What DELiGHTWORKS does

DELiGHTWORKS Inc. (ディライトワークス株式会社) is a privately held Japanese sports entertainment and investment company founded in 2018 and headquartered in Roppongi Hills, Minato-ku, Tokyo, with 251-500 employees. The company operates three business segments: (1) a hands-on investment business that deploys capital alongside management involvement, office resources, and human resources into companies with potential to transform industries; (2) an incubation business that supports new ventures from conception through growth with capital, talent, and operational resources; and (3) a sports business that invests in and operates assets across three disciplines.

The sports portfolio is organized around athlete and event development in golf, motorsports, and martial arts. In golf, DELiGHTWORKS fields Team DELiGHTWORKS (a roster of 15+ professional golfers), operates the DELiGHTWORKS Golf Tour (DWGT), a points-based development mini-tour with 7-8 annual events and 450,000 yen per-event prize money, and holds title sponsorship of the ACN Tour/DELiGHTWORKS JGTO Final (a 20 million yen championship, broadcast live by ABEMA TV). In motorsports, DELiGHTWORKS RACING runs a two-car team in the 2025 Super Formula Lights Championship and is escalating into the flagship Super Formula Championship from 2026 with driver Nobuharu Matsushita, supported by Toda Racing for technical operations and by sponsorship arrangements with TEAM MUGEN, RIZIN, and TEAM SPOON. In martial arts, the company manages MMA fighters (including NOEL and RENA) competing under the RIZIN banner and co-organizes 'DELiGHTWORKS presents RIZIN Koshien', a high-school talent-discovery tournament whose finals are staged at RIZIN's year-end event.

Revenue is generated primarily through corporate sponsorship of events and teams, event-management fees, prizemoney underwriting funded by sponsors, and investment/incubation returns from portfolio companies (including a 2016 acquisition of Miracle Positive and a now-terminated 2026 capital/business partnership with Intraunce). The business has no consumer-facing product or subscription; monetization is B2B-anchored on sponsors and broadcast partners (notably ABEMA TV / CyberAgent), with athletes and tournaments functioning simultaneously as the product, the marketing surface, and the content pipeline. The company is led by Representative Director Kenji Shoji (庄司顕仁) and remains private and founder-controlled, with no disclosed institutional funding rounds.

Name

DELiGHTWORKS

Legal name

ディライトワークス株式会社

Website

https://delightworks.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

DELiGHTWORKS is a private Japanese sports entertainment and investment company that supports Japanese athletes and ventures across golf, motorsports, and martial arts via Team DELiGHTWORKS, the DWGT development tour, Super Formula/Lights racing, and RIZIN-affiliated MMA management, monetized primarily through corporate sponsorship and tournament operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Management & Investment

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Racing, Including Track Operation (7948), Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Brand Strategy & Creative Services (Design, Content, Social) (MPAKAKAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

Keywords

• Sports investment services
• Athlete talent development
• Motorsports team management
• Professional golf tournaments
• Business incubation support

Headquarters

HQ city

Meguro

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Sports Investment and Incubation Services: DELiGHTWORKS provides investment and business support to companies with potential to transform industries and society. It offers capital, management involvement, office resources, and human resources to investee companies.
2. Sports Tournament Operations: DELiGHTWORKS organizes and sponsors professional golf tournaments including the DELiGHTWORKS Golf Tour (DWGT) and the ACN Tour/JGTO Final. Revenue is generated through sponsorship fees, event management, and prize money funding from corporate sponsors.
3. Sports Team Operations and Athlete Management: DELiGHTWORKS operates sports teams in golf (Team DELiGHTWORKS), motorsports (DELiGHTWORKS RACING), and martial arts (DELiGHTWORKS SPORTS), generating revenue through sponsorship contracts, media rights, and athlete brand management.

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

DELiGHTWORKS is a Japanese sports investment, incubation, and entertainment company that operates professional sports teams and tournament properties across three sports: golf (Team DELiGHTWORKS, DELiGHTWORKS Golf Tour), motorsports (DELiGHTWORKS RACING in Super Formula and Super Formula Lights), and mixed martial arts (DELiGHTWORKS SPORTS supporting RIZIN fighters and the RIZIN Koshien high school tournament). Beyond sports operations, the company runs two parallel businesses: a hands-on investment practice providing capital, management involvement, and resources to growth-stage Japanese companies, and an incubation practice supporting entrepreneurs and new business creation with funding, talent, and office resources.

Product overview

DELiGHTWORKS is a sports entertainment and investment company operating three core business segments: investment/incubation services and sports business. The sports portfolio includes DELiGHTWORKS RACING (competing in Super Formula and Super Formula Lights championships), the ディライトワークス Golf Tour (DWGT) development golf tour, athlete sponsorship programs (Team DELiGHTWORKS for pro golfers), the RIZIN Koshien martial arts talent development program, and sponsorship of major golf events including the ACN Tour Finals. The company also operates investment and incubation businesses supporting early-stage companies. DELiGHTWORKS positions itself as a '人才開発型' (talent development) organization focused on nurturing athletes and entrepreneurs from Japan for global competition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DELiGHTWORKS RACING: Racing team competing in Super Formula and Super Formula Lights championships, established in 2024
• DELiGHTWORKS SPORTS
• DELiGHTWORKS Golf Tour (DWGT)
• Team DELiGHTWORKS
• DELiGHTWORKS presents RIZIN甲子园

Products and services

• DELiGHTWORKS RACING A talent-development motorsports team competing in Japan's top formula categories (Super Formula and Super Formula Lights), developing Japanese racing drivers for international competition. Provides team support, vehicles, engineering staff, and racing advisory to contracted drivers.
• DELiGHTWORKS Golf Tour (DWGT) A professional golf development tour for emerging players, offering competition opportunities, DWGT points, and pathways to higher-level ACN Tour and JGTO Finals access. Features multiple annual events with prize money and sponsorship opportunities.
• Investment Business (投資事業)
• Incubation Business (インキュベーション事業) Supports new businesses and entrepreneurs from conception through execution and growth, providing capital, talent, office space, and other management resources. Works alongside entrepreneurs to deliver new value to society.
• DELiGHTWORKS presents RIZIN Koshien A talent discovery project for high school students (15-18 years) in martial arts, conducted jointly with RIZIN FIGHTING FEDERATION. Includes tryouts and tournament, with finals held at RIZIN's year-end event. Winner receives development contract and scholarship.
• ACN Tour DELiGHTWORKS JGTO Final The final event of the ACN/JGTO Challenge Tour, specially sponsored by DELiGHTWORKS. A premier tournament for developing professional golfers with prize money of 20 million yen and qualification pathways to JGTO-sanctioned events.

Quantifiable outcome

• DWGT 2023 winner Issei Rei earned 77 points across 5 events and qualified for the ABEMA Tour JGTO Final
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• RIZIN (sponsorship)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 August 2025DELiGHTWORKS RACING entered into a sponsorship agreement with RIZIN Fighting Federation to expand its fan base and cross-promote between motorsports and MMA audiences.
• TEAM SPOONminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 May 2025DELiGHTWORKS RACING driver Yusuke Mitsui was loaned to TEAM SPOON to compete in the ENEOS Super Endurance Series 2025 (24-hour race at Fuji Speedway), expanding the driver's multi-category racing experience.
• RIZIN Fighting FederationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 March 2025DELiGHTWORKS co-organizes the 'DELiGHTWORKS presents RIZIN Koshien' MMA tournament for high school students (ages 15-18), with the final match held at the RIZIN year-end event. DELiGHTWORKS RACING also has a sponsor contract with RIZIN. The partnership leverages cross-promotional synergies between motorsports and martial arts.
• Super Formula (Japan Formula Promotion)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 March 2025DELiGHTWORKS RACING entered into a partnership with Super Formula for the purpose of nurturing and supporting young athletes. The partnership aims to combine Super Formula's racing platform with DELiGHTWORKS' athlete development expertise, supporting the next generation of Japanese racing drivers.
• TEAM MUGENminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 17 February 2025DELiGHTWORKS entered into a sponsor contract with TEAM MUGEN (Super Formula team), expanding its presence in the Japanese motorsports ecosystem.
• Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDELiGHTWORKS serves as the title sponsor and special co-sponsor of the ACN Tour 'DELiGHTWORKS JGTO Final' (the final event of the ABEMA/JGTO Challenge Tour season). JGTO provides sanctioning, player eligibility management, and leaderboard integration for the tournament series.
• ABEMA TV (CyberAgent)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerABEMA TV provides live broadcast coverage of DELiGHTWORKS JGTO Final tournaments across 3 days per event, reaching millions of viewers. ABEMA is the exclusive broadcaster for the ABEMA Tour which includes the DELiGHTWORKS JGTO Final.
• Japanese High School Golf Federation (日本高等学校高尔夫連盟)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe federation cooperates with DELiGHTWORKS to provide 'Youth枠' (Youth quota) players at DWGT golf events, giving high school and junior high school golfers the opportunity to compete alongside professional players.
• Toda Racing (株式会社戸田レーシング)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerToda Racing serves as the maintenance factory for DELiGHTWORKS RACING's Super Formula entry, providing technical and operational support for the racing team's vehicle maintenance and logistics.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• TEAM MUGEN: TEAM MUGEN is a Honda-affiliated Super Formula team that DELiGHTWORKS sponsors; both compete in Japan's top formula categories with a similar talent-development and racing operations model.
• KONDO Racing: KONDO Racing is a long-established Super Formula team that competes directly with DELiGHTWORKS RACING in Japan's premier single-seater championship, sharing a similar professional motorsports operations model.
• TOM'S Racing: TOM'S Racing is a Toyota-backed Super Formula team; it is directly comparable to DELiGHTWORKS RACING as a Japanese professional motorsports team with OEM sponsorship and talent development focus.
• RIZIN Fighting Federation: RIZIN is Japan's premier MMA organization and DELiGHTWORKS' core combat sports partner; both operate Japanese MMA events, athlete management, and cross-promotional sports entertainment properties.
• TEAM SPOON: TEAM SPOON is a Japanese motorsports team where DELiGHTWORKS driver Yusuke Mitsui competed in endurance racing; both are domestic motorsports teams focused on multi-category driver development.
• TEAM IMPUL: TEAM IMPUL is a long-running Japanese Super Formula team that is comparable to DELiGHTWORKS RACING as a domestic motorsports competitor with similar operational scale and racing category focus.

Regional players

• Japan Golf Tour Organization (JGTO): JGTO is the sanctioning body for professional golf tours in Japan; DELiGHTWORKS' DWGT and JGTO Final sponsorship are part of its ecosystem, making JGTO a direct comparable in organizing and monetizing Japanese professional golf.

Broad incumbents

• UFC: UFC is the global MMA leader; while DELiGHTWORKS operates in Japan specifically, both manage elite fighters, monetize media rights, and run athlete development pipelines that culminate in championship events.

Others

• CyberAgent (ABEMA): CyberAgent owns ABEMA TV, DELiGHTWORKS' core broadcast partner; both operate Japanese sports entertainment properties with a digital-first, mass-market media monetization model.

Emerging players

• ONE Championship: ONE Championship is an Asia-focused combat sports organization comparable to DELiGHTWORKS' MMA division, with similar athlete management, regional promotion, and broadcast-driven monetization.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DELiGHTWORKSInc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@DELiGHTWORKSMOTORSPORTS
• Instagraminstagram.com/delightworks__martialarts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A1 record

Investments3 records

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

Frequently asked questions about DELiGHTWORKS