Forward Inc. Acquires Business from PORT Inc., a High-Layer Talent Introduction Company; Representative Minato Joins Forward

Forward Inc. (Headquarters: Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Kohei Nagoya; hereinafter "Forward"), which provides the recruitment support service "Ace Job" utilizing generative AI with the mission of "Unleashing talent worldwide," announces that it will acquire the talent introduction business from PORT Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yui Minato; hereinafter "PORT"), a company specializing in the high-layer talent introduction business for PE funds, VCs, hands-on consultants, and executive talent. With this transfer, Yui Minato, Representative Director of PORT, will join Forward.

◾️ Business Transfer Overview

- Business to be Transferred: Talent introduction business operated by PORT Inc. (Executive search business specializing in high-layer talent, including PE funds, VCs, hands-on consultants, and executive talent)

- Transfer Method: Business transfer

- Effective Date: July 1, 2026

◾️ About PORT Inc.

PORT has specialized in talent introduction for the high-layer segment with the motto "Supporting our clients' management." Its strength lies in its ability to deeply understand the potential of each candidate through specialization in its domain, and it has built a unique position in the executive talent market by building long-term relationships with clients even after providing転職 support.

Representative Director Yui Minato

After working in HR tech startups, she moved to a foreign life insurance company. She was promoted to branch manager at the youngest age, established a sales office from scratch, and was involved in recruitment, training, and management for 10 years. She has recruited an average of 10 individuals per year through headhunting. Driven by the desire to "be in a position to support ideal careers, rather than being on the hiring side," she transitioned to an agent and established PORT Inc. With "listening" and "empathy" as her motto, she excels at supporting candidates to maximize their career and life possibilities.

◾️ Future Development (New Entry into High-Layer Talent Introduction Field)

Through this initiative, Forward will enter the new fields of talent introduction for executives and high-layer individuals, as well as AI talent introduction.

To date, Forward has focused on the mid-career recruitment domain, promoting scout optimization and operational efficiency using generative AI. On the other hand, the executive and high-layer talent recruitment market faces structural challenges such as:

- The absolute number of candidates is small, making it difficult to form a candidate pool.

- The required criteria vary greatly and are highly individualized for each candidate.

- Support based on long-term relationship building, rather than short-term matching, is necessary.

- A stable business structure that does not rely solely on success fees is required.

Minato has accumulated expertise in highly specialized domains and a track record in agent work that involves deep engagement with candidates through career support specialized for the high-layer segment. Furthermore, she has a proven track record of introducing and placing numerous candidates using Ace Job.

Additionally, Forward is experiencing rapid business growth through the deployment of "LLM-native" services, where AI, particularly LLMs, are incorporated into products from the design stage. Based on the know-how gained during this rapid growth, Forward will simultaneously launch a talent introduction business for companies that deploy products and services fully incorporating LLMs.

With this business transfer and Minato's participation, Forward will:

1. Enter the fields of high-layer talent introduction and AI talent introduction.

Forward will establish a new organization specializing in executive talent introduction by implementing Minato's proposal methods and network for the executive segment into Forward's recruitment support infrastructure. Leveraging Forward's strength as an AI product owner, it will also launch a high-layer AI talent introduction business.

2. Integrate AI recruitment with specialized agent services.

An optimized support model for the executive segment will be built by combining Ace Job's AI technology for candidate analysis and matching logic with hands-on support specialized for the high-layer segment.

3. Establish a position in the executive talent market.

Forward Group aims to establish its presence in the executive talent market and expand its long-term customer base.

◾️ Statements from Representative Directors

Kohei Nagoya, Representative Director and President, Forward Inc.

Towards the realization of "Unleashing talent worldwide," Forward has been working on the evolution of recruitment support centered on generative AI. Minato's deep understanding of the high-layer segment and her dedication to each candidate have led to significant achievements for our clients using Ace Job.

Through this business succession, we aim to deliver value in the new fields of executive talent introduction and AI talent introduction, and to create a system for reproducing recruitment success.

Yui Minato, Representative Director, PORT Inc.

I am delighted to be able to further develop the "listening" and "empathy"-based career support that I have valued through PORT in the new environment of Forward. Leveraging the network and expertise I have built with the high-layer segment, I will strive as a member of Forward to help more executive and AI talent achieve their ideal careers.

◾️ Company Overview

Company Name: Forward Inc.

Representative: Representative Director Kohei Nagoya

Location: Room 322, Frontier Shinjuku Tower, 3-9-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Business Activities: HR Tech (AI SaaS) business, Paid Employment Placement Business

Established: March 1, 2023

Capital (including capital reserve): 420 million yen

Paid Employment Placement Business License Number: 13-ユ-315438

Inquiries regarding this matter:

Forward Inc.

Contact: Public Relations / Alliance Desk

Email: [email protected]

Address: Room 322, Frontier Shinjuku Tower, 3-9-7 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Related URLs

Forward Official Website

https://forward-career.jp/

Ace Job (Service Site)

https://lp.acejob.jp/

Ace Job Inquiry Form

https://lp.acejob.jp/contact

Forward Inquiry Form

https://forward-career.jp/contact