logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • Design Thinking – February 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Register For Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists and Learn How To Win New Clients.

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Rozetta Pays USD 14m for Tokyo Translation Crowdsourcer Conyac

5 years ago

August 10, 2016

Rozetta Pays USD 14m for Tokyo Translation Crowdsourcer Conyac

M&A and Funding ·

by Florian Faes

On August 10, 2016

5 years ago
M&A and Funding ·

by Florian Faes

On August 10, 2016

Rozetta Pays USD 14m for Tokyo Translation Crowdsourcer Conyac

Tokyo-headquartered crowdsourcing translation platform Conyac (whose corporate name is Anydoor) has been acquired by the more traditional language service provider and fellow Tokyo company Rozetta. According to regulatory filings (Rozetta is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange) the deal closed on August 9, 2016.

Slator reached out to Conyac co-founders CEO Naoki Yamada and CTO Tohru Hashimoto for comment, but has not received a response as of press time. Yamada and Hashimoto each owned 24.94% in Conyac with the remaining 50.12% owned by two Japanese funds (ANRI and NGI), a Japanese consulting firm called Skylight, and others.

The transaction was a cash and stock deal. Based on what we gathered from filings, the outside investors were paid in cash with the two co-founders receiving shares in Rozetta. The deal values the company at about JPY 1.4bn (USD 14m). Rozetta employs 36 staff and Conyac, 21.

Advertisement

An exit at USD 14m is remarkable for a translation crowdsourcing platform. Conyac was founded in 2009, but business only took off last year when revenues jumped from USD 1m to USD 5.6m.

According to sources with whom Slator spoke, the explosive growth was due to a small number of large deals won with Japanese clients. Along with revenues, operating profit, too, ballooned from USD 0.23m in 2014 to USD 2.6m in 2015 (i.e., the financial year ended March 31, 2016).

Rozetta’s progress was less rocket-like yet still solid for an LSP. For the financial year ended February 29, 2016, the company reported revenues of USD 16.5m and an operating profit of USD 2.1m (up from USD 13.8m and USD 1.3m, respectively, the prior year).

Rozetta runs four business lines: Translation and Interpretation, which accounts for half the revenues; Corporate Training (15%), Machine Translation (12%), and a business unit called GLOZE (21%), which “provides human translator translation services by using translation support tools.”

Conyac’s number one client is Mediagene, a Japanese Internet media company, which publishes Gizmodo, Lifehacker, and Kotaku in Japan under license from Gawker media. Short-shelf life media content lends itself to crowdsourcing.

Gawker’s recent bankruptcy filing was not a deal-killer, apparently. Rozetta’s biggest client is Japanese pharmaceutical company Shionogi, a more traditional customer not currently involved in lawsuits with Silicon Valley titans.

Armed with new technology and talent, Rozetta will increase competitive pressure in Japan for incumbent Honyaku Center, which upgraded full-year guidance on August 9, 2016, and now expects revenues of close to USD 96m for the year ending March 2017.

TAGS

AnydoorConyaccrowdsourcingJapanNaoki YamadaRozettastartupTohru Hashimototranslation platform
SHARE
Florian Faes

By Florian Faes

Co-Founder of Slator. Linguist, business developer, and mountain runner. Based in the beautiful lakeside city of Zurich, Switzerland.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

by Iconic

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

Pangeanic Is Now Certified to ISO 27001 Information Security

by Pangeanic

VSI Acquires Leading Brazilian Dubbing Studio, Vox Mundi

VSI Acquires Leading Brazilian Dubbing Studio, Vox Mundi

by VSI

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Smartling - Global Ready Conference 2021

    Global Ready Conference

    by Smartling

    · April 14

    When you can't traverse the world, let the world come to you. Join our annual global event from home.

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Sunyu Transphere

Sunyu Transphere

Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

Smartling

Smartling

XTM International

XTM International

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

by Marion Marking

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

by Seyma Albarino

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

Why Netflix Shut Down Its Translation Portal Hermes

by Esther Bond

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,500 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.