Katsuhito Nagatake, President and CEO of Usonar Inc.

2026.01.16

A "specialized trading company for corporate data" that continues to grow to be a "unique company"

■ Profile
He joined Usonar as a new graduate in 2000 and worked on planning and proposals in the sales department. After serving as manager of the sales division and executive officer of the planning group, he was appointed Representative Director and President in February 2019. He promoted the company's transition to a SaaS-based business, achieving an ARR (annual recurring revenue) of over 5 billion yen, and realizing the company's initial listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market in October 2025.

Yousonar Inc. provides marketing support to companies using one of Japan's largest databases. Its CEO, Katsuhito Nagatake, says there are two things he values in life. One is "doing things with sincerity." The other is "being willing to listen." How does this mindset, cultivated during his student days, apply to his current leadership? We delve into his origins.

■ I was surprised by the similarities between my major in historical documents and database marketing.

When I was a student, I worked part-time as a private tutor and at a bookstore. I was good at math, so I found my job as a private tutor, helping students study for entrance exams, very fulfilling. I also loved reading, so working at a bookstore allowed me to learn about many different books, and I enjoyed discovering new ones every day. Growing up in a family that ran an inn, I considered the possibility of taking over the family business in the future, but I felt I needed some work experience before that, so I began job hunting. I hold a curator's license and majored in historical documents at university. Research, which involves formulating hypotheses and building logic from ancient documents, was extremely fascinating, but once I entered the workforce, I began to wonder if it could be applied to other fields.
Amidst all this, I received a direct message from Landscape (now Usonar), and out of casual curiosity, I applied and went for an interview. The interview was conducted in a casual, hour-long atmosphere, without any formal Q&A, and I was strongly attracted to the idea that "there is such an interesting company out there," and decided to join. One of the reasons for this was that the nature of the marketing that this company does is surprisingly similar to the historical document studies that I had studied at university. I felt that there was a common structure of thought between formulating hypotheses from documents and deriving hypotheses from data. I felt that I might be able to demonstrate my abilities at this company, so I decided to join.
Since joining the company, I have been consistently in charge of sales. I'm not good at talking, and it was an area I was weak in, but I increased my activity, gathered information such as experiences that could be verified, created hypotheses, and got to work. As a result, I started to see results little by little, and I began to enjoy the sales field. However, even though I was achieving steady results, I also felt that there were issues with the sales field as a whole. I strongly felt that LBC, the corporate information database that we are currently developing, could be the key to solving these issues.

■ Strengths of Usonar - Careful maintenance has made us the largest data provider in Japan

Usonar is a company that helps companies create an environment where they can properly utilize their customer databases. We have data on corporations across the country, so if you leave it to us, we can maintain the quality and freshness of the data and make it easier to use.
Usonar's database uses a vast amount of corporate data that has been accumulated over more than 30 years. The data, which has been carefully maintained by researching companies across Japan and collecting information, includes not only quantitative information but also information that indicates the background and characteristics of each company.
This kind of information cannot be created overnight, and it represents an extremely high barrier to entry.
There are many advantages to having a database. For example, by knowing which companies have visited your company's website, your sales team can approach people who are likely to be interested at the right time. Also, because it is equipped with AI, you can automatically create the optimal sales list based on your company's customer data.
By utilizing Usonar for pre-sales activities like list building, salespeople can focus on their core tasks.
Furthermore, when conducting sales activities, if the target population is small, bias is likely to occur, and there is a risk of being influenced by arbitrary decisions. Because we hold data on almost all companies in Japan, we can provide accurate information for making decisions from a broader perspective. I believe this is the value that Yousonar has.
In order to increase our appeal as a company, we are also focusing on improving our working environment. Usonar values remaining a "unique company." Our attitude of constantly setting new goals and growing through ingenuity is reflected in our corporate culture and office space. We have created an attractive and stimulating environment for both employees and customers.
In October 2025, we achieved our initial listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market. Listing is not the goal, but the start of new growth. Going forward, many challenges await us as we aim for further business expansion. For those joining us now, this is the perfect time to experience the company's growth from the front lines and play a part in it yourself. We sincerely hope that you will join us in creating a "company unlike any other."

■To students -Let's take it seriously. Let's listen.

There are two things I want to tell all students. The first is to put your heart into everything you do. The quality of the experience you gain is determined not by the quality of the work you do, but by how seriously you put your heart into it. The experiences you gain from doing something seriously will become your own words and become an asset in your life.
The second is to have a listening ear. Accepting diverse values will greatly broaden your personal growth. Listening to the opinions of others will lead to new realizations and perspectives. I hope you will cherish these two things and carve out your own future with your own efforts. This is the message I would like to convey to all students from the bottom of my heart.

Interviewed by Student Newspaper Online on November 25, 2025 by Musashino University freshman Ichikawa Ren