What One Small Step does

One Small Step (株式会社OneSmallStep) is a privately held Fukuoka, Japan-based IT firm founded on April 7, 2020, with a secondary office in Tokyo. The company operates as a multi-disciplinary creative and technology studio, offering VR/metaverse application development, 3D modeling and sculpting (CGWORKS), graphic and textile design, and DX (digital transformation) consulting primarily to small and medium-sized enterprises. Its core technology spans VR application development, photogrammetry-based 3D modeling, metaverse platform development, and AI-assisted business analysis deployed within DX engagements.

The product portfolio is unusually broad for a five-person team and includes the FLAPTALK matching social network (launched 2020 during COVID-19, with an empathy-accumulation mechanism before profile visibility), the Herons VR space service (beta-targeted for summer 2022 and featured in Nikkei Trendy's 2022 second-half breakout predictions), WEV (a game-based corporate brand-experience service), Kiinnovator (a process-management and drawing-sharing SaaS for woodworking workshops), SPATIAL-based virtual office design, and a Partner-Support DX Subscription (伴走型DX支援サブスク) targeted at manufacturing SMEs. The DX subscription is offered in three monthly tiers — IT Support at ¥130,000, DX Employee at ¥260,000, and DX Manager at ¥500,000 — combining web meetings, chat tickets, on-site consulting, and engineering hours, with AI-assisted operational analysis positioned as a key value driver (claimed ~¥300,000/month efficiency improvement for a ~20-employee client).

The company is bootstrapped, with registered capital of ¥500,000 and no disclosed external funding or venture backing. The three-person leadership team comprises CEO/CTO Takeshi Nishi (西 武史), CDO Souta Yasutake, and Systems and Games Engineer Genki Osawa. Go-to-market is a hybrid of direct sales for DX and professional services, content marketing via note.com and Twitter, and earned media through industry publications such as Nikkei Trendy and the Metaverse Soken directory. The company is actively operating and continues product development across both consumer (FLAPTALK) and enterprise (DX subscription, WEV) verticals.

Name

One Small Step

Legal name

株式会社OneSmallStep

Website

https://1smallstep.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

One Small Step is a Fukuoka, Japan-based creative IT firm offering VR/metaverse development, 3D modeling, graphic design, and a tiered DX subscription service for manufacturing SMEs, while also operating the FLAPTALK social networking platform. Founded 2020 with five employees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative technology and VR/metaverse development services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Graphic Design Services (541430), Industrial Design Services (541420)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Interactive & Immersive Content Production (AR/VR/3D) (BPAFAIAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

VR/AR/XR Game Studios (MPAFAAAE), Outsourced Art/Audio Production Services (2D/3D, Animation, VFX, Audio/VO) (MPAFAKAM)

Keywords

• VR application development
• Metaverse platform development
• DX subscription services
• 3D modeling production
• Graphic design services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fukuoka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. DX Support Subscription Services: Monthly subscription-based DX consulting and support services for small and medium-sized manufacturing enterprises, offered in three tiers (IT Support, DX Employee, DX Manager levels).
2. VR/Metaverse Application Development: Custom VR and metaverse application development services including WEV platform for corporate brand experiences.
3. FLAPTALK SNS Operations: Social networking platform development and operation, connecting users through empathy-based matching mechanics.
4. 3D Modeling and Creative Production: 3D modeling, sculpting, graphic design, textile design, and visual content production services for various clients.
5. Kiinnovator System: Process management and drawing sharing SaaS for woodworking workshops.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

One Small Step is a Fukuoka-based creative technology agency that delivers VR/metaverse application development, 3D modeling and graphic/textile design production, and a partner-support DX subscription service for Japanese manufacturing SMEs. Its product portfolio includes the Herons VR space, the FLAPTALK empathy-based matching SNS, the Kiinnovator woodworking process management system, the WEV game-experience service for corporate messaging, and SPATIAL-based virtual office design.

Product overview

One Small Step is a Fukuoka-based creative agency offering a portfolio of technology and design services spanning metaverse/VR development, social networking, manufacturing DX, and 3D/graphic design. Its product/service portfolio includes: a manufacturing partner-support DX subscription (伴走型DX支援サブスク) providing AI-assisted operational optimization; a woodworking process management system called Kiinnovator; a metaverse VR application called Herons (in beta); a pandemic-born matching SNS called FLAPTALK; a game-based corporate messaging service called WEV; virtual office design using SPATIAL; and creative services including 3D modeling (CGWORKS), graphic design, and textile design. The DX subscription operates as a paid subscription product, while the social/metaverse products (FLAPTALK, Herons, WEV) are primarily free consumer-facing services. The company also provides custom app development and 3DCG production services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WEV: Service that delivers corporate and product appeal through game experiences.
• Kiinnovator
• FLAPTALK
• Herons

Products and services

• Partner-Support DX Subscription (伴走型DX支援サブスク) Subscription-based DX consulting and accompaniment service for Japanese small-to-medium manufacturing companies, providing AI-assisted operational/business analysis, cloud and software selection, and hands-on implementation support through IT Support, DX Employee, and DX Manager tiers.
• Kiinnovator Process management and drawing/blueprint sharing system for small Japanese woodworking workshops, enabling workflow coordination and information sharing among craftsmen.
• Herons Metaverse/VR application developed by One Small Step, with a beta release announced for summer 2022 and recognition in Nikkei Trendy's 2022 second-half breakthrough forecast.
• FLAPTALK Matching SNS launched in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic in which user profiles become visible only as mutual empathy accumulates, allowing gradual connection-building distinct from conventional social networks.
• WEV Service that delivers corporate and product appeal through game experiences, leveraging 3DCG video production techniques within a metaverse/VR context for B2B brand messaging.
• SPATIAL Virtual Office Design and production of 3D virtual offices and meeting environments on the SPATIAL platform, enabling 3D virtual meetings accessible without expensive VR headsets for corporate workplace use.
• CGWORKS (3D Modeling & Sculpting) 3D modeling and sculpting production from concept design, covering character design, architecture, objects, and both organic and inorganic forms, offered as a professional creative service.
• Graphic Design Logo, brochure, and package design, plus promotional material direction, design production, and print management, delivered as a bundled graphic design service.
• Textile Design Textile/fabric design service offering, providing surface and pattern design for clients needing printed or woven textile artwork.

Quantifiable outcome

• Companies with ~20 employees achieved approximately ¥300,000/month (115 hours) in efficiency improvements through DX support services

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability3 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Metaverse Soken (メタバース総研)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerOne Small Step was featured in Metaverse Soken's curated list of recommended metaverse services and development companies, providing marketing visibility and referral traffic.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MESON: Tokyo-based AR/VR development studio building custom XR experiences for brands and agencies. Closely matches One Small Step's VR app development and enterprise creative production offering.
• Ideao Inc. Japanese 3DCG production and digital content studio offering modeling, animation, and creative production services. Comparable on the 3D modeling and creative production service lines.
• Cluster, Inc. Operator of Japan's largest consumer metaverse platform, enabling virtual events and social VR spaces. Comparable on the metaverse platform side of One Small Step's business.
• Psychic VR Lab (STYLY): Japan-based VR/AR content creation platform company offering WebVR tools and immersive experiences. Comparable as a similarly scoped Japanese VR development firm targeting enterprise and creative clients.
• HIKKY: Japanese VR development firm specializing in metaverse events, virtual exhibitions, and immersive brand experiences. Overlaps with One Small Step's WEV and Herons metaverse service lines.
• PLT (Plott): Japan-focused XR content and IP development company producing VR animation and immersive media. Comparable as a creative-led Japanese VR studio with similar product mix.

Broad incumbents

• NTT QONOQ: Subsidiary of NTT operating XR-focused services including metaverse platforms and enterprise VR solutions. Larger incumbent in the same Japanese XR/metaverse space.

Others

• SPATIAL (Spatial Systems): Metaverse platform on which One Small Step builds virtual office spaces. Ecosystem partner/technology provider rather than direct competitor, enabling One Small Step's SPATIAL service line.

Emerging players

• HoloLab Inc. Japanese AR/VR development studio focused on industrial and training simulations. Comparable as a smaller Japanese XR developer, though with a different vertical focus.
• STYZ Inc. Japan-based XR entertainment and immersive content developer producing VR experiences and metaverse applications. Adjacent emerging player in the Japanese VR content market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/1SmallStep2020
• Facebookfacebook.com/onesmallstep2020

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 One Small Step