Press & milestones.
Verified facts for journalists, analysts, and investors. Founding, regulatory licenses, named operators, parent company, and milestone dates with sources.
Quick-reference fact sheet
| Legal name (parent) | ExecutiveSearch.AI K.K. / 株式会社ExecutiveSearch.AI |
|---|---|
| Legal name (subsidiary) | ESAI Agency K.K. / 株式会社ESAI Agency |
| Founded | 2017, Tokyo |
| Founders | Ken Charles (CEO), Cody Pettit (Head of Data Operations) |
| Recruiting license (subsidiary) | 有料職業紹介事業許可 13-ユ-319155 (Tokyo Labour Bureau) |
| Parent company | Monstarlab Inc. (Tokyo Stock Exchange Growth Market: 5255) |
| Acquisition date | October 2023 |
| Headquarters | Ebisu Prime Square Tower 4F, 1-1-39 Hiroo, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0012 |
| Subsidiary HQ | Gloria Miyamasuzaka III #801, 1-10-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002 |
| Brands | Headhunt.AI (platform), AgentRPO (agency) |
| Press contact | sales@executivesearch.ai |
Milestones
- 2017
ExecutiveSearch.AI K.K. founded in Tokyo
Co-founders Ken Charles and Cody Pettit. Bootstrapped.
- 2018
Japan's first AI-first recruiting agency goes live
February 1, 2018. Pre-LLM, classical-ML matching engine.
- 2022
GPT-3 enters production
Spring 2022. The agency becomes one of the earliest known LLM-augmented recruiting operations globally.
- 2023
Acquired by Monstarlab Inc.
October 2023. Joins the Monstarlab Inc. group (TSE Growth: 5255).
- 2024
100% AI-powered outbound
August 2024. The agency runs on its own platform with no manual sourcing.
- 2026
Two-company structure
February 1, 2026. Recruiting license transferred to wholly-owned subsidiary ESAI Agency K.K. The platform is offered publicly under the Headhunt.AI brand; the agency rebrands as AgentRPO.
Press inquiries
Ken Charles handles all press, analyst, and investor inquiries personally. Use this form or write to sales@executivesearch.ai. Reply within one business day. Preferred topics: AI recruiting in Japan, regulatory compliance under APPI and the Employment Security Act, the unit economics of AI-augmented recruiting, the practical limits of AI candidate scoring.
Logos and brand assets
For brand and logo assets, please email sales@executivesearch.ai with the publication and intended use.