KiAI Forms Strategic Partnership with IACE Travel to Enable Global Business Intelligence Using Travel Industry Assets
~Reducing Overseas Expansion Costs for SMEs Through AI and Global Operator Networks~
KiAI Inc. (Headquarters: Ibaraki, Japan; CEO: Kazumasa Oba) announces a strategic business partnership with IACE Travel Inc. (Headquarters: Chuo-ku, Tokyo; President & CEO: Shigeharu Nishizawa; TSE Code: 343A).
Through this partnership, KiAI combines its AI-driven overseas market intelligence technology with IACE Travel’s extensive global network of local operators. Together, the two companies aim to address key challenges faced by Japanese small and medium-sized enterprises when expanding overseas, including difficulties in verifying local companies, high research costs, and the lack of reliable on-the-ground information.
Prior to the formal partnership, the two companies conducted a proof-of-concept pilot in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in December 2025. The pilot demonstrated that local company existence and operational status could be verified quickly and at significantly lower cost than conventional methods, while also confirming the scalability of this model to other countries and regions. This pilot was conducted as part of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ ICT Startup League program, Japan’s SBIR-style initiative.
Looking ahead, the partnership will be further strengthened through integration with KiAI’s upcoming SME-focused overseas expansion platform “Trst,” scheduled for launch in mid-2026. By combining AI-based digital analysis with real-world verification through local operators, KiAI and IACE Travel will jointly deliver a new generation of reliable, cost-effective global business intelligence services, contributing to the sustainable international growth of Japanese companies.