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Tokyo-based startup LayerX has secured ¥15 billion ($100 million) in a Series B funding round to accelerate the adoption of its AI-powered back-office automation platform. The investment brings the company’s total funding to about $192 million.
The Series B was led by U.S. growth equity investor TCV, whose portfolio includes Facebook, Airbnb, and ByteDance. Other backers included JP Investment, JAFCO Group, MUFG Bank, Mitsubishi UFJ Innovation Partners, Coreline Ventures, and Keyrock Capital. LayerX said the funding will support product development and operational expansion, as more Japanese enterprises turn to AI to address labor shortages and an aging workforce.
LayerX noted that the new funding will go toward hiring more engineers and sales talent, enhancing AI integration to boost efficiency, and setting up a compensation structure designed for AI-driven workplaces. The company added that it aims to attract top talent while scaling its operations.
Bakuraku, the company’s flagship platform, streamlines invoice processing, corporate card usage, expense tracking, and a variety of other business workflows. The solution has been adopted by over 15,000 organizations, from young startups to major corporations. Its client list features names such as Sekisui Chemical, the Imperial Hotel, IRIS Ohyama, and Ippudo.
In addition to Bakuraku, LayerX offers Alterna, a retail investment platform for digital securities created in partnership with Mitsui & Co., and Ai Workforce, a generative AI tool. Ai Workforce is designed to streamline document-heavy processes and unlock insights from enterprise data. Among its users are MUFG Bank and Mitsui & Co.
CEO Yoshinori Fukushima, who previously founded and listed news app Gunosy, said the company’s initial focus was tackling Japan’s paper-based invoice bottlenecks. This pivot to SaaS with an AI-native user experience quickly gained traction, helping LayerX secure strategic partnerships with large enterprises and financial institutions.
The competitive landscape is crowded. In Japan, LayerX competes with platforms like freee, Rakuraku Seisan, and Money Forward Cloud Keihi. Internationally, it goes up against players such as Brex, Ramp, SAP Concur, Airbase, and Spendesk. In the AI workflow automation segment, it also faces emerging rivals like Harvey.
Despite this, investors remain confident. Michael Kalfayan, general partner at TCV, said LayerX is “transforming how enterprises manage financial operations in Japan,” noting that its AI-native platform reduces manual work while boosting transparency, compliance, and speed. The company aims to scale further, targeting ¥100 billion ($680 million) in annual recurring revenue by 2030, with half expected to come from its AI agent business.