In 1918, Panasonic founder Konosuke Matsushita devoted the global electronics conglomerate to the development of society and the well-being of people. A century later, Panasonic continues that vision by supporting Yohana, an independent subsidiary that provides tech-enabled concierge services to busy families.

The Yohana membership is the first-ever concierge service that matches families with a team of specialists to help manage their busy lives. Families are paired with a guide to map their goals, and with a team of specialists who manage everything from household tasks to family to-dos to creating memorable experiences like vacations. Members also gain access to the Yohana Pro & Partner Network, which features local businesses that can tackle bigger projects for the home and family.

Yohana leverages the reach of the Panasonic Group to enhance its relationships in the home services industry. The platform launched in the US and is expanding to Japan as part of an ambitious growth plan that also serves as a homecoming.

Rapid expansion with a single integration

Yohana was founded in 2021 by Yoky Matsuoka, a former Google executive and a mom of four. The service helps parents tackle everything from home maintenance to kids' activities, calendar coordination, self-care, and personal to-dos. Unlike productivity apps that can create more to manage, Yohana creates space for families to prioritize well-being.

The platform has grown to help families across all 50 US states with more than 50,000 tasks. Yohana has used Stripe since its founding to offer a range of convenient payment options, saving some families as many as 8–10 hours per week.

Yohana begun Japanese operations in Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, with plans to expand into the rest of the country, and beyond. Stripe’s investment in Japan made it easy for Yohana to enter the country and scale quickly.

“Stripe is a trusted partner to Yohana,” said Shoma Yamamoto, Japan Pro Team manager of Yohana Japan. “The ease, security, and reliability of Stripe’s payment capabilities and global support make it easy for us to quickly realize our growth and expansion ambitions wherever we operate in the world.”

Helping busy modern families live better

With Stripe, Yohana members can pay using popular credit cards issued by JCB, Visa, and Mastercard, among others. These convenient options enhance the time-saving benefits of the app, by sparing members the tedious process of initiating a traditional bank transfer, which is how home services in Japan are typically paid for. For Yohana, building on Stripe has further simplified every step in the payment process, from providing appraisals to issuing invoices and receipts.

“Yohana partnered with Stripe to create a rapidly scalable financial services infrastructure that allows us to focus on our members. We look forward to building on our mutual strengths for the progress and development of society, as well as the well-being of people that Panasonic’s founder promised all those years ago,” said Yamamoto.

“We’re encouraged to see how the Stripe financial services platform helps translate business goals into transformative societal benefit,” said Daniel Heffernan, representative director for Stripe in Japan. “We look forward to working closer with Yohana to help busy families in Japan and beyond free up time so that they can focus on the things that matter most in their lives.”