ZEALS
ZEALS builds AI-powered chat tools that let brands turn social media posts into interactive shopping experiences. The San Francisco-based company has 249 employees and raised $55M, most recently in a Series E round in May 2022.
The growth story
ZEALS grew from 154 to 249 employees between 2022 and 2026, raising $55M along the way, most recently a Series E in May 2022.
About
ZEALS sells software that helps brands automate customer conversations on social media. Its tools let companies turn ads and posts into chat interfaces where users can get product recommendations, sign up for offers, and buy items without leaving the platform.
The company has raised $55M from Japanese investors including CyberAgent and Dentsu Group. Its Series E round in 2022 suggests continued growth, though exact headcount changes are unclear.
Founders and leadership
Engineering is ZEALS' largest function with 49 staff, nearly 20% of its 249-person workforce. The company has a median tenure of 2 years, indicating moderate turnover.
The ZEALS org chart
Masa Shimizu (Founder & CEO) leads 32 mapped leaders with 4 direct reports. Click +N to expand a team; names link to the person’s public profile.
Departments, and which ones grew
Headcount by function: Engineering 61 (-2% YoY), Sales 37 (+19% YoY), Arts and Design 29 (-9% YoY), Human Resources 22 (0% YoY), Information Technology 15 (+25% YoY), Operations 14 (+8% YoY).
Talent flow
ZEALS hires heavily from Japanese tech firms, with Rakuten, PayPay, and Mercari as top sources. Alumni often move to other Japanese companies, with Woven by Toyota and Rakuten as common destinations.
Most common previous employers of ZEALS staff: Rakuten (8), PayPay (3), Mercari (3), Deloitte (3), Bukalapak (3), UNIQLO (3). Former ZEALS employees most often moved to Woven by Toyota (5), Rakuten (3), trifa (2), Sales Marker Co. (2), Instagram (2), PayPay (2).
Alumni worth knowing
The ZEALS mafia
ZEALS alumni have founded at least 9 companies, including Refunnel (18 staff) and trifa (16 staff). Several startups like Mozu Health and giltz Co. remain small with 2 employees each.
9Muhammad Hassan Yousaf, was Software Engineer | Go until 2021MASATOSHI KANA, was Software Engineer until 2020Soh Shimada, was Founding CTO / Board Member until 2019Hiroki Oshimi, was VP of Products until 2025Lukman Nuriakhmetov, was Head of Frontend, Engineering Manager until 2023YangHao Yuan, was Golang Developer until 2022
Tomoaki Suga, was Business Specialist until 2022
keito sato, was Chief Technology Officer until 2023
Takuya Kondo, was マーケティング until 2016Web traffic
Traffic mix: 19% direct, 35% search, 38% social, 1% paid.
What this company is made of
Most common skills at ZEALS: Python (Programming Language) (34), JavaScript (34), Project Management (31), Software Development (31), Leadership (29), Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) (29), SQL (28), Java (27).
Where the team actually sits
ZEALS people are concentrated in Tokyo, Japan (71), Greater Tokyo Area (16), Japan (12), Kanagawa, Japan (4).
Search footprint
ZEALS attracts about 1,219 organic search visits a month, traffic worth roughly $6K a month if bought through ads. It gained 116 ranking keywords and lost 411 in the last period.
What employees say
- Compensation
- 2.60 / 5
- Career opportunities
- 2.50 / 5
- Senior management
- 1.80 / 5
- Work-life balance
- 3.20 / 5
Frequently asked
ZEALS has 249 employees as of September 2026.
ZEALS has raised $55M in total, most recently a Series E round in May 2022.
ZEALS was founded in 2014 by Masa Shimizu.
Masa Shimizu (Founder & CEO) sits at the top of ZEALS's reporting structure, with 4 direct reports.
The most common previous employers of current ZEALS staff are Rakuten (8 people), PayPay (3 people), Mercari (3 people).
Former ZEALS employees most often move to Woven by Toyota (5), Rakuten (3), trifa (2).
At least 9 companies have a founder who previously worked at ZEALS, including Refunnel, trifa, Mozu Health.
ZEALS attracts about 1,219 organic search visits a month, worth roughly $6K a month in equivalent ad spend.
The most common skills among ZEALS staff are Python (Programming Language), JavaScript, Project Management, Software Development, Leadership.
ZEALS staff are concentrated in Tokyo, Japan (71), Greater Tokyo Area (16), Japan (12).
ZEALS has about 61 people in Engineering, down 2% over the past year, as of September 2026.
ZEALS has about 37 people in Sales, up 19% over the past year, as of September 2026.
Computed from 126 current and 157 former ZEALS profiles, as of September 2026. Source: Crustdata.
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