Kepple

What Kepple does

Kepple (株式会社ケップル, Kepple, Inc.) is a Japan-focused startup ecosystem media and data platform headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo. The company operates a multi-product suite centered on KEPPLE DB, a proprietary database aggregating Japanese startup information including business overviews, valuations, funding series, employee counts, and shareholder structures. KEPPLE complements this database with a mobile application (iOS and Android) that delivers database search and investment portfolio management tools to investors, alongside a media platform publishing startup news, funding announcements, and recurring series content such as Startup Spotlight, Open Innovation Frontlines, Investor Perspectives, and DeepTech Trend. The platform also distributes a weekly STARTUP NEWSLETTER and maintains an active X (Twitter) presence for ecosystem engagement.

Kepple serves three primary customer segments: startup investors (VCs, CVCs, and angels) seeking funding intelligence and portfolio tracking; startups seeking media visibility and investor connections; and corporate innovation teams engaged in open innovation and startup partnership discovery. Coverage spans multiple Japanese regions including Hokkaido, Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, Tokyo, and Osaka. Beyond media and data, the Kepple Group extends into investment business, fund operation support, open innovation support, and startup support services, positioning it as a multi-service startup ecosystem platform rather than a single-product publisher.

The business model is freemium and advertising-led. The KEPPLE app, newsletter, and core media content are free to users, with revenue generated primarily through advertising and sponsored content placements (visible on the homepage as promoted articles). Detailed pricing for premium tiers, enterprise data licensing, or B2B offerings is not publicly disclosed. Founded in 2015, Kepple employs 51–100 staff and operates as a privately held company with no disclosed parent entity, institutional investors, or funding rounds to date.

Name

Kepple

Legal name

Kepple, Inc.

Website

https://kepple.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kepple is a Japan-focused startup ecosystem media and data platform offering the proprietary KEPPLE DB startup database, a mobile portfolio management app, and editorial content serving investors, startups, and corporate innovation teams across Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Media Content & Advertising: The media platform publishes news, funding information, and analysis articles about startups. Revenue is generated through advertising and sponsored content placements.
2. KEPPLE App & Database Services: The mobile application provides startup database access and portfolio management tools for investors, supporting their investment activities.
3. Newsletter Subscription: STARTUP NEWSLETTER delivers weekly funding information to subscribers, providing a curated digest of startup ecosystem developments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kepple operates a startup ecosystem visualization media platform that provides a proprietary database of Japanese startups (KEPPLE DB), a mobile application for investors and startups (KEPPLE App), and publishes industry news, articles, and reports covering the Japanese startup landscape. The platform aggregates startup and investor information, offers portfolio management tools for investors, and delivers curated content about the domestic startup ecosystem.

Product overview

KEPPLE operates as a startup ecosystem visualization media platform combining a proprietary startup database (KEPPLE DB), a mobile app for investors featuring database search and portfolio management capabilities, and a media platform publishing startup news, funding reports, and industry analysis content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• KEPPLE DB: Proprietary startup database offering company information, valuation series, employee counts, shareholders, and other aggregated data on startups.
• KEPPLEアプリ

Products and services

• KEPPLE App
• KEPPLE DB
• KEPPLE Newsletter
• KEPPLE Media Online media publication producing news articles, in-depth features, and industry reports covering Japanese startups, venture capital activity, and the broader startup ecosystem.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TechCrunch: Global startup media brand (owned by Yahoo/Verizon Media) covering funding, product launches, and ecosystem news — broadly comparable to KEPPLE's media business, but operating globally and at significantly larger scale.
• Bloomberg: Global financial data, news, and analytics platform serving investors and corporates — adjacent incumbent covering private markets intelligence that overlaps with KEPPLE's investor-facing data and workflow tooling.

Direct peers

• Crunchbase: Global startup and funding database serving investors, startups, and corporates — directly comparable to KEPPLE DB as a structured-data product with both free and paid tiers and investor workflow tooling.
• The Bridge: Japanese tech and startup media outlet covering funding rounds, ecosystem trends, and founder interviews — directly comparable to KEPPLE's editorial/news coverage of the Japanese startup ecosystem.
• CB Insights: Market intelligence platform covering startups, funding, and emerging tech with enterprise data subscriptions — comparable to KEPPLE in combining startup data with corporate strategy and open innovation use cases.
• PitchBook: Private capital markets data platform used by VCs, PE firms, and corporates for deal sourcing, valuation, and portfolio management — overlaps KEPPLE's investor-side database and portfolio management value proposition.
• Speeda (Uzabase): Japanese business intelligence platform with a deep startup and corporate database used by investors and corporates — the closest domestic peer to KEPPLE DB given overlapping Japanese startup data coverage and enterprise data subscriptions.
• INITIAL (Uzabase): Japanese startup database from Uzabase aggregating funding, valuation, and shareholder data — directly comparable to KEPPLE DB's structured startup data offering for Japanese investors and corporates.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kepple_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments2 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Kepple