sales relied mainly on analog methods like cold calling. However, many SaaS companies focus on web marketing and struggle to secure sufficient sales resources. On the other hand, sales agents face difficulties in making optimal proposals for each customer due to product limitations and performance-based evaluation systems.
That’s where TAAAN comes in. By matching purchasing data from SaaS providers and sales agents, it creates high-quality business meeting opportunities as a "completely performance-based" platform. It has already delivered results in various fields, including back-office SaaS, HR, and IoT.
We will continue to contribute to the development of industries by delivering excellent services to those who truly need them through the provision of new sales infrastructure.
Two-Phase Development for a Small Start
―― What was the background for requesting Solashi to develop "TAAAN"?
Mr. Kawada:
At the launch of our service in April 2020, we chose to start with minimal features using our own funds to avoid the risk of large initial investments. At the same time, we needed a scalable system for future business expansion.
Within these constraints, we chose Solashi. The deciding factors were their ability to define requirements accurately in Japanese despite being an offshore developer, and their familiarity with Japanese business practices. Mr. Shimazoe, who was in charge of the front-end, had a development background and extensive experience at both large enterprises and startups, which gave us great confidence.
―― Specifically, what kind of support did you receive?
Mr. Kawada:
They supported the entire system development process, from requirement definition and design to back-end development. The development was carried out in two major phases.
Phase 1 began in May 2020 and lasted one year. We built a system with the minimum required features. Although it already included operational support, our approach was to release the product first and then make improvements as needed.
Later, in September 2020, our CTO joined, and with more user feedback, we requested a major overhaul in September 2021, essentially rebuilding the system from scratch as Phase 2.
Balancing Quality and Speed for Enterprise Standards
―― What points were especially emphasized in system development?
Mr. Kawada:
A typical startup challenge is balancing "speed" and "quality." We needed to control initial costs while ensuring scalability for the future.
Solashi addressed this by proposing a phased development approach. This method involved quickly implementing minimum viable features and then expanding functionality based on feedback. As a result, we were able to evolve the system flexibly in line with our growth while keeping initial costs low.
―― Was there anything particularly memorable about the development process?
Mr. Kawada:
It was impressive how smoothly the offshore development went. Language barriers and cultural differences are often concerns in offshore development, but Solashi’s front-end members were fluent in Japanese. Moreover, Mr. Shimazoe helped us navigate Vietnamese business customs, so there were no major issues.
Also, during the requirement definition phase, Solashi provided concrete proposals and advice, which was extremely helpful. We had business ideas, but lacked the technical knowledge to realize them as a system. In that regard, Solashi’s experience-based approach was very reassuring.
Agile Development: Essential for Startup Growth
――What are your future prospects?
Mr. Kawada:
In the future, we aim to digitize and capitalize the entire distribution network in BtoB. Specifically, we plan to build a comprehensive platform that includes web marketing, telemarketing, consulting services, and partnerships with financial institutions. This platform will combine Go-to-Market (GTM) strategies, HR, and SaaS to support business growth for companies.
One of the key focuses is minimizing the costs associated with business-to-business matching. We aim to create a world where companies are "fairly judged and selected." To achieve this, it is necessary to have a system that evaluates not only sales ability but also the inherent problem-solving capabilities of services.
Our goal is for TAAAN to become the new platform for BtoB. The system developed by Solashi has become the foundation that supports our vision.
