i-plug, the Osaka company that runs the OfferBox graduate recruitment service and is listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Growth market, said on October 14, 2026 that it had acquired all the shares of Renew, a Nagoya startup that runs a job site for long-term student internships. The price was not disclosed.
The two companies signed the agreement on September 18 and the shares changed hands on October 1, according to a disclosure summarised by Nihon M&A Center. Renew is now a wholly owned subsidiary of i-plug. i-plug said the deal would have only a minor effect on its consolidated results for the financial year ending in March 2027.
Renew's co-representative directors, Masaki Shibata and Takuma Yokota, are named in the announcement, which did not say whether they will stay on or whether Renew's team will move.
What Renew built
Renew runs a job site of the same name that lists long-term internships, which give students extended practical work experience at companies. Students can use the site from their first year at university. They can apply to listed companies, receive scout offers from employers and get free advice from career advisers.
The company also publishes Renew Magazine, a website with job-hunting information for university students, and holds a licence to operate a paid employment placement business. i-plug's announcement describes Renew as a startup whose guiding principle is to increase the number of people who choose their careers of their own accord.
Renew was founded in April 2022 with share capital of ¥1 million (about $6,600), according to STARTUP LOG. It is based in the Nagoya Prime Central Tower. Neither company disclosed Renew's revenue, number of users or headcount, and no outside funding for Renew has been reported.
Why i-plug is buying
i-plug was founded in Osaka in April 2012 and is led by chief executive Masato Yamada. Its main product, OfferBox, is an offer-based job-hunting service for new graduates, in which companies send offers to students. It listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's Mothers market in March 2021 and moved to the Growth market in April 2022. It had 324 employees on a standalone basis at the end of March 2026.
Job hunting in Japan is starting earlier, and i-plug said that understanding oneself early and gaining practical work experience through long-term internships have become more important for students choosing a career. In June 2026 it launched OfferBox mirai, a service aimed at first- and second-year university students.
i-plug plans to link Renew's internship listings into OfferBox mirai and to use Renew Magazine to sign up more members for both OfferBox services. Because long-term internships also attract third- and fourth-year students who are job hunting or have already accepted offers, i-plug will connect Renew with the main OfferBox service too. Renew, in turn, will use i-plug's base of corporate customers and students to grow.
In the Japanese-language announcement, Yamada said Renew's principle resonated strongly with i-plug's vision, and that connecting with society early and gaining real work experience help students understand themselves. Renew's founders said long-term internships are a valuable way for students to engage with society and think about their careers, and that joining i-plug would let the two companies support students from their first years at university through to job hunting.
A growing group
i-plug is headquartered in the Grand Green Osaka development in Osaka's Kita ward and also has offices in Tokyo and Nagoya. Renew joins two other i-plug group companies: e-falcon, which offers the eF-1G aptitude test, and Maximize, which runs the Tsunagaru Shukatsu job-hunting service. i-plug's stated vision is to become the platform most chosen by young people, and the company said it would keep widening the range of services it offers for graduate recruitment and career support.
