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TOP ABOUT GAIAX

ABOUT GAIAX

Gaiax is a startup studio founded with the mission of “Empowering the people to connect.”

We envision a future where the connection of thoughts and feelings naturally fosters a society of mutual assistance. To achieve this, we create businesses in social media, the sharing economy, and web3/DAO sectors.

As a dynamic startup studio, we continuously generate and nurture new business ventures. From the spark of an idea to full-fledged growth, we offer multi-facetted support even before the inception of the business. Our comprehensive assistance spans business development, engineering, back-office operations, and fundraising, propelling numerous young entrepreneurs to success.

Furthermore, we promote the independence of existing business units and invest in companies founded by Gaiax alumni or external startups. Through these efforts, several of our supported companies have achieved public listing.

In our journey of business creation, Gaiax harnesses decentralized technologies like blockchain and embraces the autonomous and flat organization model. This approach empowers individuals to view social issues as personal challenges, act with a sense of ownership, and collaboratively work towards a better society.

A QUICK FACTSHEET

Company name

Gaiax Co.Ltd.

Philosophy

Gaiax is driven by the corporate mission of “empowering the people to connect.” We dedicate ourselves to fostering communication between individuals and creating services and businesses that facilitate these interactions, all in pursuit of a more compassionate and interconnected society.

Established on

May 5th, 1999

Capital

100 mln.yen

No.of employees

130 people (consolidated, full-time employees as of December 2022)

Listed market

Nagoya Stock Exchange Next (3775 Market Stock Code)

Accounting period

December

No. of shares issued

5,337,452 shares

No. of shareholders

2,302 shareholders (as of the end of December 2022)

Headquarters

MIDORI.so NAGATACHO Hirakawa-cho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku 102-0093, Tokyo, Japan

GAIAX GROUP

ベンチャー広報

Established: 02/2010

Capital: 2 mln.yen

Representative: Naohito Nozawa

Address: Hirakawacho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

LOCOTABI

Established: 12/2015

Capital: 70mln.yen

Representative: Daisuke Takada

Address: Hirakawacho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Gaiax Global Marketing & Ventures

Gaiax Global Marketing & Ventures Pte.Ltd.

Established: 06/2012

Capital: 600mln.yen

Representative: Jun Ishikawa

Address: 10 Anson Road #14-06, Singapore

G-NI co.ltd.

Established: 05/2019

Capital: 2mln.yen

Representative: Yoshihiro Sasaki

Address: Hirakawacho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Established 03/2022

Capital: 10mln.yen

Representative: Shutaro Fukunaga

Address: Hirakawacho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

Creave logo

Established: 02/2024

Capital: 20mln.yen

Representative: Mana Nakamura

Address: Hirakawacho 2-5-3, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo

OUR MILESTONES

Gaiax history
1999

Established Gaiax Ltd., began offering community services, and restructured to become Gaiax Inc.

Gaiax history
2000

Started offering greeting card and instant messenger services; Established Gaiax Cafe Inc.

2001

Started offering video chat, B2B online community management, and consulting services.

Gaiax history
2002

Started offering voice and video messenger services; Established Gaiax Korea Inc.

Gaiax history
2003

Started providing avatar solutions and launched a community site for avatars targeted at large enterprises

Gaiax history
2004

Began operating the avatar and community site ‘gaiax.com’ and the gaming community site ‘Natsu Ge’

Gaiax history
2005

Listed on the Nagoya Stock Exchange ‘Centrex’; Established Onboard Inc. (now Pixta Inc.)

Gaiax history
2006

Fully acquired Den-en Inc. and Together Inc. as wholly-owned subsidiaries; Established GT-Agency Inc.

Gaiax history
2007

Started offering ‘School Guardian’ service for online bullying prevention and ‘Freshers’ service for pre-employment social networking.

Gaiax history
2008

Appointed founder of the Mobile Content Review and Operations Monitoring Organization; Launched the social groupware ‘iQube’.

Gaiax history
2009

Launched the SaaS-based corporate SNS brand ‘Airy’ and started offering ‘Airy Diversity’ for employees on parental leave

Gaiax history
2010

Started offering internet literacy courses for high school students and multilingual customer support through ‘Social App Support’

Gaiax history
2011

Social Media Lab released ‘Pocket Encyclopedia: The Book That Clearly Answers What You Want to Know About Facebook’

Appbank
2012

Existing business carves out to become AppBank Inc.; Released CMS ‘INBOUND Tools’ service.

Gaiax history
2013

Launched international SNS app ‘Fantastics Campaign’; Launched social media monitoring services.

Gaiax history
2014

Venture PR Co., Ltd. becomes a wholly owned subsidiary, and existing business carves out to establish a subsidiary, Adish Co., Ltd.

Gaiax history
2015

Entered the sharing economy business; AppBank Inc. and Pixta Inc., founded by Gaiax alumni have been listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange “Mothers”.

Gaiax history
2016

Established the Japan Sharing Economy Association; Launched the identity verification platform ‘TRUSTDOCK’

Gaiax history
2017

Opened ‘Nagatacho GRiD’ (now MIDORI.so NAGATACHO) and relocated headquarters; Carved-out Airy business into EDGE Inc.

Gaiax history
2018

Appointed Representative Director of the Japan Blockchain Association; Established TRUSTDOCK Inc. as a carve-out company.

2019

Internal startup ‘Techpit’ raised a total of 30 million yen in funding

Gaiax history
2020

Carve-out company Adish Inc. listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers; Gaiax launched ‘Entrepreneurship Seminars’ for middle and high school students to accelerate young entrepreneur development.

2021

Subsidiarized SNS marketing company “Genic Lab”; Gaiax graduate startup and investee Photosynth Inc. goes public

2022

Started DAO consulting services and began developing Japan’s first DAO-operated share house and multi-municipality alliance DAO.

*Confirmed as unprecedented by Muneharu Mineara, Japan Blockchain Association board member.

Gaiax startup studio
2023

Contracted by municipalities nationwide to support startup and entrepreneur development programs

Creave
2024

Merged subsidiary Snapmart Inc. with GENIC LAB business and changed company name to CREAVE Inc.

LEADERSHIP

上田 祐司

Founder, CEO & Representative director

I have established online community business with the aim of “empowering the people to connect.” Our goal goes beyond linking acquaintances; we harness the unique power of communities to bring complete strangers together. By doing so, we help individuals understand and empathize with others’ perspectives. My vision is to create a society where everyone cares not only for their acquaintances but also for strangers, fostering kindness and a social consciousness at all times. As we work to introduce this new value to society, I sincerely ask for your continued support and cooperation.

野澤 直人

Executive officer

Social media, which has rapidly gained popularity in recent years, is an exceptional tool capable of combining diverse knowledge, perspectives, and strengths from people all over the world to create new value known as collective intelligence. In Gaiax. we focus on this potential by fostering and supporting social media platforms. Through preventing and resolving communication barriers within these spaces, we are committed to address and resolve many social issues.

佐々木 喜徳

Executive officer

In present society, achieving true prosperity by competing within existing business models has become increasingly challenging. This makes the creation of startups that generate new value essential. At Gaiax, we gather visionary entrepreneurs with unique ideas that break free from conventional thinking. Our startup studio provides the experience and technology needed to bring these ideas to life. Through initiatives like entrepreneurial school seminars, we aim to inspire the next generation of entrepreneurs. By continuously supporting numerous business developments, we strive to elevate the domestic startup ecosystem.

BUSINESS PORTFOLIO

Gaiax operates as a startup studio that continuously produces entrepreneurs while also integrating the characteristics of both an operating company and an investment company, developing a unique business model. By valuing the mission and life plans of each individual, Gaiax has cultivated numerous entrepreneurs within the company, leading to the evolution of a hybrid business model that not only expands its in-house operations but also engages in investment activities.

Gaiax business model

In-house operations are driven by the various business units within Gaiax, where new ventures are consistently emerging. Additionally, Gaiax has a unique “Carve-out Option System” that allows members to incorporate their business units at their discretion. This system enhances ownership over the business, significantly accelerating management speed, and has led to several companies going public. Beyond internal ventures, Gaiax actively invests in businesses across the sharing economy, social media, and web3/DAO sectors, especially in companies founded and managed by its alumni, but also in entrepreneurs outside the Gaiax Group. By establishing a system that nurtures and supports entrepreneurs both within and outside the company, Gaiax has created an ecosystem that continually generates innovative businesses.

Gaiax business model
Gaiax business model
26

MLN. USD

GAIAX MARKET CAPITALIZATION

260

MLN. USD

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALIZATION

At the time of IPO of carve-out and alumni-founded investees

1500

MLN. USD

TOTAL MARKET CAPITALIZATION

At the time of IPO of outside investees

As of September 30, 2024
(at an exchange rate of 142 yen to the U.S. dollar)

INVESTMENT PERFORMANCE

Gaiax primarily invests during the seed phase

(*1)Investment includes Gaiax and Gaiax-formed funds;
(*2)Value-up refers to companies raising additional funding or increasing valuation (Next round, Series A, etc.);
(*3)Of the companies that went public, Gaiax held shares in 6.

As of September 30, 2024

OUR AWARDS & CERTIFICATIONS

no.1

RAPID GROWTH

OUT OF 2288 COMPANIES
RECOGNIZED FOR GROWTH
ENVIRONMENT IN ONLINE INDUSTRY

no.72

BEST WORKSTYLE

OUT OF TOP 100 PLATINUM
COMPANIES RECOGNIZED FOR
WORKSTYLE AND JOB SATISFACTION

no.1

TEAM OF THE YEAR

OUT OF 39000 COMPANIES
RECOGNIZED AS THE BEST
TEAM COMPANY

no.4

BEST EX-EMPLOYER

OUT OF 8045 COMPANIES
RECOGNIZED AS BEST COMPANY
BY EX-EMPLOYEES

As of September 30, 2024

2024

Ranked 72nd in the Nikkei Newspaper “Top 100 Platinum Companies”

2024

Selected by the NewsPicks Editorial Team as one of the ‘100 Notable Companies to Watch Now with Innovative Approaches

2023

‘TEAM OF THE YEAR’ Award at the Wantedly Awards 2023

2023

Retirees’ Choice: 4th place in ‘Best Companies to Leave’ ranking by OpenWork

「日本HRチャレンジ大賞 奨励賞を受賞」
2022

Received the Encouragement Award at the Japan HR Challenge awards

2022

Won the ‘Recruitment Video Award’ at the Owned Media Recruiting Awards

2022

Received Grand Prize at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s Career Education Awards

2022

Nominated for the GOOD ACTION Award 2022

2021

Certified as a Best Workplace at the Diversity & Inclusion ‘D&I Award’

WORK DESIGN AWARD
2021

WORK DESIGN AWARD 2021: Employee Benefits Award

2021

Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s 11th Career Education Awards: Encouragement Award in the Small and Medium Enterprise Category

2020

Work Story Award 2020: Communication, Collaboration, and Team Building Award

2020

Selected as a Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ‘Inno-vation Network Hub’

2019

Work Story Award 2019: Workplace & Environment Award, Innovation Award, and Group Jury Special Award – Future of Work Award

Received ICT Regional Revitalization Award from Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

2017

Selected as one of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications ‘100 Pioneers in Telework’

2016

Wantedly Award 2016 ‘Recruitment Excellence Award’

2016

Selected as a ‘Great Place to Work’ Best Company for 6 consecutive years (one of only 4 companies in the 100-999 employee category)

2016

Received the highest ‘Gold’ rating in the Work with Pride PRIDE Index 2016

子育て支援企業の認定証『くるみん』を取得
2014

Received the ‘Kurumin’ Certification for Childcare Support Companies

Affiliated and Supporting Organizations

スタートアップスタジオ協会

Representative director
Yoshinori Sasaki

Representative director
Yuji Ueda

Director
Aram Mine

XTC JAPAN

Head of administration
Kae Noguchi

〒102-0093
東京都千代田区平河町2-5-3
MIDORI.so NAGATACHO
TEL: 03-5759-0300

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