SINAP

What SINAP does

SINAP (株式会社シナップ) is a Tokyo-based creative agency founded in August 2004 that provides UX design, web development, growth marketing, and digital strategy services to Japanese enterprises. The firm operates as a fully remote organization of approximately 15 staff distributed across Japan, coordinated through Zoom, Slack, and Backlog, with a registered headquarters in Shibuya, Tokyo. Service revenue is generated on a professional-services basis through project-based fees ranging from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of yen, supplemented by multi-month subscription-style retainers for A/B testing operations and UX research engagements.

The company's offering is structured around five interconnected service lines: UX Design (research, heuristic evaluation, UX writing, design sprints, organizational adoption), Growth & Operations (500+ A/B tests per year, EFO, site diagnosis, analytics tool implementation), Production & Development (Jamstack application development on Next.js/Vercel, CMS implementation, design systems, web accessibility, performance optimization, brand identity, EPUB/e-book), Web Strategy (governance, KPI design, BI dashboards, PMO support), and New Business Development (lean startup methodology). SINAP holds official certified partner status with microCMS, PowerCMS/PowerCMS X, and MovableType for CMS work, and core partnerships with KARTE, KARTE Blocks, and Optimize Next for experimentation tooling. The technology stack spans Google Analytics (GA4), Looker Studio, heatmap and behavior analytics tools, Figma, Storybook, Slack/Zoom/Backlog, and the major cloud platforms (GCP, AWS, Azure).

Customers are Japanese enterprises across real estate (GA technologies, Vortex, Open House), HR (Recruit), education (Tokyo University of Science Koyokai), insurance (Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance), publishing (Seikaisha), music (Yamaha Music Japan), construction (Japan Home Shield), and food service (Tridor Holdings / Marukame Seimen). Documented outcomes include an 89% A/B test win rate for Vortex, up to 4x improvement in inquiry completion rate, up to 2x CVR improvement for GA technologies, and recognition via the Tokyo TDC Award 2011 for its open-source EPUB viewer "Bibi." Ownership remains concentrated with founder Sakanishi Hiroaki (Representative Director), with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding.

Name

SINAP

Legal name

株式会社シナップ

Website

https://sinap.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SINAP is a Tokyo-based creative agency providing UX design, web development, growth marketing, and digital strategy services to Japanese enterprises. Founded in 2004, the firm operates fully remote with approximately 15 staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: SINAP provides UX design, web development, growth marketing, and web strategy services on a project basis. Project fees range from hundreds of thousands to tens of millions of yen depending on scope, duration and complexity. They also offer retainer arrangements for ongoing client engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SINAP is a Tokyo-based creative agency that delivers UX design, web production, growth marketing, and web strategy services to Japanese enterprises. Its flagship commercial offering is the A/B Test Operations Support PRO retainer (¥1M–¥3M per 3-month block), backed by 500+ A/B tests operated annually, alongside project-based UX research, Jamstack web development, CMS implementation (microCMS, PowerCMS, MovableType), and CRO engagements spanning multiple industries.

Product overview

SINAP (株式会社シナップ) is a Tokyo-based creative company that designs business growth through digital services. Its portfolio spans five interconnected service lines: (1) UXデザイン — UX research, heuristic evaluation, UX writing, design sprints, and team introduction support; (2) グロース・運用 — AB testing agency services (500+ tests/year), analytics, site diagnosis, and EFO, with the flagship ABテスト運用支援PRO paid tier and dedicated tool integration (KARTE, Ptengine, VWO, Optimize Next); (3) 制作・開発 — full-stack web production including UI design, CMS implementation (microCMS, PowerCMS, MovableType official partner), Jamstack development (Next.js + Vercel), design systems, web accessibility, performance optimization, cloud infrastructure, content production, brand identity, automation bots, and EPUB/e-book services; (4) Web戦略 — strategic planning, web governance, digital marketing, KPI formulation, BI dashboards (Looker Studio/Google Data Portal), and organizational capacity building; and (5) 新規事業開発 — lean startup methodology business development support. The Jamstack stack integrates microCMS (headless CMS), Next.js (framework), Vercel (hosting), and Storybook (component management). The company operates as a full-remote organization with 15 employees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• UX Design Service User experience design service encompassing UX research, heuristic analysis, UX writing, design sprints, and team introduction support. A specialist UX research team applies human-centered design expertise to identify user and business challenges and propose solutions. Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking outside UX expertise.
• Growth & Operations Service Continuous website and service growth support combining UX design with A/B testing, access analytics, and EFO (Entry Form Optimization). A dedicated growth team conducts over 500 A/B tests annually using both scientific behavioral analysis and heuristic evaluation. Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking ongoing CVR improvement.
• Production & Development Service End-to-end website and web application production covering UI design, accessibility, design systems, performance optimization, Jamstack development, CMS implementation, infrastructure, content production, brand identity, bot development, journal publishing, and EPUB/ebook creation. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing external production support.
• Web Strategy Service Web strategy development and planning service aligned with business strategy. Covers web governance, digital marketing, branding, KGI/KFS/KPI formulation, PM/PMO support, access analytics infrastructure, BI dashboard setup, and organizational capacity building. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing strategic web direction.
• New Business Development Service New business and service launch support using UX design and lean startup methodologies. Services include market and competitive research, business planning, UXD, prototyping, alpha/beta release, and post-launch growth support. Targeted at Japanese enterprises launching new digital services.
• A/B Test Operations Support PRO (ABテスト運用支援PRO) Premium A/B testing operations retainer with a professional team managing over 500 A/B test initiatives per year across the firm. Offers high win-rate hypothesis-based testing, full delegated operations, and optional in-house training support. Plans: Entry (¥1,000,000/100 hours/3 months, 8–12 tests), Standard (¥2,000,000/200 hours/3 months, 16–24 tests), Premium (¥3,000,000/300 hours/3 months, 24–36 tests). Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking outsourced A/B testing.
• Jamstack Application Development Modern web development using pre-rendered static markup, JavaScript, and APIs. Recommended stack includes Next.js, Vercel hosting, microCMS, and Storybook. Delivers high performance, strong security, scalability, and separation of front-end and back-end concerns. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing modern, high-performance websites.
• CMS Introduction & Operations Support CMS selection, implementation, and ongoing operations support. Official certified partner for microCMS, PowerCMS/PowerCMS X, and MovableType. Includes UX-based site architecture, design, implementation, workflow setup, data migration, training, and post-launch growth support. Targeted at Japanese enterprises adopting or migrating CMS platforms.
• A/B Test Internalization Support In-house A/B testing capability building service that splits responsibilities between SINAP's professional team and client teams. Includes planning, training with actual workflows and documentation, hands-on mentorship, and ongoing mentoring support for gradual internalization. Targeted at Japanese enterprises that want to bring A/B testing capabilities in-house.
• A/B Test Tool Introduction Support Selection, implementation, and operational training for A/B testing tools. Supports Optimize Next, KARTE Blocks, KARTE, KAIZEN Platform, and others. Includes initial setup, integration with analytics tools, and usage training. Targeted at Japanese enterprises adopting A/B testing platforms.
• Entry Form Optimization Agency (EFO) Full-service form optimization combining A/B testing with EFO techniques. SINAP handles analysis, improvement planning, implementation, and verification. Includes input assistance features, validation, bottleneck investigation, and continuous improvement cycles. Free diagnostic available (limited to 3 companies per month). Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking to improve form conversion rates.
• Design System Development & Introduction Design system development covering UI kits, style guides, and brand guidelines to create a single source of truth for design. Includes component inventory, atomic design implementation with Storybook, design guidelines, implementation guidelines, and operational workflow design. Targeted at Japanese enterprises scaling design across products and teams.
• Web Accessibility Service Web accessibility compliance service covering WCAG 2.1 (international) and JIS X 8341-3 (Japanese standard). Includes accessibility diagnosis, policy formulation, accessibility-conscious production, color simulation, contrast evaluation, and screen reader optimization. Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking accessibility compliance.
• Website Speed & Optimization Service Performance optimization service targeting Core Web Vitals metrics (LCP, CLS, FID). Techniques include image optimization via CDN, lazy loading, CDN-based static delivery, PWA support, JavaScript optimization, and critical CSS implementation. Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking faster websites.
• Heuristic Evaluation & Improvement Service Expert-based UI/UX evaluation service using Jakob Nielsen's heuristic evaluation methodology plus proprietary criteria (65+ items). Conducted by multiple HCD-Net certified specialists to rapidly identify usability issues. Pricing starts from ¥700,000 (tax excluded), with a 2-month delivery timeline and a 10-page report. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing rapid UX diagnostics.
• UX Research Site Improvement Plan Comprehensive UX research service with three tiers: Start Plan (¥1,500,000, 2 months), Standard Plan (¥3,000,000, 3 months), and Premium Plan (¥4,000,000, 3 months). Includes persona creation, customer journey mapping, competitive analysis, and improvement recommendations. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing structured UX research.
• Cloud Infrastructure Development & Maintenance Cloud infrastructure design, construction, and maintenance services supporting Google Cloud Platform, AWS, and Microsoft Azure. Covers infrastructure design, database design, network design, operational design, system monitoring, and security update management using IPA non-functional requirements grade. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing managed cloud infrastructure.
• Business Efficiency Bot Development Automation bot development for Slack, Chatwork, and other chat platforms. Examples include Zoom license assignment bots, automatic meeting minutes generation and posting, automated attendance/workload aggregation (integrated with freee API), and scheduled task reminders via Backlog/Redmine. Targeted at Japanese enterprises seeking internal workflow automation.
• EPUB & E-book Production Service EPUB format e-book production and browser-based viewer development. Expertise in vertical writing, Japanese typography, and ruby annotations. Developed the open-source EPUB reader 'Bibi' and the e-book distribution service 'pan.press'. Won Tokyo TDC Award 2011 in the RGB category. Targeted at Japanese publishers and enterprises needing high-quality e-book production.
• BI Dashboard Construction BI dashboard design and construction service for data visualization and analysis. Supports Google Data Portal (Looker Studio) for free implementation. Creates automated reporting dashboards integrating multiple data sources for real-time analysis and faster decision-making. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing centralized analytics dashboards.
• Accompanying System Development (伴走型システム開発) Agile/iterative system development service using scrum or kanban methodologies. SINAP forms a co-creation team with the client, starting small, validating quickly, and iterating. Uses quasi-delegation contracts (準委任契約) with monthly budget-based billing rather than fixed-price contracts. Targeted at Japanese enterprises needing agile, ongoing system development partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• 89% A/B test win rate for Vortex client
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration27 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• microCMScoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial partner for microCMS implementation. SINAP provides headless CMS development and integration services using microCMS, particularly for projects requiring flexible frontend development and API-based content management.
• PowerCMS / PowerCMS XcoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial partner for PowerCMS implementation. Provides enterprise-grade CMS solutions with advanced workflow and permission management capabilities for large-scale corporate websites.
• MovableTypecoreTechnology or IntegrationOfficial partner for MovableType implementation. Offers high-performance static site generation CMS solutions with strong security features for enterprise clients.
• KARTE / KARTE BlockscoreTechnology or IntegrationPartnership for A/B testing and personalization tools. SINAP implements KARTE for visitor behavior analysis, testing, and real-time personalization.
• Optimize NextcoreTechnology or IntegrationFree A/B testing tool partnership (successor to Google Optimize). SINAP implements and manages Optimize Next testing for clients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sun* (Sun Asterisk): Tokyo-based digital creative agency publicly listed on TSE Prime, providing digital product development, UX design, and growth engineering. Overlaps with SINAP's UX, web production, and growth support services for Japanese enterprise clients.
• BrainPad: Tokyo-based data analytics and AI/DX firm publicly listed on TSE Prime, offering A/B testing agency services, BI dashboards, and access analytics support. Overlaps with SINAP's growth/operations and BI dashboard service lines.
• Kaizen Platform: Japanese A/B testing and website optimization agency/platform, providing hypothesis-led experimentation services. Directly comparable to SINAP's AB Test Operations PRO service, and SINAP is listed as an implementation partner of Kaizen Platform tools.
• IMJ (Irep): Japanese digital marketing agency offering web strategy, site production, CMS implementation, and growth support to enterprise clients. Comparable to SINAP's web strategy, production, and growth offerings within the Japanese enterprise market.
• Goodpatch: Japan's flagship UX design firm, publicly listed on TSE Growth, offering UX design, design sprints, and design system services to Japanese enterprises. Directly comparable to SINAP's UX design, heuristic evaluation, and design sprint offerings, with a larger headcount and broader brand recognition.
• Basic: Japanese web production and CMS implementation agency, an official MovableType partner like SINAP. Provides CMS-led site production and digital marketing services to Japanese enterprises, comparable to SINAP's production/development and CMS introduction offerings.
• Ferry: Japanese UX design firm providing UX research, UI design, and design system services to enterprise clients. Comparable to SINAP's UX design, UX research, and design system service lines, focused on the same Japanese enterprise buyer.

Broad incumbents

• Transcosmos: Large Japanese digital services BPO publicly listed on TSE Prime, offering website production, digital marketing, and CX services as part of a broad portfolio. Overlaps with SINAP's offerings but at much greater scale and as one of many service lines.
• Septeni Holdings: Publicly listed Japanese digital advertising and marketing group with digital agency operations spanning web production, ad operations, and marketing tech. Provides adjacent services to SINAP's web production and growth offerings through a broader, advertising-led portfolio.

Emerging players

• Repro: Tokyo-based marketing automation and analytics platform focused on user behavior analytics and personalization. Adjacent to SINAP's growth/KARTE-based services, with partial overlap in CRO and A/B testing enablement for Japanese digital properties.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sinapinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/sinapinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 SINAP