Pinterest is a visual discovery and bookmarking platform where users find, save, and organize ideas (called “Pins”) for topics like recipes, fashion, home design, travel, and DIY projects.
Founded: 2010
Founders: Ben Silbermann, Paul Sciarra, Evan Sharp
Headquarters: San Francisco, California, United States
Industry: Social Media, Visual Discovery, Digital Advertising
Japan Launch: Go-to-Market
Pinterest is a visual discovery platform where users find, save, and shop for ideas. Often described as a digital pinboard, the platform allows people to curate and organize inspiration across categories such as recipes, home décor, fashion, and travel. Pinterest also provides advertising solutions that enable businesses to connect with users actively exploring products and ideas.
Ahead of Pinterest’s product launch in Japan, we partnered with the company’s first Japan Country Manager to support the market entry strategy and the buildout of its initial go-to-market team.
Challenges
Entering a Nascent Social Media Market: Pinterest launched in Japan where social media adoption was still emerging.
Building a Foundational Local Team: Pinterest needed to hire key leaders across growth, marketing, and partnerships.
Driving Early User Adoption and Content Growth: The team needed to rapidly grow users and platform content.
Outcomes
Established Long-Term Presence in Japan: Pinterest built a team of more than 50 employees in the region.
Launched Monetization in 2020: The company introduced monetization and expanded its commercial operations.
Developed Regional Leadership Talent: Early hires advanced into broader APAC leadership roles.
The Challenge
As Pinterest prepared to enter the Japanese market, the objective was both clear and complex: develop a localized product experience that resonated with Japanese users while assembling a high-caliber team capable of driving sustainable growth. At the time, social media adoption in Japan was still developing, presenting both a meaningful opportunity and a significant market challenge.
Working closely with Pinterest leadership, we conducted in-depth market research to identify top talent across key business functions. This effort resulted in the hiring of several foundational leaders who played an instrumental role in establishing Pinterest’s presence in Japan. Many of these early hires later contributed to shaping broader regional strategy and leadership across the Asia-Pacific region.
The Approach
One of Pinterest’s primary strategic priorities was to expand its user base while increasing the volume and quality of content on the platform. To support this objective, we led targeted hiring efforts focused on building teams that would drive user acquisition, engagement, and ecosystem development.
Our initial placements focused on critical roles across Community Marketing, Growth Marketing, Growth Operations, and Strategic Partnerships. Each of these functions played an essential role in accelerating user adoption, strengthening local partnerships, and cultivating a vibrant creator and user community.
The Outcome
Pinterest has now maintained a presence in Japan for more than a decade, steadily expanding its footprint and deepening its engagement with the local market. Today, the company operates with a dedicated team of more than 50 employees in Japan, reflecting its long-term commitment to the region.
In 2020, Pinterest reached an important milestone by launching monetization in Japan, enabling the expansion of its commercial capabilities and supporting the growth of its advertising and revenue teams.
Several of Pinterest’s earliest hires in Japan have since progressed into broader regional leadership roles. Their advancement underscores the company’s commitment to talent development and highlights the impact of strong local leadership in driving success across the Asia-Pacific region.