Saurus Japan

What Saurus Japan does

SAURUS JAPAN株式会社 (Saurus Japan) is a privately held Japanese sports nutrition company founded in 2020 and headquartered in Osaka, specializing in amino acid and protein supplements for endurance athletes, with primary focus on marathon runners. The company was founded by CEO Koji Sakimoto (a 2:25 marathoner and triathlon age-group champion) and COO Shuhei Natsuyama (former Deloitte auditor and 15+ time marathoner), with capital participation from professional footballer Yuto Nagatomo and Olympic fencing gold medalist Yuki Ota.

The core technology centers on proprietary amino acid formulations developed with a pharmacist, physician, and registered dietitian team. Flagship products include AMINOSAURUS (BCAA 3,000mg + OCAA 1,000mg stick powder), AMINOSAURUS gel (arginine 2,000mg + citrulline 1,000mg + caffeine 75mg hybrid race gel), LOADINGSAURUS (8,250mg all-in-one pre-race loading supplement), HMBSAURUS (HMB-Ca 2,000mg + creatine + L-carnitine), BASESAURUS (multivitamin/mineral foundation), SAURUS BCAA (8,750mg/70% per 12.5g), SAURUS EAA (10,000mg/80% per 12.5g), and SAURUS PROTEIN (whey and soy). All products use domestic Japanese raw materials and domestic manufacturing. The Elite sub-line carries Informed Choice anti-doping certification for the WADA-tested professional-athlete segment.

Saurus Japan's business model is a hybrid of DTC e-commerce (shop.saurusjapan.com with monthly subscriptions at 15-25% discounts off JPY 2,380-4,640 regular prices), physical retail distribution (Don Quijote nationwide since June 2021), and community/event-driven demand generation via the SAURIST ambassador program (elite athletes across running, triathlon, trail, cycling, e-sports), SAURUS Running Club chapters spanning all 9 Japanese regions plus Hong Kong and Singapore, the SAURUS Marathon Challenge event series (8 events, 5,000 cumulative participants), and co-hosted events with ASICS Japan (META:Time:Trials JAPAN Series, 1,300 participants). Reported stated capital is JPY 78.12 million (~$520K USD) with no disclosed institutional VC/PE funding, indicating a bootstrapped, founder-controlled operation.

Name

Saurus Japan

Legal name

SAURUS JAPAN株式会社

Website

https://saurusjapan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Saurus Japan is a privately held Osaka-based sports nutrition company founded in 2020 that develops and sells amino acid and protein supplements (BCAA, EAA, HMB, OCAA complex, protein powders) for marathon runners and endurance athletes via DTC e-commerce, Don Quijote retail, athlete ambassador programs, and co-branded race events in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Nutrition / Athletic Supplements

NAICS

Food (Health) Supplement Retailers (456191)

SIC

Food And Kindred Products (2000)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports & Performance Nutrition Foods Manufacturing (Protein Foods, Energy Gels/Bars) (AFAKAJAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Alternative Protein Snacks, Bars & RTD Nutrition Manufacturing (AFAKAGAK)

Keywords

• Amino acid supplements
• Sports nutrition
• Endurance supplements
• BCAA EAA powders
• Marathon supplements

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka-shi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Direct Supplement Sales (Online Shop): E-commerce sales of amino acid supplements, protein powders, and sports nutrition products through the proprietary SAURUS online store (shop.saurusjapan.com). One-time purchase and subscription (regular delivery) options available.
2. Physical Retail Distribution: Sales through physical retail stores including Don Quijote nationwide.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Saurus Japan manufactures and sells amino acid-based sports nutrition supplements under the SAURUS SERIES brand, including AMINOSAURUS (BCAA + OCAA powder), AMINOSAURUS gel, LOADINGSAURUS, HMBSAURUS, BASESAURUS, SAURUS PROTEIN (whey and soy), SAURUS BCAA, SAURUS EAA, and an Informed Choice-certified Elite sub-line. The products are sold directly to consumers via online shop, subscription, retail (Don Quijote), and running events, targeting endurance athletes and especially marathon runners.

Product overview

SAURUS Japan offers a comprehensive amino acid and protein supplement portfolio for athletes, centered on the SAURUS SERIES professional line. The core product line consists of AMINO SAURUS (BCAA + OCAA amino acid powder), AMINO SAURUS gel (energy gel for races), LOADINGSAURUS (pre-race amino loading supplement), HMBSAURUS (HMB + creatine + L-carnitine for muscle building), BASESAURUS (daily multivitamin/mineral foundation), SAURUS PROTEIN (whey and soy protein powders), SAURUS BCAA (high-dose branched-chain amino acids), and SAURUS EAA (complete essential amino acids). The portfolio also includes the SAURUS Elite sub-brand with Informed Choice anti-doping certification, the SAURUS App for training content, the SAURIST athlete ambassador program, the SAURUS Running Club community with nationwide teams, and organized race events including the SAURUS Marathon Challenge and META:Time:Trials co-hosted with ASICS.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• AMINOSAURUS: Core amino acid supplement with BCAA and OCAA for performance maintenance and improvement, targeting endurance athletes and runners.
• AMINOSAURUS gel
• LOADINGSAURUS
• HMBSAURUS
• BASESAURUS
• SAURUS PROTEIN
• SAURUS PROTEIN Beauty
• SAURUS BCAA
• SAURUS EAA
• SAURIST

Products and services

• AMINOSAURUS Core amino acid supplement powder for performance maintenance and muscle recovery, combining BCAA (3,000mg) and OCAA (Ornithine, Citrulline, Arginine at 1,000mg) in single-stick format, designed for daily use by endurance athletes.
• AMINOSAURUS gel Hybrid energy gel for in-race fueling, combining arginine (2,000mg), citrulline (1,000mg), BCAA (500mg), citric acid (2,000mg), caffeine (75mg), and magnesium (50mg) for late-race endurance support.
• LOADINGSAURUS (AMINO LOADING SAURUS) Pre-race amino acid loading supplement containing BCAA 3,000mg, glutamine 1,500mg, creatine 1,250mg, arginine 750mg, citrulline 750mg, taurine 100mg, and citric acid 900mg per 8,250mg pack, for marathon race preparation.
• HMBSAURUS Muscle-support supplement combining HMB-Ca (2,000mg), creatine (1,250mg), and L-carnitine (800mg), designed for athletes seeking lean muscle development and fat metabolism support.
• BASESAURUS Daily foundational supplement providing multivitamins, multiminerals, DHA/EPA, OCAA, piperine, polyphenols, black garlic, and ginger to address nutritional gaps in Japanese and athletic diets.
• SAURUS PROTEIN (Whey) Whey protein supplement (100%) with amino acid score 100, providing 14g protein per 20g serving, fortified with 11 vitamins and BCAA for body composition and muscle support.
• SAURUS PROTEIN Beauty Non-GMO soy protein supplement (100%) with amino acid score 100, providing 16g protein per 22g serving, fortified with collagen (550mg), iron, calcium, and magnesium, targeting beauty and health-conscious female consumers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Sub-4 finishers represent 72.6% among SAURUS-using marathon participants
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 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

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Tominaga Boeki (富永貿易)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2022SAURUS JAPAN collaborated with Tominaga Boeki to develop AMINO SAURUS WATER — an amino acid and mineral beverage supplied at aid stations during the Kobe Marathon 2022 (November 20, 2022). Tominaga Boeki manufactures the product under its 'Kobe Ryojuchi' brand; SAURUS provided the amino acid formulation. One-time co-branded product not available for general sale.
• ASICS Corporation (アシックスジャパン)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 June 2022SAURUS JAPAN co-hosts the META:Time:Trials JAPAN Series with ASICS — a 5000m race event across 6 Japanese cities plus virtual format, held June-July 2022. SAURUS provides anti-doping compliant supplements as prizes and athlete support; ASICS provides event infrastructure, METASPEED+ footwear, Race Roster platform, and ASICS Runkeeper app integration. The partnership leverages SAURUS's athlete community and ASICS's running shoe and event brand.
• HIS (株式会社エイチ・アイ・エス)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHIS co-sponsors the META:Time:Trials JAPAN Series and provides travel/experience packages as prizes (e.g., AMINO SAURUS training camp 1-night free accommodation). Also partnered for SAURUS Marathon Challenge events.
• ITOEN (株式会社伊藤園)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerITOEN co-sponsors the META:Time:Trials JAPAN Series as a beverage partner, providing hydration products at race events.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Morinaga (B.R.D / Power Protein): Morinaga's sports nutrition portfolio (B.R.D and Power Protein whey) competes in the same Japanese protein and amino-acid shelves as SAURUS. Established CPG player with nationwide grocery and convenience-store distribution and mass-media advertising firepower.
• SAVAS (Meiji): Meiji's SAVAS is the mass-market sports protein and BCAA brand, with deep drugstore, supermarket, and convenience-store penetration across Japan. Operates in the same category but with broader general-consumer positioning and significantly larger distribution and marketing scale than SAURUS.
• Optimum Nutrition (Glanbia): Optimum Nutrition is the global category-leading sports nutrition brand (Gold Standard 100% Whey, BCAA, EAAs) owned by Glanbia. Operates on a much larger scale but competes for the same athlete/endurance consumer with similar amino-acid and protein SKUs and gym-channel strength.

Others

• ASICS: ASICS Japan is SAURUS's co-host partner for the META:Time:Trials JAPAN Series and the dominant Japanese running shoe and race-event brand. Not a product-line competitor, but a high-value partner in the same end-consumer ecosystem whose runner community SAURUS reaches.
• iHerb: iHerb is the largest global D2C marketplace for supplements and sports nutrition, with massive adoption among Japanese consumers for BCAA/EAA/protein purchases. Competes for the same online supplement basket as SAURUS but as a marketplace rather than a competing amino-acid brand.

Direct peers

• Myprotein: Myprotein is the world's largest online sports nutrition brand with a D2C subscription model covering protein, BCAA, EAA, and creatine across 100+ markets. Closely comparable on business model (D2C, subscription discount tiers, influencer-led marketing) and product breadth to SAURUS.
• Ajinomoto (AminoVital): Ajinomoto's AminoVital is Japan's largest branded amino-acid supplement line, including BCAA and arginine/citrulline blends marketed directly to Japanese marathoners and gym-goers. Direct head-to-head competitor with SAURUS in Japanese amino-acid sports nutrition retail and D2C.
• Kentai (Health Lab): Kentai (健康体力研究所) is a long-standing Japanese specialist sports supplement brand selling BCAA, HMB, EAA, and protein products to bodybuilders and endurance athletes. Directly comparable specialty brand competing in the same Japanese retail and online channels as SAURUS.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/saurusjapan
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UClxUy4H_wT9h60a8fDRsokg
• Facebookfacebook.com/アミノサウルス-1762368017376993
• Instagraminstagram.com/saurus_official

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

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 Saurus Japan