Relic

What Relic does

Relic Co., Ltd. (株式会社Relic) is a Tokyo-based business co-creation company that supports new business development for Japanese corporations, operating under the holding company Relic Holdings Co., Ltd. since September 2021. The company combines three integrated capabilities: professional consulting talent specializing in new business creation, proprietary SaaS platforms under its Incubation Tech division (Throttle, a No.1 domestic innovation management platform with 2,000+ companies and 50,000+ users; ENjiNE, a No.1 domestic crowdfunding platform with 200+ companies and cumulative platform distribution exceeding 10 billion yen; and IDEATION Cloud, an AI-powered idea generation SaaS using a proprietary database of 1M+ internationally funded startups), and venture/startup investment across 27+ portfolio companies. The group comprises 27+ companies with 350+ members and combined sales exceeding 100 billion yen, supporting more than 5,000 companies and 1,000+ co-creation projects across 18 regional bases in Japan plus a Singapore entity.

Relic generates revenue through four primary streams: subscription and usage-based SaaS fees (per-seat Throttle pricing, success-based ENjiNE fees, IDEATION Cloud subscriptions), fee-for-service professional consulting for new business development strategy and execution, returns from its 27+ startup/venture portfolio investments, and revenue from joint ventures and co-development partnerships (e.g., Cross West Innovation with Iyo Bank and Nankai Broadcasting, NTT DOCOMO MetaMe platform). Go-to-market is primarily direct enterprise field sales targeting large Japanese corporations, augmented by 18 regional bases that enable partnerships with prefectural governments and regional financial institutions, plus self-serve PLG elements for SaaS products and an extensive content marketing engine (Battery owned media, podcasts, books, webinars). The company holds ISO/IEC 27001, PCI DSS, SOC, and MTCS certifications on relevant platforms and reports a 98%+ retention rate on IDEATION Cloud Plus.

Name

Relic

Legal name

株式会社Relic

Website

https://relic.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Relic is a Tokyo-headquartered business co-creation company that supports new business development for Japanese corporations through integrated professional consulting, proprietary SaaS platforms (Throttle, ENjiNE, IDEATION Cloud), and venture investment, serving 5,000+ companies across 18 regional bases.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices15 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 Platform Subscriptions (Throttle, ENjiNE, IDEATION Cloud): Subscription-based SaaS revenues from Throttle (innovation management platform, per-ID pricing), ENjiNE (crowdfunding platform with zero initial cost and success-based fees), and IDEATION Cloud (per-seat or usage-based). These recurring software revenues represent a core growth engine.
2. Professional Consulting Services (Business Produce): Fee-for-service consulting for new business development strategy, corporate venture programs, open innovation, and acceleration programs — covering the full lifecycle from strategy formulation through execution, product/service development, and business growth.
3. Startup/Venture Investment Returns: Returns from the group's 27 portfolio companies (as of 2026) through equity gains, capital appreciation, and distributions from venture/startup investments across diverse sectors including fintech, HR tech, biotech, and D2C.
4. Open Innovation Co-Development and JV: Revenue from joint ventures (e.g., Cross West Innovation with Iyo Bank/Nankai Broadcasting), co-development projects with large corporations, and business outsourcing engagements where Relic takes commercial risk as a partner.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Relic provides end-to-end new business development and innovation creation support for Japanese corporations through a three-in-one model combining professional consulting talent, proprietary SaaS platforms (Throttle for innovation management, ENjiNE for crowdfunding, IDEATION Cloud for AI-powered idea generation), and venture/startup investment. The company has supported over 5,000 companies across Japan and holds the No.1 domestic market share in new business development support.

Product overview

Relic operates a multi-product platform for new business development and innovation support organized into three core divisions: Incubation Tech (SaaS platforms), Business Produce (full-stack services), and Open Innovation (investments and JVs). The primary SaaS products are Throttle (innovation management platform, No.1 domestic share), ENjiNE (crowdfunding platform, No.1 domestic share), and IDEATION Cloud (AI-powered idea generation SaaS using 100M+ startup database). Key add-on modules include Throttle IRM (innovator talent management), IDEATION Cloud Plus (professional services tier), and MetaMe Packages (metaverse services in partnership with NTT DOCOMO). The company also operates owned media (Battery) and has acquired/established subsidiaries including SEESAW (design consulting), Re:Build (Okinawa startup support), Cross West Innovation (regional JV), and DocTok (slide marketplace).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Throttle: SaaS-type innovation management platform for new business development and open innovation
• ENjiNE
• IDEATION Cloud
• Battery
• DUALii
• Relic Publishing
• MetaMe

Products and services

• Throttle Japan's No.1 SaaS-based innovation management platform supporting all phases of new business development from idea creation to commercialization. Manages innovation programs, intrapreneurship initiatives, and open innovation activities with IRM capabilities. Adopted by 2,000+ companies with 50,000+ users.
• ENjiNE Network-type crowdfunding and e-commerce SaaS platform with zero initial cost and performance-based pricing. Supports purchase-based, cross-border, donation, Furusato tax, real estate investment, and lending crowdfunding models. Holds domestic No.1 market share with 200+ implementations and cumulative distribution exceeding 10 billion yen.
• IDEATION Cloud AI-powered strategic ideation SaaS leveraging 100 million+ funded overseas startup database to generate high-probability business ideas. Uses generative AI for idea creation, matching, and evaluation based on company strategy and assets. MRR reached 2 million yen by April 2026.
• IDEATION Cloud Plus Professional services tier combining IDEATION Cloud SaaS with dedicated team support for deep idea exploration, user verification, POC, and commercialization. Supports 4,000+ companies with 20,000+ cases and 98%+ retention rate.
• MetaMe Metaverse communication service developed with NTT DOCOMO and operated by Relic. Enables avatar-based interaction in virtual spaces with multi-person connections, values understanding, and behavior change technologies. Includes NFT marketplace.
• Battery Owned media platform covering new business development, innovation co-creation, organization/talent, marketing, finance, design/development topics. Also provides CMS/platform services for corporate innovation media.
• Business Produce (Professional Consulting Services) Fee-for-service consulting for new business development strategy, corporate venture programs, open innovation, and acceleration programs covering the full lifecycle from strategy formulation through execution, product/service development, and business growth. Targets Japanese large corporations.
• DUALii Incubation Partner Platform Incubation partner platform matching corporations seeking innovation with startups and innovators for co-creation projects, facilitating open innovation and acceleration programs.
• DocTok C2C marketplace for slides and document data operated by subsidiary DocTok. Enables buying and selling of business presentations including fundraising materials, client proposals, and meeting formats.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 5,000 companies supported across Japan with new business development
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 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

Integration2 records

AI capability8 records

Feature9 records

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship, strategic and regional.

• SEESAW Co., Ltd. (村越陽平氏)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 April 2026Relic fully acquired SEESAW, a design consulting firm, integrating its award-winning UX and branding expertise into Relic's incubation technology platform. Yohei Murakoshi (村越陽平) was appointed CDO effective April 1, 2026 to lead creative design integration.
• Re:Build Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 January 2024Relic acquired all shares of Re:Build Co., Ltd. on January 10, 2024, making it a subsidiary. The acquisition followed a 3-year alliance, aiming to support startup growth and revitalize Okinawa's startup ecosystem through Relic Group's group-wide support.
• NTT DOCOMOflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic co-development of the MetaMe metaverse platform using NTT DOCOMO's proprietary meta-communication technologies. Relic serves as the business co-creation partner responsible for operations and business model development of MetaMe, launched in February 2023.
• CAMPFIREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture CAMPFIRE ENjiNE established with Japan's largest crowdfunding platform CAMPFIRE to integrate their network and enhance the ENjiNE crowdfunding SaaS offering with broader media network reach.
• NTT DATAflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-development partnership (since December 2023) with NTT DATA and Qunie for digital technology-led new business development solutions. The 3-party solution combines NTT DATA's technology implementation, Qunie's consulting expertise, and Relic's innovation co-creation methodology.
• TMI Comprehensive Law OfficestrategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNon-exclusive collaborative legal framework enabling TMI to provide legal counsel during Relic's business conceptualization, verification, development, and growth processes, particularly for finance, real estate, and Web3 sectors.
• Cross West Innovation Co., Ltd. (伊予銀行・南海放送とのJV)regionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint venture with Iyo Bank and Nankai Broadcasting established February 27, 2026 in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture. Aims to create new businesses and promote open innovation across Shikoku, Kyushu, and Chugoku regions.
• Rikkyo University Graduate School of Business DesignstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerComprehensive educational research cooperation agreement signed with Rikkyo University for innovation creation. Relic executives serve as specially appointed researchers at Rikkyo Business Design Institute, combining academic and practical knowledge in innovation creation and new business development finance.
• Toyama Prefecture (Digi-PoC TOYAMA)regionalGTM or Marketing PartnerSelected as operator for Toyama Prefecture's Digi-PoC TOYAMA (digital proof-of-concept) project for fiscal year, supporting digital solutions for local issues and promoting regional industry and community DX through demonstration experiments.
• Hyogo Prefecture / Kobe City (HYOGO VENTURE FORGE)regionalGTM or Marketing PartnerEstablished HYOGO VENTURE FORGE in Kobe City as Relic's 18th regional base in Japan (March 2026), aiming to foster innovation and develop innovator talent in collaboration with local governments, universities, and financial institutions in the Hyogo region.
• WillgatestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic business partnership to activate M&A between large corporations and startups, announced November 2024, supporting exit strategy optimization and transaction facilitation.
• ASTAMUSE (アスタミューゼ)strategicTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for matching innovation needs with ASTAMUSE's platform capabilities; also providing patent/technology database intelligence for IDEATION Cloud services.
• Fun Japan CommunicationsstrategicGTM or Marketing PartnerCross-border e-commerce and crowdfunding partnership connecting Japanese products with overseas markets (notably Hong Kong), leveraging Fun Japan's Asia-facing media network.
• Hakuhodo (博報堂)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCross-industry innovation co-creation consortium established with Hakuhodo and Industry One to drive open innovation across multiple industry sectors in Japan.
• Sales MarkerstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerCapital and business partnership with Sales Marker (Japan's first intent-based sales intelligence startup) for joint development of Ideation Marker combining Relic's new business methodology with Sales Marker's AI sales intelligence.
• Kyushu University Business SchoolstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerEntrepreneurship education partnership with Kyushu University Business School ( Fukuoika Financial Group co-sponsor) for intrapreneur training programs in the Fukuoka/Kyushu region.

Scale indicators16 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• Planview: Planview offers enterprise innovation and portfolio management (PPM) software, including innovation workflow and idea management capabilities. Overlaps with Relic's innovation management and program execution offerings for large corporations.
• CAMPFIRE: CAMPFIRE is Japan's largest crowdfunding platform and Relic's JV partner in CAMPFIRE ENjiNE. Directly comparable on crowdfunding business model, customer base (Japanese enterprises launching crowdfunding sites), and regulatory exposure.
• Wazoku: Wazoku (formerly Innocentive) provides open innovation and idea management software, including challenges and crowdsourcing solutions. Comparable to Relic's IDEATION Cloud idea generation and DUALii incubation partner platform.
• Qmarkets: Qmarkets is an innovation management software vendor offering idea crowdsourcing, innovation programs, and trend scouting — directly comparable to Relic's Throttle and IDEATION Cloud SaaS portfolio.
• HYPE Innovation: HYPE Innovation is a global SaaS provider of innovation management software used by enterprises to run ideation, innovation programs, and portfolio tracking — directly comparable to Relic's Throttle platform for new business development.
• Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play is a global innovation platform and accelerator connecting corporations with startups for co-creation — comparable to Relic's DUALii partner platform, regional innovation bases, and open innovation model.
• Brightidea: Brightidea is an innovation management SaaS platform specializing in idea submission, evaluation, and crowdsourcing — closely aligned with Throttle's innovation program and IRM functionality.

Broad incumbents

• JAFCO Group: JAFCO is Japan's largest venture capital firm with incubation programs and has supported 1,000+ listed companies. Overlaps with Relic's venture investment arm and startup co-creation activities, but operates primarily as a financial investor rather than SaaS/consulting provider.
• NTT DATA Group: NTT DATA is a major Japanese IT services and consulting firm and Relic's co-development partner (since December 2023) on technology-driven new business development solutions. Overlaps with Relic's consulting and digital transformation services but at much larger scale and broader scope.

Regional players

• Sansan: Sansan is a leading Japanese SaaS company offering business card management, contact data, and contract management — comparable as a Japanese SaaS success story with similar enterprise sales motion and recurring revenue focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Relic_inc
• LinkedInjp.linkedin.com/company/%E6%A0%AA%E5%BC%8F%E4%BC%9A%E7%A4%BErelic
• Facebookfacebook.com/Relic.Inc

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A2 records

Investments1 record

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

Frequently asked questions about Relic