Rakuten and Science Arts Form Capital and Business Alliance to Drive Business Synergies

Tokyo, October 15, 2024 – Rakuten Group, Inc. and Science Arts, Inc. today announced that they have signed a capital and business alliance agreement to deepen their collaborations across a range of initiatives, and strengthen technological and business synergies.

In addition, Rakuten Mobile, Inc. and Science Arts have entered into a business alliance agreement to drive sales for a package deal that combines Rakuten Mobile’s Rakuten Saikyo Plan Business for enterprise customers with Science Arts' communication platform "Buddycom."

Rakuten, Rakuten Mobile and Science Arts also signed a basic agreement to jointly develop solutions that enhance business operation efficiencies for Rakuten’s partner companies by integrating Rakuten's AI technology and solution suite with Buddycom.

Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO of Rakuten Group, and Hidekazu Hiraoka, President and CEO of Science Arts

Mickey Mikitani, Chairman and CEO, Rakuten Group, commented, "With this new alliance, we look forward to deepening our collaboration with Science Arts across the Rakuten Ecosystem, spanning mobile, digital transformation and beyond. By combining the power of Rakuten's AI technology and solution suite with Buddycom, we aim to significantly improve operational and marketing efficiency for our partner companies, driving growth and maximizing corporate value."

Hidekazu Hiraoka, President and CEO, Science Arts, commented, "We are delighted to strengthen our collaborative relationship with Rakuten and Rakuten Mobile to create new value together. Integrating Rakuten's AI technology with Buddycom will enhance service features and convenience, enabling us to deliver the future of digital transformation to frontline workers and promote brighter and happier workplaces."

About the Business Alliance and Basic Agreement
Beginning in January 2024, Rakuten Mobile began offering Buddycom as a solution for corporate clients, and from April 2024, the company introduced the Rakuten Mobile Buddycom Set for accommodation facilities registered with Rakuten Travel, promoting digital transformation and operational efficiencies for frontline workers in the service industry and beyond. In the future, based on their business alliance, Rakuten Mobile and Science Arts will expand sales for the Rakuten Mobile Buddycom Set to Rakuten Ichiba and partner companies from across the Rakuten Ecosystem, further driving digital transformation and operational efficiencies by providing customized packages designed to meet the needs of different markets. 

In addition, under the basic agreement, Rakuten will leverage its AI technologies and suite of solutions in collaboration with Science Arts to further enhance Buddycom, making it even more user-friendly and intuitive as a voice solution that addresses the needs of frontline workers. This joint development aims to improve operational efficiency for Rakuten’s partner companies. 

The three companies will continue to explore ways to provide additional value by utilizing data assets and AI to enhance corporate customers’ operational efficiency.

About the Capital Alliance
Rakuten's plans for investment in Science Arts are as follows.

• Investment method: Subscription of new shares via third-party allotment
• Number of shares subscribed: 819,000 shares
• Investment amount: 434,070,000 yen
• Investment ratio (voting rights basis): 10.17%
• Payment date: October 31, 2024 (planned)

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