UNIBA
UNIBA INC. is a Tokyo-based private design and interaction development studio (18 staff) operating five internal teams — Z1, Kernel, Circuit Lab., Azukaritai, and Teamenv — delivering professional services in web, native, and installation development for enterprise and SMB clients in Japan under the 'Embodied Virtuality' philosophy.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What UNIBA does
UNIBA INC. (ユニバ株式会社) is a Tokyo-based private design and interaction development company founded in 2003, organized around the proprietary concept of 'Embodied Virtuality' (さわれるインターネット). It operates as a multi-team studio with five internal teams: Z1 (web services and product design for cultural value creation, handling long-term products like SuperGoodMeetings and Shinkenchiku Online), Kernel (internal finance, accounting, HR, legal, and administration), Circuit Lab. (digital product development and prototyping, including the Hyper ICC online museum for NTT InterCommunication Center since 2021), Azukaritai (embedded engineering teams and long-term service operations, operating the Paradise Nature natural wine subscription), and Teamenv (team governance research and tooling). Governance is structured on a Holacracy charter adopted in 2021.
The company builds using web technologies, game engine technologies, and network-based solutions to deliver web applications, native applications, installations, and custom devices. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services (planning/design, web and native application development, installation and device development) plus managed service retainers via Azukaritai and a small subscription revenue stream from Paradise Nature. The company employs 18 people (5 officers, 11 regular employees, 2 part-time), serves a mix of enterprise clients (NTT ICC, Shinkenchiku Online) and SMBs (Paradise Nature), and operates exclusively in Japan's Kanto region with no external institutional investors.
UNIBA firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- UNIBA
- Legal name
- ユニバ株式会社
- Website
- https://uniba.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- UNIBA INC. is a Tokyo-based private design and interaction development studio (18 staff) operating five internal teams — Z1, Kernel, Circuit Lab., Azukaritai, and Teamenv — delivering professional services in web, native, and installation development for enterprise and SMB clients in Japan under the 'Embodied Virtuality' philosophy.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
UNIBA industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Design and Development Services
- NAICS
- Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Programming Services (7371), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX) (MPAAAAAD)
Keywords
Where UNIBA is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices5 records
Markets served
UNIBA business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Professional Services - Planning & Design: Creative planning and design services for web and digital products, including service design, product design, and UX/UI design.
- Web Application Development: Long-term web service development and operation, including client services like SuperGoodMeetings and Shinkenchiku Online.
- Native Application Development: Development of native mobile and desktop applications.
- Installation & Device Development: Physical installations and custom device development for creating interactive experiences.
- Embedded Engineering Teams (Azukaritai): Long-term dedicated engineering team services where engineers function as an in-house team for clients, accompanying business growth.
- Recommendation Engine (Paradise Nature): A subscription and direct-to-consumer service for natural wine that uses a recommendation engine learning user preferences from wine reviews.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
UNIBA product offering
Product offeringCore offering
UNIBA designs and develops digital and physical interactive experiences through web and native applications, installations/devices, and dedicated engineering team outsourcing, organized across five internal units: Z1 (planning/design and web specialist team), Kernel (internal admin), Circuit Lab. (proof-of-concept and new product development), Azukaritai (embedded engineering team service), and Teamenv (Holacracy governance and tooling). The company creates "continuous cultural value" through long-term client engagements, supplemental owned products such as SuperGoodMeetings, Shinkenchiku Online, Paradise Nature, and commissioned projects such as HyperICC for NTT ICC.
Product overview
UNIBA INC. is a design and interaction development company organized around the concept of 'Embodied Virtuality' (さわれるインターネット / touchable internet). The company operates through five distinct internal teams: Z1 (web specialists focused on cultural creation through long-term products like SuperGoodMeetings and Shinkenchiku Online), Kernel (administrative services for internal operations), Circuit Lab. (new digital product development and prototyping, including the HyperICC online museum), Azukaritai (dedicated engineering teams and long-term service maintenance, including Paradise Nature wine recommendation service), and Teamenv (team growth tools and theory). UNIBA offers services in planning/design, web application development, native application development, installation development, and device development.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Z1: Web services team specializing in product design, cultural creation, and long-term value creation.
- Kernel
- Circuit Lab.
- Azukaritai
- Teamenv
Products and services
- Web Application Development Design and engineering of web applications delivered as custom client engagements; offered to organizations seeking long-term digital product development.
- Native Application Development Native iOS/Android application development delivered as custom client engagements for organizations seeking mobile product capabilities.
- Installation and Device Development Design and engineering of physical installations and connected devices offered to clients seeking hardware-integrated interactive experiences.
- Z1 — Planning/Design and Web Specialist Team Service Specialized team providing planning, design, and web-development services as part of UNIBA's five internal teams.
- Azukaritai — Embedded Engineering Team Service Service offering that embeds UNIBA engineers into client teams to supplement internal engineering capacity.
- Circuit Lab. — New Product / Proof-of-Concept Development Internal team providing experimental product and proof-of-concept development, including 3D/simulation work such as People Flow Project.
- Teamenv — Holacracy Governance Tools Holacracy governance, theory, and tooling support offered to client teams seeking self-organization practices.
- SuperGoodMeetings Owned web service for meeting visualization/optimization operated as a continuously running product.
- Shinkenchiku Online Long-running architectural media web platform developed and maintained for Shinkenchiku-sha, a publisher in the architecture domain.
- Paradise Nature Subscription-based wine recommendation service using a recommendation engine to match wines to user preferences.
- HyperICC (project for NTT InterCommunication Center) Online museum project developed for the NTT InterCommunication Center, showcasing the company's capability in cultural/exhibition digital experiences.
- People Flow Project In-house 3D simulation project using game-engine technology to model people flow in virtual spaces.
Companies that use UNIBA
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
UNIBA technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
UNIBA partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights4 records
UNIBA competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- teamLab: Japanese digital art and experience collective creating immersive installations at the intersection of physical and digital; closest functional peer to UNIBA's 'Embodied Virtuality' positioning and to its installation/device development capability, though teamLab operates at far greater scale and with its own venues.
- Rhizomatiks: Tokyo-based creative studio combining technology, design, and engineering for digital experiences, installations, and live events; comparable to UNIBA's Z1 and Circuit Lab. teams in blending web/game-engine technology with cultural and brand projects.
- Loftwork: Japanese design and innovation firm offering web services, product design, and creative community platforms; directly comparable to UNIBA's web service development and design-led cultural creation (e.g., SuperGoodMeetings, Shinkenchiku Online).
- Whatever Inc. Tokyo creative agency producing web experiences, brand projects, and digital content for cultural and corporate clients; comparable to UNIBA's planning/design and web development offerings and target customer profile.
- Bascule Inc. Tokyo digital creative agency focused on web experience design and engineering for Japanese enterprises; comparable on service scope (planning, design, web development) and on direct field sales to enterprise clients.
- PARTY: Tokyo-based creative collective producing digital campaigns, interactive experiences, and product design; comparable on cross-modality creative work and on long-running client relationships with Japanese brands.
Broad incumbents
- Frog Design (Capgemini Engineering): Global design and engineering consultancy with deep experience design capability; broader and better-capitalized than UNIBA but operates in overlapping territory of digital product design and interaction design.
- IDEO: Global design and innovation firm; broader portfolio and global footprint than UNIBA, but overlaps on service design, product design, and human-centered digital experience work.
- AKQA (part of WPP): Global digital creative agency designing experiences, products, and services for enterprise brands; comparable on digital experience design and long-running client engagements, but at significantly greater scale and with network reach.
- Accenture Song: Global experience design and digital transformation arm of Accenture; competes with UNIBA on experience design and product engineering engagements, but at much larger scale and with cross-industry consulting capabilities.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
UNIBA social profiles
Digital presenceUNIBA financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
UNIBA leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
UNIBA subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
UNIBA funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
UNIBA M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about UNIBA
What does UNIBA do?
UNIBA designs and develops digital and physical interactive experiences through web and native applications, installations/devices, and dedicated engineering team outsourcing, organized across five internal units: Z1 (planning/design and web specialist team), Kernel (internal admin), Circuit Lab. (proof-of-concept and new product development), Azukaritai (embedded engineering team service), and Teamenv (Holacracy governance and tooling). The company creates "continuous cultural value" through long-term client engagements, supplemental owned products such as SuperGoodMeetings, Shinkenchiku Online, Paradise Nature, and commissioned projects such as HyperICC for NTT ICC.
Is UNIBA a public or private company?
UNIBA is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was UNIBA founded?
UNIBA was founded in 2003. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is UNIBA based?
UNIBA is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does UNIBA make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Professional Services - Planning & Design is the primary driver. The others are web Application Development, native Application Development, installation & Device Development, embedded Engineering Teams (Azukaritai) and recommendation Engine (Paradise Nature).
Who are UNIBA's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are teamLab, Rhizomatiks, Loftwork, Whatever Inc., Bascule Inc. and PARTY. Broad incumbents are Frog Design (Capgemini Engineering), IDEO, AKQA (part of WPP) and Accenture Song.
Does UNIBA have an API?
No public API is recorded for UNIBA.
What industry is UNIBA in?
UNIBA's product category is Digital Design and Development Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAAAAD, Digital Creative & Experience Design Agencies (Web/App/UX). Its NAICS code is 541511 and its SIC code is 7371.