Payke
Payke (ペイク) is a Naha, Japan-based software company founded in 2014 that operates a mobile platform serving inbound foreign tourists with travel assistance, language support, payment facilitation, and local service discovery, marketed as the top-usage app among visitors to Japan.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersNaha, Japan
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What Payke does
Payke (ペイク) is a Japan-based software company founded in 2014 that operates a mobile application providing travel and shopping assistance to foreign visitors to Japan. The platform targets inbound international tourists who face language and information barriers, offering services spanning travel assistance, language support, local service discovery, and payment facilitation. The company is headquartered in Naha, Okinawa, and markets its app as the highest-usage application among foreign visitors to Japan, though this positioning is a self-reported claim.
The company has raised approximately $10.94M across three funding rounds between 2016 and 2018. The first round in June 2016 was a ~$273K seed investment from DOGAN beta and Venture United; the second round in June 2017 raised roughly $1.78M from Beenos Partners, Colopl Next, NTT Data, Okinawa Development Finance Corporation, and The Bank of Okinawa; the third and largest round in September 2018 raised approximately $8.89M led by Eight Roads Ventures Japan with INTAGE Open Innovation Fund, Okinawa Development Finance Corporation, SBI Investment, and SMBC Venture Capital. Payke's leadership team comprises CEO Kisuke Furuta, CTO Hanashiro Kohei, CFO Ryokan Higa, and Director/COO Keisuke Yamada.
Payke employs 11-50 people and operates exclusively within Japan, serving foreign visitors rather than outbound travelers. Pricing, specific product modules, named merchant partners, revenue mechanics, M&A history, and AI/ML capabilities are not disclosed in the publicly available source material, leaving the company's monetization model, technological depth, and competitive positioning only partially observable.
Payke firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Payke
- Website
- https://payke.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Payke (ペイク) is a Naha, Japan-based software company founded in 2014 that operates a mobile platform serving inbound foreign tourists with travel assistance, language support, payment facilitation, and local service discovery, marketed as the top-usage app among visitors to Japan.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Payke industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Shopping Assistance Software
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (56151)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms (BPAMAFAF)
Keywords
Where Payke is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Naha
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Payke business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Payke product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Payke operates a mobile application and digital platform that provides sales consulting and shopping support for foreign visitors to Japan. The app enables inbound tourists to access product information, translation, and shopping assistance while browsing Japanese retail stores, helping them overcome language and information barriers. The platform also serves Japanese retailers seeking to communicate product details to foreign customers.
Product overview
Payke is a mobile application marketed as the number-one app in usage rate among foreign visitors to Japan. The source provides only the company name and tagline; no individual products, modules, or detailed product portfolio information are available in the provided content.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Payke Mobile App A mobile application marketed as the No.1 app by usage rate among foreign visitors to Japan that provides sales consulting and shopping support, including translation, product information, and shopping assistance for foreign tourists navigating Japanese retail stores.
- Payke Sales Consulting Platform A digital platform providing sales consulting and shopping support services to Japanese retailers and brands, enabling them to communicate product information and serve foreign tourist customers in physical retail environments.
Companies that use Payke
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Payke technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Payke partnerships and signals
Strategic signalRecent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Payke competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- NAVITIME Japan Travel: Major Japanese navigation and travel app offering multilingual routing, translation, and tourist information for foreign visitors to Japan. Closely comparable to Payke on the tourist-concierge value proposition and Japan-focused mobile app distribution.
- Japan Travel by NAVITIME: Multilingual Japan travel planning app with route, transit, and tourist-info features. Directly competes with Payke for foreign visitor smartphone real estate in Japan.
- Visit Japan (JNTO / Walker): Japan National Tourism Organization-affiliated travel companion app providing official tourist information, maps, and translation for foreign visitors. Competes with Payke on the same use case via a quasi-official channel.
Broad incumbents
- Google Translate: Global consumer translation app with offline Japanese language support, camera translation, and conversation mode. Overlaps directly with Payke's translation feature and sets a free baseline that constrains Payke's pricing.
- Google Maps: Dominant global mapping and local discovery platform with multilingual interface and merchant info. Encroaches on Payke's navigation and local discovery functions and defines the UX standard for tourists.
- Trip.com / Ctrip: Large Asia-based travel super-app with translation, attractions, and payment features for inbound Asian tourists. Comparable business model of consolidating travel services into a single mobile platform.
Emerging players
- VoiceTra (NICT): Japan-developed multilingual voice translation app backed by NICT. Competes specifically on the translation feature within Payke's app bundle, supported by public-sector R&D.
- Klook: Asia-focused travel booking and in-destination services app with strong presence in Japan. Comparable in serving foreign visitors with mobile-first concierge and merchant payment functionality.
- Omise (now a part of SBI-related ecosystem): Thailand-based payment gateway expanding into Japan. Shares the cross-border payment-for-foreign-visitors theme with Payke and connects to a similar Japanese investor base.
Others
- Beenos: Cross-border e-commerce and platform company that was an early investor in Payke. Operates adjacent services bridging foreign consumers and Japanese merchants, comparable in the cross-border commerce theme.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Payke social profiles
Digital presencePayke financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Payke leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Payke funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors11 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Payke M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Payke
What does Payke do?
Payke operates a mobile application and digital platform that provides sales consulting and shopping support for foreign visitors to Japan. The app enables inbound tourists to access product information, translation, and shopping assistance while browsing Japanese retail stores, helping them overcome language and information barriers. The platform also serves Japanese retailers seeking to communicate product details to foreign customers.
Is Payke a public or private company?
Payke is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Payke founded?
Payke was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Payke based?
Payke is headquartered in Naha, Japan, in the Asia region.
Who are Payke's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are NAVITIME Japan Travel, Japan Travel by NAVITIME and Visit Japan (JNTO / Walker). Broad incumbents are Google Translate, Google Maps and Trip.com / Ctrip. Emerging players are VoiceTra (NICT), Klook and Omise (now a part of SBI-related ecosystem). Beenos is listed as an others.
Does Payke have an API?
No public API is recorded for Payke.
What industry is Payke in?
Payke's product category is Travel Shopping Assistance Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAFAF, Bill Pay, Invoicing & Payables Platforms. Its NAICS code is 56151.