We spoke with Taro Tanaka, the representative of SmartFlow Inc., about their next-generation workflow automation platform, "SmartFlow AI."
We delve into the company's vision of dramatically improving productivity through the automation of business processes using AI, and the uniqueness of the product.
SmartFlow AI is a platform that automatically detects "repetitive tasks" hidden in a company's daily operations and automates them as workflows using AI.
Unlike traditional RPA tools, it features a "proactive automation" function that not only allows for no-code setup but also enables AI to learn business patterns and suggest optimal automation.
This allows anyone from any department to easily achieve operational efficiency, regardless of their IT literacy.
While working at a consulting firm in my previous job, I realized that many companies understood the need for automation but were unsure where to start.
Existing tools had complex setups, leading to a situation where they had no choice but to rely on the IT department.
From this experience, I became convinced of the necessity for a tool that "understands business on its own and suggests automation," and began developing SmartFlow AI.
The main target is growth companies with 50 to 500 employees.
Companies of this size often experience rapid complexity in their operations while lacking IT specialist teams like larger corporations, making SmartFlow AI's "AI-suggested automation" the most valuable segment.
Companies that have actually used the beta version have reported an average reduction of 120 hours of work per month.
The biggest point of differentiation is the "proactive automation" I mentioned earlier.
While typical RPA and workflow tools require users to define the tasks they want to automate, SmartFlow AI analyzes usage patterns from Slack, email, and various SaaS tools and suggests, "This workflow can be automated."
It provides an experience as if an excellent business consultant is stationed with the team, which is its strength.
Since the closed beta release in December 2025, 30 companies have used it, and we have received a very high NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 72.
In particular, there were many comments like, "The AI made improvement suggestions from the first day of implementation" and "I was surprised by how easy it was to start without any setup," which gave us confidence in the direction of the product.
Currently, we have reached approximately 20 million yen in ARR and are experiencing a monthly growth rate of 25%.
In the near term, we are working on enhancing security features and API integrations for the enterprise version ahead of the official launch in April 2026.
In the medium term, we plan to develop a "business intelligence" function that visualizes and optimizes the entire business process, evolving from a mere automation tool to a "digital brain for companies."
We also plan to raise Series A funding within the next fiscal year.
SmartFlow AI continues to be developed under the mission of "delivering the power of AI to all companies."
The market for business automation is expected to grow to $30 billion by 2030, and we aim to be the core platform within that space.
Together with a team that combines both technology and business understanding, we will create a globally competitive SaaS originating from Japan.
We hope you will take a look at our product and experience the potential of SmartFlow AI.
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