WE ARE HIRING · 採用情報
Technical Account Manager
Tokyo & San Francisco
Kotoba builds frontier voice generation AI. We are looking for a Technical Account Manager to own our rapidly growing model licensing and API business with large enterprises in both Japan and the US — from deal progress management and technical validation with our researchers through to contract close.
ABOUT KOTOBA
At the frontier of voice generation AI
Kotoba is a generative AI company on a mission to “become the defacto for voice AI in East Asia,” developing state-of-the-art voice generation AI models. At our core is a low-latency, high-accuracy speech translation model that connects conversations so naturally it feels as though both speakers share the same language. It supports major language pairs — including Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese, and Spanish — breaking down the language barrier. We also develop our own ultra-low-latency speech-to-text and text-to-speech models that run everywhere from the data center to edge devices, and we license this foundational technology, which powers the next generation of voice agents, to Fortune 50 companies and major U.S. tech firms. We create world-class voice AI from our two hubs in Tokyo and San Francisco.
Kotoba brings this technology to the world through its own product, the Kotoba app, available on iOS and Android. Since launch it has won explosive support across countries and regions including Japan and Korea, growing to a steady 2,000–3,000 new downloads per day. In the App Store and Google Play category rankings, it has reached No. 1 in its category, ahead of the likes of Google Translate and Audible. Loved by individual users, it is also seeing accelerating adoption among major enterprises — centered on Japan — and has supported nearly 100 events on the ground, including SusHi Tech Tokyo. It has drawn media attention as well, featured on numerous programs such as TV Asahi, NHK, TV Tokyo, Abema Prime, and PIVOT.
Kotoba was founded in 2023 by two Japanese generative AI researchers who earned their PhDs at top U.S. universities. To date it has raised a cumulative total of more than ¥3 billion (roughly US$23 million) from prominent VCs in Japan and the U.S. (including Kindred Ventures and Globis Capital Partners) and from the corporate venture arms of leading U.S. and Japanese enterprises, and it also receives strong government support in Japan for AI model training. World-class research paired with a product that keeps winning in the market — with both, Kotoba is one of the most exciting generative AI startups today.
Media
— TV Tokyo：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17CG6kSv2zs
— TV Asahi：https://tver.jp/episodes/epy340m62i
— PIVOT：https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N30YYfIqGEg
Kotoba was founded in 2023 by two Japanese generative AI researchers who earned their PhDs at top U.S. universities. To date it has raised a cumulative total of more than ¥3 billion (roughly US$23 million) from prominent VCs in Japan and the U.S. (including Kindred Ventures and Globis Capital Partners) and from the corporate venture arms of leading U.S. and Japanese enterprises, and it also receives strong government support in Japan for AI model training. World-class research paired with a product that keeps winning in the market — with both, Kotoba is one of the most exciting generative AI startups today.
ROLE DESCRIPTION
THE ROLE
As Technical Account Manager, you will own deals with large enterprises in both the US and Japan across Kotoba’s voice foundation model licensing and API business, end to end. You will rigorously manage the progress of sales leads, keep deals moving through regular check-ins, and reliably convert them into signed contracts. Throughout the deal cycle, you will design and drive technical validation (PoCs) together with our researchers, resolving customers’ technical requirements and concerns one by one on the way to close. You will also handle inbound inquiries about model licensing and our API, and when deals stall, we expect you to break through in person — including business travel. Kotoba’s models are licensed to Fortune 50 companies and US big tech. Because you will cover customers in both Japan and the US, business-level communication in both Japanese and English is essential. Working closely with researchers, engineers, and leadership, you will feed customer needs back into our product and business strategy, driving the growth of Kotoba’s enterprise business.
RESPONSIBILITIES
What you'll do
Manage the pipeline and progress of model licensing and API deals with large enterprises in Japan and the US, including regular customer check-ins.
Design and drive technical validation (PoCs) together with our researchers, resolving technical blockers.
Drive deals from closing through contract execution.
Serve as the first point of contact for inbound inquiries about model licensing and the API.
Push stalled deals forward in person, including business travel.
Coordinate across customers and internal teams in Japan and the US, and feed customer needs back to leadership and the development team.
QUALIFICATIONS
Who we're looking for
Required
Ability to run deals in both Japanese and English (you will cover customers in both Japan and the US).
Experience in enterprise account management, technical sales, or solutions engineering.
A track record of rigorously managing multiple complex deals and driving them through to contract.
You do not need to be an engineer, but you should have enough technical understanding to drive technical validation together with researchers.
Fit with a hard-working, fast-paced AI startup environment.
Preferred
Hands-on experience working as a researcher or engineer yourself.
Deal experience in AI, APIs, or developer platforms.
Experience working with enterprise customers in both Japan and the US.
Technical knowledge of voice AI or machine learning.
Experience at a high-growth startup.
Korean, Chinese, or other language skills.
HOW TO APPLY
If you’re interested, please apply Kotoba’s hiring team directly
at hiring@kotoba.tech with your resume attached.
