What Open8 does

Open8 (株式会社オープンエイト) is a Tokyo-based content technology company founded in April 2015 by CEO Yuko Takamatsu, specializing in AI-powered video and content automation for enterprise customers in Japan. The company offers a portfolio of products built on its proprietary OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY platform, which combines natural language processing (NLP) and computer vision to automate multimedia content creation, distribution, and analysis. Its flagship SaaS product, Video BRAIN, enables non-technical users to generate narrative-quality videos from text, images, and existing video materials in minutes, supported by an asset library of 3,500+ background music tracks, 800+ design formats, and 30,000+ editing combinations. Adjacent products include Open BRAIN (AI knowledge management that auto-generates articles from internal corporate data via Google Drive integration), Insight BRAIN (social media distribution and analytics), V-matic (a usage-based API for automated video generation at ¥100++ per video), NEWS BRAIN (a newspaper-industry solution co-developed with Hakuhodo DY Media Partners), and 8AI (a beta pure-AI offering).

The company operates primarily a subscription-based SaaS revenue model with enterprise field sales as its primary go-to-market motion, supplemented by an inside sales team, partner resellers, and a self-service tier for smaller accounts. Video BRAIN pricing follows monthly subscription plans (specific tiers undisclosed); OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY is also licensed as APIs and via MLaaS for custom enterprise model development, while V-matic employs pay-as-you-go usage pricing. Customer acquisition combines direct enterprise sales, partner channels supported by the wholly-owned 8 Technology subsidiary (established February 2025 in Fukuoka) and Open8 Partner (November 2022, focused on SMB), with marketing driven by webinars, trade show presence, and community events. As of August 2025, Video BRAIN had surpassed 1,000 cumulative enterprise clients, with approximately 40% of Nikkei 225 constituents reported as adopters, alongside local governments and educational institutions receiving free access under Japan's GIGA School program.

Open8 has raised approximately ¥7 billion (~$45–50M USD) across multiple funding rounds from 2015 through 2024, with key investors including Future Creation Fund (SPARX Group) and Japan Post Investment Corporation; the most recent Series D closed in January 2024. The company is headquartered at WeWork Hibiya Park Front in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (relocated January 2025), with engineering operations in Fukuoka (via 8 Technology) and Singapore, and reports approximately 85 employees as of March 2025. Video BRAIN has held the No.1 sales share in Japan's automatic video generation software market for five consecutive years according to MIC Research Institute reports (2020–2024), and Open8 holds ISO/IEC 27001:2013 and Privacy Mark certifications.

Name

Open8

Legal name

株式会社オープンエイト

Website

https://open8.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Open8 is an AI content technology company offering SaaS and API solutions for automated video creation, distribution, and knowledge management. Its Video BRAIN platform serves Japanese enterprises across marketing, PR, recruiting, and training, surpassing 1,000 cumulative clients by August 2025.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Video Editing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)

akta.pro primary industry

Interactive Video & Video-Based Learning Authoring (EDAFAHAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

AI Application Enablement Platforms (Copilot/Agent Frameworks, SDKs) (HDAEANAJ)

Keywords

• AI video editing
• Video creation platform
• Content technology
• Video generation API
• Machine learning video

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. SaaS Business: Provides Video BRAIN AI video editing cloud service to businesses on subscription basis. Revenue from monthly/annual subscription plans for the cloud platform.
2. API/MLaaS Business: Provides OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY (algorithms and software modules) as APIs for standalone or combined use. Also builds custom models based on private data for original solutions.
3. V-matic Video Generation: Automatic video generation API with unit-based pricing (¥100+ per video) for mass video production needs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Open8 is a content technology company that develops and sells AI-powered video editing and content creation software. Its flagship product Video BRAIN is a SaaS cloud service that uses proprietary AI (NLP and computer vision) to automatically generate professional business videos from text, photos, and video materials in minutes without specialized editing skills. The company also offers Open BRAIN for AI knowledge management, Insight BRAIN for SNS analytics, the V-matic video generation API, and OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY as APIs/MLaaS for enterprise customization.

Product overview

OPEN8 is a content technology company offering a platform-plus-products architecture anchored by its proprietary OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY (NLP and computer vision algorithms). The core product portfolio includes Video BRAIN (AI-powered video editing cloud), Open BRAIN (AI article generation/knowledge management), Insight BRAIN (social media analytics), V-matic (automatic video generation API), and NEWS BRAIN (news video creation for newspapers). Video BRAIN is the flagship SaaS product, while Open BRAIN, Insight BRAIN, and V-matic extend into knowledge management, social media analytics, and API-based automation respectively. OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY is also made available directly via API and MLaaS for enterprise customization. Together, these products provide a one-stop value chain from video content planning and creation through distribution and analytics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Video BRAIN: AI-powered business video editing cloud service that allows users to create professional videos in minutes with AI support. Supports video creation from text, images, and video materials.
• Open BRAIN
• Insight BRAIN
• V-matic
• NEWS BRAIN

Products and services

• Video BRAIN AI-powered business video editing cloud service that enables anyone to create professional-quality narrative videos in minutes. Users submit text, photos, and video materials and the AI engine automatically analyzes inputs and generates storyline-matched videos. Features include timeline editing, team collaboration, 3,500+ BGMs, 800+ design formats, text-to-speech, screen recording, and PowerPoint import. Held No.1 sales share in Japan's automatic video creation software market for 5 consecutive years (2020-2024).
• Open BRAIN AI business information distribution cloud that automatically generates articles from uploaded corporate data, text, and documents. Leverages generative AI to analyze and synthesize information from internal knowledge bases and generates structured written content. Integrates with Google Drive API for file access and management. Helps companies utilize and share knowledge dormant within organizations.
• Insight BRAIN Distribution analysis tool that visualizes social media results and provides SNS posting and analysis capabilities. Enables companies to manage video distribution, track performance metrics, and optimize content strategy across social platforms as part of a one-stop service from video content planning to production and analysis.
• V-matic Automatic video generation API powered by Video BRAIN that enables fully automatic video generation from ¥100++ per video. Designed for mass production needs, allowing enterprises to programmatically generate video content at scale through API integration.
• NEWS BRAIN One-stop automatic news video creation solution developed in partnership with Hakuhodo DY Media Partners. Performs article summarization, text-to-speech voice-over generation, and video creation from newspaper articles using AI. Delivers news videos to digital editions, digital signage, and official social media channels. First implemented at Chugoku Shimbun.
• OPEN8 API / MLaaS OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY provided as APIs for automatic video generation and text summarization, available for independent use or combined with multiple technologies per corporate requirements. MLaaS (Machine Learning as a Service) offering builds custom models on company private data combined with OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY for original solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• Video production time reduced from hours/days to minutes with AI automation
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers19 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

AI capability12 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• 8 TechnologycoreOthers · 25 February 2025Subsidiary company established for SaaS utilization support and expanded market reach. 8 Technology operates independently with its own SaaS business model supporting Open8's video solutions.
• TACminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 16 June 2023Co-hosted workshop and networking event for HR and education professionals on employee engagement. Joint event to explore video usage for internal communications.
• Toppan PrintingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 December 2020Business alliance for joint development of video creation services to expand value of print materials using Video BRAIN. Strategic partnership for cross-media content expansion.
• Hakuhodo DY Media PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 January 2020Business alliance for NEWS BRAIN newspaper video solution. Combines Hakuhodo's article summarization voice-over system (ASSS) with Open8's Video BRAIN to create automatic news video generation from newspaper articles. First implementation at Chugoku Shimbun.
• Singapore Engineering OfficecoreOthersSingapore location serves as AI technology development base supporting OPEN8 CORE TECHNOLOGY development alongside Tokyo engineering team.
• Oracle (JSTFUSE Event)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerCTO participation in Oracle-sponsored FUSE insight Multi-cloud Round Table event discussing cloud architecture implementation.
• For startup support ecosystemminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership with venture capital ANRI as advisor for startup ecosystem and innovation support.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Direct peers

• Synthesia: AI video generation platform that creates narrated videos from text using generative AI and synthetic avatars — directly comparable to Video BRAIN's text-to-video pipeline targeting enterprise communications, training, and marketing use cases.
• HeyGen: Generative AI video platform offering text-to-video, avatar creation, and multilingual video localization — overlapping heavily with Video BRAIN and V-matic on automated enterprise video workflows.
• Descript: AI-driven video and podcast editor that automates transcription, editing, and post-production — comparable to Video BRAIN's claim of reducing video production time from hours/days to minutes for business users.
• Lumen5: AI video creation platform that converts text content (blogs, articles, scripts) into social videos — direct functional overlap with Video BRAIN's text-to-video automation for marketing and communications teams.
• Pictory: AI video generator that creates short branded videos from long-form content (articles, webinars) — closely aligned with Video BRAIN's automation of corporate video content from press releases and text inputs.
• InVideo: Online AI video editor with text-to-video, templates, and stock asset library — directly comparable to Video BRAIN's template-based editing with 30,000+ combinations and large asset library.

Emerging players

• Runway: Generative video and image AI platform with foundation-model capabilities — emerging competitor targeting creative and enterprise video workflows with comparable text-to-video generation to V-matic.
• Elai.io: AI video generation platform with avatar-based and text-to-video capabilities — emerging peer with comparable enterprise-training and marketing use cases to Video BRAIN.

Broad incumbents

• Canva (Video): Broad design platform with growing AI video generation capabilities (Magic Studio) — overlaps with Video BRAIN as an enterprise-friendly video authoring tool but bundled within a much wider creative suite.
• Adobe (Premiere / Express): Adobe Premiere Pro with Firefly AI and Adobe Express target enterprise video creation and editing at scale — competing with Video BRAIN for marketing and corporate communications budgets but as part of a much broader creative platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/OPEN8inc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCX
• Facebookfacebook.com/open8inc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/open8-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/open8_inc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors11 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Open8