Taiwan’s Metabiz Targets Japan’s CRM Market with Industry-Specific AI

This startup has been selected by StarFab Accelerator based in Hsinchu, Taiwan, and is scheduled to exhibit at The 12th Cloud Computing Day Tokyo on October 31, 2025.

Japan’s cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) market reached 539.2 billion yen (approximately $3.6 billion US) in fiscal 2023, growing 15.2% year-over-year with strong momentum continuing. The market is expected to reach 610.9 billion yen ($4.1 billion US) in fiscal 2024, with projections exceeding 1 trillion yen ($6.6 billion US) by fiscal 2028, according to Deloitte Tohmatsu Mic Economic Research Institute. From Salesforce and HubSpot to kintone, Freee, and Money Forward, Japan’s Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) landscape is a battleground of established giants and emerging players.

However, implementation and utilization are two different things. While approximately 46% of Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are working on digitalization for operational efficiency and data analysis, only about 10% are effectively utilizing these tools, according to the 2024 White Paper on Small and Medium Enterprises in Japan. Why do companies struggle to leverage tools they’ve already implemented? One answer lies in “the absence of industry-specific business knowledge.”

Generic CRM tools certainly offer extensive functionality, but they lack embedded practical knowledge about industry-specific customer behavior patterns and optimal marketing timing. While data can be collected, companies often don’t know how to leverage it for business growth—this blind spot in the Japanese market is precisely where Taiwan’s startup Metabiz is preparing to enter, armed with a weapon no one can easily replicate: ten years of hands-on operational experience.

Industry-Specific AI Born from a Decade of Frontline Experience

Founded in July 2022, Metabiz’s four co-founders—including CEO Adam Lien and CTO Kevin Lin—bring practical experience in cloud architecture, data engineering, and business development. However, their greatest strength isn’t their technical prowess, but rather their identity as “practitioners” who have actually operated businesses in the retail, beauty, and food & beverage industries.

In just three years since founding, they’ve served over 100 clients, 114+ brands, and 214+ stores. Their average annual customer revenue is NT$360,000 (approximately $11,800 US), reaching NT$1.2 million ($39,200 US) with customization. Targeting a 70% profit margin and aiming for Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) exceeding NT$52 million (approximately $1.7 million US) within the next three years, the company is leveraging its success in the Taiwan market as a springboard for serious entry into Japan.

The most important thing is that we are truly a data-driven company. There are two types of IT companies. One handles large-scale system integrations. The other is single-application companies trying to cram all functions into one app.

But our thinking is different. What businesses need isn’t yet another tool. They need an integration tool that connects existing systems and uses data to drive business forward. We’re not just a software company. We’re practitioners who have experienced this pain every day for ten years. (Lien)

These words carry weight. While engineers developing generic CRM tools may be well-versed in database design and UI/UX, they don’t possess industry-specific operational know-how like “optimal reminder timing for when beauty salon customers should return” or “coupon distribution strategies to increase repeat rates at hot pot restaurants.” Metabiz’s co-founders possess both capabilities.

Metabiz’s greatest weapon is its industry-specific AI scenarios. (Editor’s note: The following consumer behavior patterns are based on Taiwan market data.)

Women visit beauty salons approximately once every 43 days. So we can distribute promotions and coupons at the right timing, or send additional service recommendations. For men, haircuts happen about once a month. By sending reminder messages after approximately one month, we can prevent them from going to other salons and retain existing customers. (Lin)

Understanding these industry-specific customer behavior patterns and providing AI scenarios based on them—this is the decisive difference between Metabiz and existing Japanese SaaS companies.

Let’s look at popular CRM tools in the Japanese market. The latest SaaS company revenue rankings show Sansan (business card management and sales support), Cybozu (groupware), Rakus (back-office efficiency), Money Forward (accounting and HR), and Freee (accounting and payroll) at the top, according to SE Design’s “MarkeDrive” report. While these are certainly excellent tools, they all specialize in “industry-agnostic horizontal functions.”

In contrast, Metabiz dives deep into specific industries like retail, beauty salons, restaurants, service, and healthcare, building AI scenarios based on understanding each industry’s unique business cycles and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). While generic tools promise “centralized customer data management” and “automated sales reports,” Metabiz makes specific commitments like “automatically send reminders after 43 days and increase repeat rates by 15%.”

AI models are trained on data. However, even with all the data collected, without practical industry experience, connecting that data to actual business improvement is difficult. Metabiz’s approach of combining both “industry knowledge” and “technical capabilities” is extremely practical.

Data Silos and Integration Solutions Through AI EDP

Understanding the challenges facing Japan’s beauty industry is crucial for identifying Metabiz’s entry opportunities. According to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of beauty salons nationwide reached 274,070 in fiscal 2023 (Reiwa 5), a 1.5% increase from the previous year and a record high (Japan’s Sanitation Administration Report in 2023). With beauty salons now outnumbering convenience stores, the industry faces intense competition.

Digital transformation (DX) in the beauty industry faces challenges including strong traditional and analog values, industry-specific work environments, and highly specialized operations. Since hairstylists’ work is creative and building trust and face-to-face communication with customers is essential, implementing digital tools requires systems that not only handle technical operations but also fully understand beauty industry expertise.

This situation is common across Japanese SMEs overall. While 91% are investing in DX, funding constraints mean many limit investments to under 500,000 yen ($3,300 US), and due to talent shortages and lack of market analysis capabilities, digital investment returns remain below 5% at 70% of companies. The biggest barrier when SMEs implement CRM isn’t just initial costs and monthly fees, but the time costs required for personnel expenses and in-house training. In other words, Japanese SMEs seek “industry-specific, immediately usable practical tools” rather than “multifunctional, expensive tools.”

As companies pursue business growth, they introduce multiple systems: Point of Sale (POS) systems, e-commerce platforms, booking systems, CRM, Line (Japan’s dominant messaging app), Instagram, Facebook, and more. However, each system exists separately, causing data fragmentation. This “data siloing” is a challenge common to SMEs in both Japan and Taiwan.

The greatest drawback when SMEs implement CRM isn’t just initial costs and monthly fees, but the time costs for personnel expenses and in-house training. Particularly for SMEs with limited budgets for personnel and education, selecting CRM that matches necessary functions with company resources is considered crucial. In other words, Japanese SMEs seek “industry-specific, immediately usable practical tools” rather than “multifunctional, expensive tools.”

Metabiz’s approach is clear. Positioning itself as “data middleware,” it specializes in bridging the integration gap between fragmented systems. Under the mission of “returning data to merchants,” the company aims to prevent data from merely being controlled by platforms and communication software, instead achieving data centralization and service modularization to respond more flexibly to market changes.

The product portfolio centers on two main offerings:

AI EDP (AI Enterprise Data Platform)

A platform that collects, integrates, measures, and analyzes all enterprise data. It can integrate with 8+ types of systems including Line, e-commerce, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), CRM, AI, POS, and warehouse management systems. Beyond Taiwan domestic service providers, it integrates with international platforms like Shopify, WordPress, Line, WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram.

Many customers already use some system. When they need new functionality, their existing system sometimes can’t provide it. We can integrate with customers’ existing systems to provide more important functions. And at a much lower cost than large enterprises. (Lin)

The only limitation is if that system doesn’t want to share data or doesn’t provide data access. But interestingly, some of our customers even give us direct server access. Even without APIs or export functions, we can connect directly to databases. (Lien)

This flexible integration capability is a major strength in the Japanese market. Japan’s beauty and food service industries have already implemented diverse POS and booking systems. Replacing all existing systems to implement new CRM isn’t realistic in terms of cost or operations. Metabiz’s approach of “integrating with existing systems” is precisely the solution Japanese SMEs seek.

AI Action Engine

Focuses on three main aspects: membership management, engagement, and Average Order Value (AOV) growth. The distinctive feature is connecting not just data analysis but actual marketing actions.

Companies simply select key metrics, and AI automatically performs analysis and proposes marketing campaign scenarios. Users can choose from proposed scenarios and execute by simply clicking “next.” This simplicity provides tremendous value for SME managers without high IT literacy.

Metabiz’s user interface is designed for intuitive operation without specialized knowledge, and this “ease of use” could become a weapon in the Japanese market.

Expanding to Japan with Taiwan Track Record

Another distinctive feature of Metabiz is its deep understanding of Online Merges with Offline (OMO) strategy. The company’s mission is to use AI-powered data infrastructure systems to build OMO revenue engines (physical stores + online malls) for each industry, leading industry DX.

While the OMO concept has spread in Japan, few companies have successfully implemented it. In many cases, integration remains at the level of “loyalty points usable at both physical stores and e-commerce sites.” However, true OMO means eliminating barriers between online and offline, providing seamless experiences where customers don’t consciously distinguish between the two.

Two representative case studies introduced by Metabiz clearly demonstrate these effects:

Happyhair

Happyhair is a renowned salon chain operating 70+ locations across Taiwan. Despite being a 40-year-old established company, it faced new challenges in acquiring younger generation customers. The company has used Metabiz’s AI EDP for several years, significantly improving service quality and customer engagement through customer data integration and AI analysis.

Lien shares an important insight: “Interestingly, many of our customers aren’t new-generation businesses. They’re chain stores with significant history. However, they’re trying to transform to approach younger generation customers.”

This case is particularly suggestive for the Japanese market. Japan has numerous beauty and food service chains with long histories, similarly struggling to acquire digital-generation customers. Metabiz’s solution could be an effective option for such companies.

One Orange Group

Operating famous hot pot restaurants, One Orange Group also expands into spa and beauty businesses. By leveraging Metabiz’s CRM and Line integration, they achieved over 100% growth last year.

The key point of this case is that even corporate groups operating multiple businesses rather than single industries can integrate data on one platform. In Japan too, cases of restaurant chains expanding into beauty or fitness businesses aren’t uncommon. For such companies, cross-business data integration holds tremendous value.

What these success stories have in common is that they’ve achieved actual business growth through data-driven decision-making, not just system implementation. Above all, the breadth of these companies—from “40-year-old established businesses” to “100% annual growth companies”—demonstrates Metabiz’s solution versatility.

First Taiwan, then Japan next. We’re concentrating only on these two markets. (Lien)

Why Japan? First, Japan’s CRM market is expected to continue double-digit high growth. Second, challenges faced by SMEs in Taiwan and Japan are similar. Third, Japanese companies’ emphasis on “quality,” “reliability,” and “long-term relationships” has high affinity with Taiwanese corporate values.

Even more important are common challenges facing beauty and food service industries in both countries. Intense competitive environments in beauty salons, severe labor shortages, strong traditional and analog values with resistance to digitalization—these challenges are common to both Taiwan and Japan. In other words, solutions cultivated in Taiwan have high potential to work directly in the Japanese market.

The initial strategy for Japanese market entry is building dealer partnerships.

We’re already holding meetings with Japanese retailers, trying to provide systems to support their businesses. (Lien)

Specifically, they’re advancing cooperation with dealers specializing in the food service industry. Solutions addressing needs for inbound tourist services, such as multilingual online menu systems, serve as footholds in the Japanese market.

Interestingly, the company has chosen Fukuoka as its first visit destination.

Actually, we’re planning to visit Fukuoka first at the end of this month, then head to Tokyo. (Lien)

This strategy of “building trust in regional cities before expanding to Tokyo” is an effective approach for many foreign startups. Regional cities have less competition and more substantial government support. Building track records there before challenging Tokyo’s large market—Metabiz’s strategy is extremely realistic.

Metabiz possesses another strength: deep understanding of localization.

We bring our product to Japan, but it’s not simple copy-paste. We’re actively collecting Japan-specific behavior patterns. Reservation patterns, message tones, campaign timing—we collect Japanese market data and feed it back into the product.

Through this “iterative learning and localization,” we can adapt faster. Japanese retailers get solutions that feel built for Japan, not just translated. (Lin)

This approach is a crucial success factor in global expansion. While many SaaS companies simply translate products before bringing them in, Metabiz provides true value by deeply adapting to local culture and business practices.

For example, Japan’s beauty industry emphasizes “omotenashi” (hospitality) and “meticulous attention” even more than Taiwan. Messaging to customers—expressions effective in Taiwan won’t necessarily work as-is in Japan. Metabiz has the attitude to learn these cultural nuances and reflect them in the system.

Also, as Japan-specific business practices, seasonal factors like “New Year holidays,” “Golden Week,” and “Obon” significantly impact sales. In the beauty industry, demand concentrates around Coming of Age Day (early January), graduation/entrance ceremonies (March), summer events (July), and year-end (December). By incorporating these Japan-specific business cycles into AI scenarios, Metabiz can provide “solutions optimized for Japan.”

Sought Resources and Growth Strategy

For startups, acquiring resources like funding, talent, customers, and partners is always crucial. When asked about the most sought resources, Lien showed clear priorities.

Of course we need everything. Every startup needs funding, but for us, the most important is strategic partnerships. First strategic partners, second customers and business, and third fundraising. (Lien)

This prioritization is interesting. While many startups prioritize fundraising, Metabiz places partnerships first. Dealers specializing in the beauty industry have connections with nationwide beauty chains, and partnering with such players enables reaching numerous customers in a short time.

Metabiz’s revenue model consists of five pillars: subscriptions, AI automation modules, API licenses, customization, and Data Analytics Service (DAS) reporting. This multi-layered revenue structure secures stable income through basic subscriptions while increasing unit prices with AI modules and customization as customers grow—this upselling strategy is the SaaS business gold standard.

As financial targets, the company aims for ARR exceeding NT$52 million (approximately $1.7 million US) within three years. Acquiring 50 customers in the Japanese market alone would increase ARR by 60 million yen ($400,000 US). Combining growth in Taiwan with new acquisitions in Japan, achieving the three-year target is well within sight.

Metabiz empowers businesses with AI EDP, superior data, and AI. We drive growth based on data formation and context. (Lien)

The Japanese market certainly has diverse CRM and data integration tools. Salesforce leads with 20.4% market share, followed by mega-vendors like Microsoft, Oracle, and SAP, while emerging players like Zendesk, HubSpot, and Freshworks are rapidly growing their implementation numbers.

However, the value Metabiz provides isn’t just a software tool. Industry knowledge based on ten years of practical experience, flexible system integration capabilities, and AI-powered practical marketing action proposals. All these combined achieve SME DX.

Particularly important is “knowing the frontlines.” Engineers and product managers at major SaaS vendors possess excellent technical capabilities but lack hands-on operational experience in “beauty salon management” or “restaurant operations.” Meanwhile, Metabiz’s co-founders have experience actually running businesses.

This difference clearly appears in product design. Generic CRMs appeal with functions like “manage customer information,” but Metabiz promises specific results like “send automatic reminders after 43 days and increase repeat rates by 15%.” The former is a “tool,” but the latter is a “solution.”

Armed with track records and know-how cultivated in Taiwan, Metabiz challenges the new frontier of the Japanese market. The company’s challenge of providing locally rooted solutions to the universal challenges of data integration and AI utilization will open new possibilities for Japanese SMEs.

Above all, their challenge with the irreplicable weapon of “ten years of hands-on experience” isn’t merely another SaaS vendor’s Japan entry. It signifies the arrival of a partner who truly understands business, knows frontline pain points, and can promise concrete results.

“Industry-specific, immediately effective practical solutions” rather than “multifunctional but underutilized generic tools”—this choice Metabiz offers may become a blessing for Japanese SMEs.