KAYAC, Inc.
Kamakura, JP · Founded 1998 · 158 employees on LinkedIn · Public · 1 known investors
KAYAC Inc. is a Japanese "fun" content company that operates across multiple businesses, including advertising and web promotion production, in-house and contract game and XR development, esports platforms and events, community-currency and regional development projects, and services such as weddings and real estate. This page is a staff directory listing employees across its technology, design, planning, management, and executive divisions.
Also known as Kayac · Kayac Inc. · 面白法人カヤック
Founders & leadership
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026KAYAC, Inc. (面白法人カヤック) is a Japanese company headquartered in Kamakura that operates a portfolio of content, digital service and regional-development businesses under the corporate philosophy of "increasing the number of people who create." Its client-facing "Omoshiro Produce" business covers advertising and website production, SNS marketing and web promotion, R&D and product/service planning, event production (including the Unko Museum attractions), branding, gamification and SDGs-related work.
In games and entertainment the company develops its own social and hyper-casual mobile titles as well as Nintendo Switch and PC titles, and undertakes contract game and anime development through KAYAC Akiba Studio, XR production, and system/app development and DX work through KAYAC Bond. Its esports-related activities include the Tonamel tournament platform, event and venue operation through GLOE, and online game tutoring through Gemtore. A "regional capitalism" (machizukuri) segment operates the SMOUT platform connecting people with regions, the Machi no Coin community currency, municipal and government contract projects, Kamakura-focused initiatives, the FC Ryukyu football club in Okinawa, coworking facilities and regional promotion. Other units cover wedding services (Placole), real estate (Kamakura R Fudosan), Okinawa resort operations (Ryukyu Kayac Studio), advertising agency work (KAYAC SANKO) and corporate venture capital investing.
An earlier profile described the company as engaged in developing gaming websites, internet-based advertising commissioned by clients, client marketing and branding support, plus social games and a game community under the name Lobi.
Founding story
KAYAC was founded on 1998-08-03 by Daisuke Yanasawa, Masanori Kaihata and Tomoyoshi Kuba, and is based in Kamakura, Japan.
Business model
KAYAC combines client-service work (advertising, web promotion, SNS marketing, event and branding production, contract game/anime and system development) with its own products and services, including self-developed mobile and console games, esports platforms and events, regional-development platforms, weddings, real estate, resort operations, an advertising agency business and corporate venture investment. Growth also comes through M&A: the company runs a dedicated M&A intake channel and acquires and consolidates operating companies, such as the 2026 share acquisition of Brain Group.
Revenue is generated from client project fees for advertising, promotion, event and contract development work; consumer game monetization; platform and service offerings such as Tonamel, SMOUT and Machi no Coin; public-sector and municipal contracts; and operating businesses in weddings, real estate, resorts, sports and advertising agency services.
Traction
The company reported record revenue for both Q1 and the first half of fiscal 2026 with year-on-year revenue and profit growth. Its hyper-casual game portfolio includes titles reaching No. 1 in download rankings in over ten countries ("Park Master") and US No. 1 rankings on Google Play's free action games chart in 2026 ("Slow Mo Strike", "Pistol Duel"), with individual titles reported to have passed 10 million downloads.
Latest developments
In 2026 KAYAC reported record first-quarter and first-half revenue with higher profit, completed a share acquisition of Brain Group (public-sector content production and language publishing) to make it a subsidiary, was commissioned as secretariat for the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' "hometown resident registration" model program, opened the Unko Museum YOKOHAMA BAY, launched the Omoshirolocal portal for students under SMOUT, formed a narrative-planning unit called Narrati-bu, began a relocation-hiring collaboration with ten partner companies, and saw hyper-casual titles "Slow Mo Strike" and "Pistol Duel" top Google Play's free action game ranking in the United States.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
A diversified Japanese content and digital services group operating across advertising production, game development, esports, regional revitalization, sports and lifestyle services, listed and reporting quarterly financial results.
The company positions itself around idea generation and internal culture, emphasizing brainstorming as a core method (a practice it describes as continuing for 26 years and has documented in a published book), unusual personnel systems such as dice-based and "smile" pay, published staff directories and episode manga, and a headquarters deliberately based in Kamakura rather than central Tokyo.
Technology
Web and mobile application development, self-developed mobile and hyper-casual game engines and titles for iOS, Android, Nintendo Switch and PC, XR production, an online tournament platform (Tonamel), a community-currency application (Machi no Coin), a regional matching platform (SMOUT), and system/app development and DX services.
Go-to-market
Client work is sold through the Omoshiro Produce business and group subsidiaries, while consumer and municipal services are distributed via app stores, owned platforms (Tonamel, SMOUT, Machi no Coin) and public-sector contracts. The company markets itself heavily through owned media — a president's diary, creator interviews, employee interviews, an internal newsletter, recruiting campaigns and press releases — and pursues partnerships with corporates and government ministries.
Corporate advertising and branding clients, game and anime IP holders, consumers and players of its mobile and console games, esports tournament organizers and participants, municipalities and government agencies pursuing regional revitalization, and job seekers and residents interested in relocating to regional Japan.
Geography
Headquartered in Kamakura, Japan, with activity concentrated in Japan including Kamakura-focused city projects, Okinawa operations (FC Ryukyu, Unko Museum OKINAWA, Ryukyu Kayac Studio) and an Ishigaki coworking initiative. Its hyper-casual games are distributed internationally, with titles reaching No. 1 download rankings in more than ten countries and top free action-game rankings in the United States.
History
The company was founded on 1998-08-03 by Daisuke Yanasawa, Masanori Kaihata and Tomoyoshi Kuba and is headquartered in Kamakura, Japan. Its site dates its game business to 2009, an internal episode-manga program to 2013, the staff-directory initiative to 2016, the Tonamel tournament platform to 2017, the SMOUT regional matching service to 2018, Machi no Coin community currency and its hyper-casual game line to 2019, and the GLOE esports business and the Omoshiro Produce business to 2021. In August 2026 the company marked its 28th anniversary. It is a listed company, publishing quarterly IR results, shareholder-benefit information and multi-year financial disclosures.
Compiled by commissioned research from 3 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 7
launches, deals, and filingsKAYAC was commissioned to run secretariat operations including support for model municipalities and app proof-of-concept work under the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications' hometown resident registration system.
The SMOUT regional-matching service opened a portal site aimed at students and young people to present local/regional experience options.
A new location of the Unko Museum attraction opened, with ticket sales starting 2026-07-09.
KAYAC formed a specialist unit to plan stories connecting corporate intentions with consumers' lives, within its Omoshiro Produce business.
KAYAC announced a business integration with Brain Group, a company active in public-sector content production and language-learning publishing, acquiring all of its shares to make it a subsidiary.
KAYAC began a business collaboration in the migration/relocation recruitment field with 10 companies including Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten and Fisherman Japan.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 3
primary sources listed
- KAYAC, Inc.kayac.com · web
3 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does KAYAC, Inc. do?
- Kamakura-based Japanese content group spanning advertising production, games, esports, and regional-revitalization services.
- Who are KAYAC, Inc.'s investors?
- KAYAC, Inc.'s investors include Globis Capital Partners.
- Where is KAYAC, Inc. headquartered?
- KAYAC, Inc. is headquartered in Kamakura, JP.