The origin of KOKAI
A letter from Oskar Kristianse, founder and CEO of KOKAI
On December 1, 2001, I started what would become Bizview. This was made possible by a "management buyout" from the publicly traded company Hands ASA. Bizview was a huge success for everyone involved with the company. We chose to sell Bizview to the US-based IT company Insightsoftware in September 2019, primarily because we realised that Insightsoftware had considerably greater resources to make Bizview a global product, which they have successfully accomplished in recent years.
During the winter of 2020, we, like everyone else, were affected by the much-discussed coronavirus outbreak. However, it also provided us ample time for reflection and, most significantly, for us to begin planning the next big step. So, on December 1, 2021, 20 years after I founded Bizview, KOKAI was founded in Sweden. The name KOKAI, which is the Japanese word for "journey," was intended to represent the natural continuation of a journey that, in reality, never truly ends but rather seeks out new pathways and chances in the world we live in. In order to protect our home market, which is defined as Scandinavia, Kokai Sweden first acquired the Norwegian company KOKAI Consulting. Through this acquisition, we were able to access some of the greatest and most seasoned talent in BI and FP&A (Business Intelligence and Financial Planning and Analysis).
In the spring of 2022, KOKAI decided to become a co-founder of an entirely new IT company with plans to develop a new generation of FP&A solutions based on Microsoft Power BI. Aimplan commenced its operational activities on May 1, 2022, with a clear goal: to create the world's first and best FP&A solution in Microsoft Power BI. In January 2023, Aimplan was introduced to the market.
Despite its relatively short lifespan, KOKAI has experienced remarkable positive growth. The company boasts a strong financial position, having earned profits from day one. All owners work in or for the company, and a multitude of medium-sized and large customers have joined KOKAI. As a distributor for Aimplan, KOKAI is building a vast partner network in Scandinavia. As a strategic partner to insightsoftware, KOKAI delivers FP&A projects to numerous global companies in the USA, Asia, Australia, South Africa, and Europe. Since its introduction in January 2023, Aimplan has had tremendous commercial success. Today, we have partners and customers all over Scandinavia and in various European countries, including England, Italy, Poland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Slovakia, Spain, and more. Additionally, we are actively expanding in the USA through both partners and customers. Every week, new customers and partners join the KOKAI and Aimplan families.
What then is KOKAI's grand vision for the years to come? Well, it's really fairly easy. We want to build an organisation that is run and owned by its workers, with everyone working towards the same main objective of providing outstanding client experiences that lead to partnerships with us.
“As a result, we will always continue to ask what is expected of us and attempt to give something that is superior to the client’s expectations — something they had not even considered, but that is so amazing that the customer experience exceeds their expectations.”
Are you curious about KOKAI? Perhaps you're working with Power BI today, maybe you need support and assistance with BI and FP&A projects, or perhaps you just need someone to talk to in these areas. Or maybe you're at a crossroads in your career, in need of new challenges. Don't hesitate; get in touch with us. You won't regret it!
