ChatWork, a leading cloud communication platform for business teams, today announced it has raised a $2.5 million investment from GMO VenturePartners for a minority equity position. ChatWork will use the funds for product development, hiring top-tier talent, and to continue its rapid growth in North America and Europe. ChatWork will also work with GMO Internet Group to build brand awareness and acquire enterprise customers in Asia.

Unlike other communication platforms (e.g., Slack, HipChat, Asana, Basecamp), ChatWork is designed for non-technical, small business and enterprise users to collaborate and maximize team productivity.

ChatWork is one of the only communication platforms that combines group or individual text, voice calls, video chats, task management, and file sharing into a single service that can be used both within and between companies. For example, many law firms use ChatWork to more efficiently and securely communicate with their clients and manage legal documents.

Rapid Growth Data

ChatWork, the largest business communication platform in Asia, is growing rapidly and has doubled its year-over-year revenue in 2014. Over 66,000 companies in 183 countries across a wide range of industries (e.g., technology, marketing, academic, legal, healthcare, etc.) use ChatWork to get work done faster and easier. The company's key growth data include:

-30,000 new users added per month, on pace to surpass 1 million total users in 2015
-The company has 100,000 paying users of the service.
-Over 15 percent of ChatWork's free users become paid users, three times greater than Dropbox or Evernote.
-ChatWork has a 99% retention rate of paid users.
-Over 60 percent of both DAU (daily active users) and MAU (monthly active users) log in every day, a percentage on par with Facebook
-Over 600 million messages have been sent on ChatWork

'Our powerful platform is a clever and more efficient way to increase team productivity than email alone,' said Toshi Yamamoto, CEO of ChatWork. 'Non-technical business professionals can easily take advantage of our text, voice, video, task management and file sharing features all in one, simple place.'
ChatWork works in most Web browsers and requires no additional software to install. The ChatWork mobile app is available on Android and iOS devices. ChatWork uniquely combines chat with task management, and it enables users to assign tasks to group members to make more focused decisions. Also, video chat is available for all users. Free users can have 1-on-1 video chats and multiple voice calls. If one or more paid users are included in a group, a single video chat can include up to 14 free or paying users.

ChatWork has free and paid plans starting at $2.00 per user per month, which offer the ability to add more users and/or storage space. Full plan descriptions and pricing are available at http://www.chatwork.com.

About ChatWork

ChatWork is a cloud communication platform that allows small business and enterprise teams to get work done faster and easier. The platform manages text, voice, video, task management, and file sharing all in one, simple place. Over 66,000 companies in more than 183 countries have used ChatWork across wide range of industries, including technology, marketing, academic, legal, and healthcare among others. ChatWork works with most modern Web browsers and requires no additional software to install. The ChatWork mobile app is also available on Android and iOS devices. Key customers include KDDI, ZOHO, TEDxKyoto, Keio University, Yuai Hosptial, Access International Law Group. Founded in 2011 with headquarters in Japan, ChatWork's U.S. office is in Sunnyvale, CA. For more information, visit http://www.chatwork.com.

About GMO VenturePartners

GMO VenturePartners, Inc. is a venture capital investment subsidiary of GMO Internet Group, one of the most comprehensive providers of industry-leading Internet services in Japan. The company provides startup incubation services in eCommerce, payment solutions, ad tech, enterprise software and other technology industries in the United States, Japan, China, Vietnam, Singapore, Philippines, Thailand, and Indonesia. GMO VenturePartners has invested in over 50 startups, including eight companies that went public. For more information, visit http://www.gmo-vp.com/en/.