secondz digital Raises 300 Million Yen in Series A First Close

secondz digital Inc. (Headquarters: Yokohama, Kanagawa; CEO: Tatsuya Itai), which supports the AI-native transformation of customer touchpoints for enterprises, has raised 300 million yen in the first close of its Series A funding round. The round was co-led by JAFCO Group and Sumisho Venture Partners.

Purpose and Use of Funds The capital will be used to enhance the development of 'secondz Agentsense,' an AI Brand Agent product, and to strengthen hiring—specifically for strategic consultants, AI engineers, and Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE). These efforts aim to help enterprise clients achieve 'Agent-Led Growth.'

Structural Changes Driven by the 'Agent Shift' Customer touchpoints are undergoing an 'Agent Shift,' where information gathering is moving from traditional search and ads to AI search and agents. In Japan, generative AI usage has reached 37.0%, and 47.5% of users have purchased services based on AI responses.

Consumer behavior is shifting to a 'Delegation Model,' where people delegate exploration and comparison to AI, focusing only on final decisions. For companies, being discovered, understood, and included in comparisons by AI is now a prerequisite. This trend is also accelerating in B2B; according to Microsoft, 79% of Japanese leaders expect to expand their digital workforce in the near future.

Proposing 'Agent-Led Growth' 'Agent-Led Growth' is a concept where the entire process from discovery to purchase is redesigned with AI agents in mind. It is no longer enough to be found by humans; being recommended by AI is now essential for lead generation and conversion.

In sales, AI handles preparation while humans focus on relationship building and decision-making. In marketing, it is crucial to organize primary information so that AI can easily understand and quote it. This represents a strategic pivot towards the future of agent-based commerce.