Cerevo

What Cerevo does

Cerevo (株式会社Cerevo) is a Tokyo-headquartered Japanese IoT hardware developer and ODM service provider operating with a 1-10 employee team. The company's name is a coined term combining "Consumer Electronics" and "REVOlution," reflecting its founding mission to add network connectivity to devices not originally designed for the internet. Its current active product portfolio centers on the LiveShell series of live streaming encoders (most prominently LiveShell W, a compact 2-input HDMI video switcher with integrated H.264 encoder, PinP and chroma key, web-based control via LiveShell Studio) and the FlexTally series of wireless tally lamp systems (FlexTally Pro supporting PoE/wired/wireless operation with up to 128 lamps across 100+ switcher models, and FlexTally Uni dedicated to Nikon digital accessory shoe cameras). Historically, Cerevo developed a wide range of IoT hardware including the 1/8 Tachikoma interactive robot, DOMINATOR Psycho-Pass smart toy, S.E.E.S. Persona 3 Reload Evoker, XON sports sensors, Tipron home robot, Taclim VR tactile system, and IoT modules like BlueNinja and CDP-ESP8266 — most of which have been discontinued. LiveShell products have been deployed by professional broadcasters and cable operators in over 85 countries.

The company operates a hybrid business model combining direct-to-consumer hardware sales (through its official cerevo.shop-pro.jp store and official Amazon.co.jp storefront) with B2B ODM services spanning electronic circuit design, mechanical design, software development, prototyping, and mass production. Pricing is largely quote-based for the ODM and professional segments; the Biz Meeting Set remote work bundle is publicly listed at 199,000 yen excluding tax. Distribution for the LiveShell series is supplemented by platform partnerships with YouTube Live, Ustream (historically), and Nico Nico Douga via RTMP/RTMPS protocol support. Customer concentration sits primarily in Japanese broadcasting and media (TBS Television, Shizuoka Broadcasting Corporation, TV Osaka, Komadori Cable) and the ODM client base is non-disclosed. Cerevo's IP-licensed smart toy business was historically anchored by partnerships with ATLUS (Persona 3 Reload) and Production I.G./Kodansha (Ghost in the Shell, Psycho-Pass). The company has no disclosed funding rounds in the available data, is privately held without identified external investors, and has no parent company. Engineering activity remains active through a TechBlog publishing technical content into mid-2025.

Name

Cerevo

Legal name

株式会社Cerevo

Website

https://cerevo.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Cerevo is a Japanese IoT hardware developer based in Tokyo building live streaming encoders (LiveShell W), wireless tally light systems (FlexTally Pro/Uni), and licensed smart toys, while also providing ODM electronic product development services to B2B clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Streaming Equipment and IoT Electronics

NAICS

Electrical Equipment Manufacturing (33531), Industrial Design Services (54142)

SIC

Electronic Components & Accessories (3670)

akta.pro primary industry

Live Streaming & Low-Latency OTT Orchestration (LL-HLS, DASH, WebRTC) (MPAHAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Consumer Electronics & Gadgets DTC (CRAFACAF)

Keywords

• Live streaming encoders
• IoT consumer electronics
• Wireless tally systems
• ODM electronics development
• Smart connected toys

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Hardware Product Sales: Sale of proprietary IoT and consumer electronics products including live streaming equipment (LiveShell, FlexTally), smart toys (DOMINATOR, Tachikoma), and other connected devices. Products sold through official store and Amazon.
2. ODM/Development Services: Custom product development services where Cerevo handles electronic circuit design, mechanical design, software development, and mass production from concept to finished product for clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Cerevo designs, develops, and manufactures connected consumer electronics, primarily compact live streaming encoders (LiveShell series) and wireless tally lamp systems (FlexTally series) for professional video production, along with licensed smart toys (e.g., DOMINATOR, Persona 3 Evoker). The company also offers full-stack electronics ODM (original design manufacturing) services covering electronic circuit design, mechanical design, software development, prototyping, and mass production for clients.

Product overview

Cerevo is a Japanese electronics design and manufacturing company whose name combines Consumer Electronics with REVOlution. The company develops IoT hardware products and provides ODM (original design manufacturing) services for electronics product development. The current active product portfolio centers on the LiveShell series of live streaming encoders and the FlexTally series of wireless tally lamp systems. LiveShell W is a compact 2-input video switcher with integrated live streaming encoder supporting PinP and chroma key; FlexTally Pro and FlexTally Uni are tally lamp systems for professional video production. The company also licenses entertainment IP for collectible smart toys (DOMINATOR 10th Anniversary Edition, S.E.E.S. Evoker from Persona 3 Reload). The broader historical portfolio includes smart sports devices (XON SNOW-1, XON RIDE-1, XON ORBITREC), the 1/8 Tachikoma interactive robot, smart home devices (Tipron, Taclim, SmartTrigger), maker-focused modules (BlueNinja, CDP-ESP8266), and legacy live streaming products (LiveShell X, LiveShell PRO, LiveShell 2, LiveWedge, CEREVO LIVEBOX, CEREVO CAM live!). ODM services encompass full-stack electronics development from circuit design through mass production.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LiveShell W

Quantifiable outcome

• FlexTally supports connection of up to 128 lamps for large-scale productions
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration11 records

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Nikon CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Nikon digital accessory shoe compatibility. FlexTally Uni is designed specifically for Nikon cameras with digital accessory shoes, enabling tally lamp functionality for professional video production.
• ATLUScoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner · 1 January 2018S.E.E.S. Summoner from Persona 3 Reload - ATLUS licensed the use of their intellectual property for Cerevo to create an authentic 1:1 scale replica of the in-game item with character voice recordings.
• YouTube LivecoreTechnology or IntegrationLiveShell series products support streaming to YouTube Live via RTMP/RTMPS protocol. Official platform compatibility for live broadcasting functionality.
• Ustream (formerly)coreTechnology or IntegrationLiveShell series originally developed with Ustream support for live streaming. Historical platform partnership for video streaming services.
• Production I.G / Kodansha / Ghost in the Shell Production CommitteecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing Partner1/8 Scale Tachikoma product line - Licensed from Ghost in the Shell property for authentic robot toy development with dialogue features and character voice.
• Production I.G / Toei Animation / Psycho-Pass Production CommitteecoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerDOMINATOR smart toy - Licensed reproduction of the fictional weapon from Psycho-Pass anime series with authentic auto-transformation mechanism.
• CamCast Mobile (Camcast7)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLTE SIM card service provider recommended for stable live streaming in exhibition environments where WiFi is unstable. Provides upload-unlimited SIM cards for professional streaming use.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Datavideo: Taiwan-based manufacturer of professional video switchers, streaming encoders, and mobile video studios with significant overlap to Cerevo's LiveShell and tally workflows. Closely comparable product philosophy: turnkey, professional-grade, accessible to non-broadcasters.
• Roland: Japanese pro audio/video manufacturer whose V-1HD and V-8HD compact video switchers compete head-to-head with Cerevo's LiveShell W for the same live-event and small-broadcast market. Roland's much larger brand and distribution network makes it both a direct competitor and a strategic reference point.
• Magewell: Manufacturer of video capture cards, encoding hardware, and NDI converters. Closely comparable to Cerevo's hardware-encoder category, particularly for fixed-installation and broadcast customers needing reliable H.264/H.265 streaming appliances.
• Atomos: Australian manufacturer of monitor-recorders (Ninja, Shogun) and live production switchers (Shogun Studio) for video professionals. Comparable in serving multi-camera live production workflows, though more weighted toward cinematic recording than streaming encoding.
• Elgato (Corsair): Maker of the Stream Deck and HD60 capture card lines targeting live streamers and content creators. Directly comparable to Cerevo's prosumer streaming focus, though Elgato is positioned more at the creator-economy end and Cerevo more at the professional broadcaster end.
• AVerMedia: Taiwan-based manufacturer of capture cards and live streaming hardware (Live Gamer series, Stream Engine). Directly comparable to Cerevo's LiveShell encoders, serving the same prosumer and prosumer-broadcaster customer base with similar HDMI-input streaming workflows.
• SlingStudio (by Meta/DJI): Wireless multi-camera live streaming system targeted at small production teams and event videographers. Directly comparable use case (compact, multi-camera streaming) to Cerevo's LiveShell + FlexTally combination, though discontinued/transitioned in recent years.
• Teradek (Vitec Group): US-based manufacturer of wireless video transmitters, bonded cellular encoders (CUBE, Bond), and live streaming appliances serving professional broadcast and film customers. Comparable in target market and live-encoding focus, with greater depth in wireless and bonded workflows.

Broad incumbents

• Sony Professional Solutions: Global incumbent in broadcast cameras, switchers, and IP live production systems. Cerevo's FlexTally Uni Nikon partnership explicitly integrates with the broader professional camera ecosystem that Sony anchors; Sony is a broad incumbent rather than a direct competitor in Cerevo's compact-encoder niche.
• Blackmagic Design: Australia-based incumbent in professional video production equipment, including the ATEM line of compact video switchers that overlap with Cerevo's LiveShell W and the HyperDeck recorder ecosystem. A much larger player but the most direct competitive overlap in the small-form-factor switcher + encoder category.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/cerevo
• Facebookfacebook.com/CerevoGlobal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cerevo-inc.

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors8 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Cerevo