Rise UP
Rise UP is a privately-held Osaka-based eye care company operating Japan's largest color contact lens e-commerce platform (MORECONTACT, 340+ brands) alongside the country's No.1 contact lens open-market wholesale distribution arm (CONTACTLENS, serving 5,000+ retail stores) and proprietary retailer SaaS tools (CONPASS, CLOCO).
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersOsaka, Japan
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Rise UP does
Rise UP is a privately-held Japanese company founded in July 2003 and headquartered in Osaka, operating a dual B2B/B2C business model focused on contact lens and color contact lens products. The company reports 546 employees as of January 2026 and runs two principal divisions: a wholesale arm (CONTACTLENS) that claims No.1 share of the Japanese contact lens open market, distributing to 150 partner companies across 5,000+ retail outlets including drugstores, discount stores, cosmetics shops, and specialty retailers, supported by field sales representatives and visual merchandising teams; and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce arm (MORECONTACT) offering 340+ brands and 2,400+ SKUs across its own site (morecon.jp), iOS and Android mobile apps, and storefronts on Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Amazon, Qoo10, and SHOPLIST, with a dedicated cross-border channel into China via self-operated sites and Inagora's Wandou app.
The platform architecture combines proprietary B2B SaaS tools with consumer-facing commerce: CONPASS is a tablet-based application that lets retail store staff record sales digitally and enables customers to complete purchases via QR code from a smartphone app, while CLOCO is a web-based ordering system that gives retailer partners real-time price and inventory visibility for procurement. A 100% Hong Kong subsidiary (Rise UP International (Hong Kong) Ltd., established July 2015) oversees China and broader Asia, and proprietary house brands including Cherie, HoneyTrap, PEARL FLAN by Cherie complement distributed third-party brands. A February 2021 capital and business alliance with T-Garden (a color contact lens and cosmetics planning company owning brands such as Angel Color, loveil, FLANMY, and Chu's me) added both portfolio depth and board representation.
Revenue mechanics rely on transactional flows — wholesale unit sales to retailers and B2C marketplace/own-site transactions — with no disclosed subscription or platform-take-rate layer beyond unit sales; no public pricing is available for most SKUs beyond one wellness SKU (Kuzu Flower Health Drink at ¥2,480). Geographic footprint spans Japan (with offices in Osaka HQ, Honmachi, Tokyo, Fukuoka, plus Chiba and Fukuoka logistics centers) plus Hong Kong as Asia regional HQ. The company is privately held; its only disclosed capital event is a 2011 increase in registered capital to ¥35M, with T-Garden holding a strategic stake following the 2021 alliance.
Rise UP firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Rise UP
- Legal name
- 株式会社Rise UP
- Website
- https://r-up.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Rise UP is a privately-held Osaka-based eye care company operating Japan's largest color contact lens e-commerce platform (MORECONTACT, 340+ brands) alongside the country's No.1 contact lens open-market wholesale distribution arm (CONTACTLENS, serving 5,000+ retail stores) and proprietary retailer SaaS tools (CONPASS, CLOCO).
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Rise UP industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Contact Lens Distribution
- NAICS
- Optical Goods Retailers (45613), Ophthalmic Goods Merchant Wholesalers (423460)
- SIC
- Ophthalmic Goods (3851)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses) (HLAKAKAL)
Keywords
Where Rise UP is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Osaka
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices7 records
Markets served
Rise UP business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- E-commerce (B2C) — MORECONTACT: Direct-to-consumer online sales of contact lenses and color contact lenses through proprietary e-commerce sites and marketplace listings. Revenue is generated per transaction on morecon.jp and across Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Amazon, Qoo10, and SHOPLIST storefronts. International consumers in China are served via dedicated cross-border sites.
- Wholesale (B2B) — CONTACTLENS: Wholesale distribution of contact lenses and color contact lenses to major discount stores, drugstores, cosmetics variety shops, and specialty contact lens retailers. Sales supported by in-house sales, visual merchandising, and field sales advisors. Strong market position with leading open market share.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | 葛の花青汁 (Kuzu Flower Health Drink) — 30 packets (~1 month supply) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Rise UP product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Rise UP operates a dual business in the contact lens category in Japan: a wholesale division (CONTACTLENS) that distributes contact lenses and color contact lenses to drugstores, discount stores, cosmetics variety shops, and specialty retailers through a field sales force, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (MORECONTACT) that aggregates 340+ brands and 2,400+ product SKUs across its own site, mobile apps, and five major marketplaces. The company also builds proprietary B2B tools — CONPASS for in-store digital sales recording and CLOCO for online-store ordering — that deepen ties with retail partners and drive recurring wholesale volume, with additional cross-border e-commerce into China.
Product overview
Rise UP operates a dual business model combining e-commerce and wholesale in the eye care sector. The core e-commerce platform MORECONTACT serves consumers directly with 340+ color contact lens brands and 2,400+ products, while also reaching customers through five major marketplace channels (Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Amazon, Qoo10, SHOPLIST). The wholesale division supplies physical retail stores nationwide. Supporting these are CONPASS, an app connecting retail stores with customers for streamlined purchases, and CLOCO, a web-based ordering system for store procurement. The company also operates cross-border EC to China.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- MORECONTACT: Japan's largest color contact lens online shopping service with over 340 brands and 2,400+ products, expanding globally to China.
- CONTACTLENS
- CONPASS
- CLOCO
- Cherie (シェリエ)
- HoneyTrap
- PEARL FLAN by Cherie
Products and services
- MORECONTACT (モアコンタクト) Japan's largest color contact lens online retail platform, offering 340+ brands and 2,400+ products through its own e-commerce site, iOS and Android apps, and storefronts on Rakuten, Yahoo! Shopping, Amazon, Qoo10, and SHOPLIST, plus cross-border operations to China.
- CONTACTLENS (卸事業) B2B wholesale division that distributes contact lenses and color contact lenses to major discount stores, drugstores, cosmetics variety shops, and contact lens specialty stores, supported by in-house sales, visual merchandising, and field sales advisor teams.
- CONPASS (コンパス) Application connecting contact lens retail stores with customers that digitizes in-store sales recording on tablets and lets consumers complete purchases via QR code on a free smartphone app, reducing sales operation time and supporting smooth purchases.
- CLOCO (クロコ) Web-based ordering system for contact lens e-commerce store operators, providing easy ordering of contact lenses and care products with real-time price and inventory visibility across the product introduction-to-sales workflow.
- Cherie (シェリエ) Color contact lens brand with a 3-tone design creating a natural half-face effect, sold through Rise UP's MORECONTACT e-commerce platform and wholesale channels.
- HoneyTrap 1day (ハニートラップワンデー) Daily disposable color contact lens brand with four natural designs, launched as Rise UP's second color contact lens brand after Cherie and targeted at adult women.
- PEARL FLAN by Cherie Color contact lens brand featuring translucent designs in lavender, brown, gray, and green colors, part of the Cherie family.
Quantifiable outcome
- Wholesale reach of 150 companies / 5,000+ stores (current figure)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Rise UP
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Rise UP technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Rise UP partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.
- T-Garden (株式会社T-Garden)coreRise UP entered a capital and business partnership with T-Garden in February 2021. T-Garden is a leading color contact lens and cosmetics planning/sales company with iconic brands including Angel Color, loveil, FLANMY, and Chu's me. Following the partnership, T-Garden became a group company, and new directors (Yamamoto Shinya, Ishikawa Shotaro) were appointed to Rise UP's board. T-Garden's 2026 April new graduate recruitment is also coordinated through Rise UP's recruiting pages.
- Inagora株式会社 (Inagora K.K.)secondaryRise UP launched MORECONTACT on Inagora's Chinese cross-border e-commerce app '豌豆公主 (ワンドウ/Wandou)', becoming the sole contact lens retailer on the platform. Inagora operates a lifestyle-oriented cross-border EC platform targeting affluent Chinese women aged 20–30, having raised $20M (¥2.4B) in Series B funding as of May 2016.
- Rise UP International (Hong Kong) Ltd.coreRise UP established a 100% owned subsidiary in Hong Kong to serve as the Asia regional headquarters, overseeing operations in China and broader Asian markets. This subsidiary is a corporate entity rather than a third-party partner but represents the company's structural expansion model.
- 株式会社エンリッション (Enrission K.K.)minorRise UP established a 'Marketing Research Institute' at Enrission's '知るcafe' cafe near Kyoto University, collaborating with Kyoto University internship students on marketing research and analysis of female consumer behavior on e-commerce sites, using MORECONTACT data and know-how.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Rise UP competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Seed (Seed Co., Ltd.): Major Japanese contact lens manufacturer with its own retail/online channels; comparable as a vertically integrated contact lens player operating in the same Japanese market where Rise UP wholesales and retails.
- Alcon Japan: Global ophthalmic goods company (Dailies, Air Optix) operating in Japan's contact lens market; comparable as a large incumbent competing for the same wholesale and retail shelf space as Rise UP.
- Zoff (Intermestic): Large Japanese eyewear retail chain with DTC online store; comparable as a Japan-based eyewear e-commerce and retail operator, although Zoff's core assortment is frames over contact lenses.
- JINS: Major Japanese eyewear retailer with strong DTC e-commerce and store footprint; comparable to MORECONTACT as a Japan-headquartered eyewear DTC brand, though JINS focuses on frames rather than contact lenses.
- Johnson & Johnson Vision (Japan): Global contact lens manufacturer (Acuvue) with strong Japanese presence; comparable as a large incumbent supplying the same contact lens category that Rise UP distributes and sells.
- Bausch + Lomb Japan: Ophthalmic goods manufacturer with Japanese contact lens product lines; comparable as an established multinational operating in the same product category as Rise UP.
Emerging players
- Pienenu: Japan-based color contact lens DTC brand; comparable to MORECONTACT's color CL brand portfolio as a niche digital-native brand competing for the same end consumer.
Direct peers
- Eyecity (Pearl Vision): Japan's leading contact lens specialty retailer with nationwide physical stores and online channels, directly competing with MORECONTACT in the same Japanese contact lens retail category.
- Lens Factory (Daichikosho): Operates one of Japan's largest contact lens specialty retail chains (Lens Factory) with both online and physical store sales of contact lenses, directly comparable to Rise UP's MORECONTACT DTC and specialty-store wholesale business.
- T-Garden: Color contact lens and cosmetics planning/sales company and Rise UP's strategic capital partner; comparable as a leading Japanese color CL brand house (Angel Color, loveil, FLANMY) that shares customer overlap and channel economics with Rise UP.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Rise UP social profiles
Digital presenceRise UP compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Rise UP financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Rise UP leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles12 records
Rise UP subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Rise UP funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Rise UP 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 Rise UP
What does Rise UP do?
Rise UP operates a dual business in the contact lens category in Japan: a wholesale division (CONTACTLENS) that distributes contact lenses and color contact lenses to drugstores, discount stores, cosmetics variety shops, and specialty retailers through a field sales force, and a direct-to-consumer e-commerce platform (MORECONTACT) that aggregates 340+ brands and 2,400+ product SKUs across its own site, mobile apps, and five major marketplaces. The company also builds proprietary B2B tools — CONPASS for in-store digital sales recording and CLOCO for online-store ordering — that deepen ties with retail partners and drive recurring wholesale volume, with additional cross-border e-commerce into China.
Is Rise UP a public or private company?
Rise UP is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Rise UP founded?
Rise UP was founded in 2003. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Rise UP based?
Rise UP is headquartered in Osaka, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Rise UP make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. E-commerce (B2C) — MORECONTACT is the primary driver. The others are wholesale (B2B) — CONTACTLENS.
Who are Rise UP's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Seed (Seed Co., Ltd.), Alcon Japan, Zoff (Intermestic), JINS, Johnson & Johnson Vision (Japan) and Bausch + Lomb Japan. Pienenu is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are Eyecity (Pearl Vision), Lens Factory (Daichikosho) and T-Garden.
Does Rise UP have an API?
No public API is recorded for Rise UP.
What industry is Rise UP in?
Rise UP's product category is Contact Lens Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAKAKAL, Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Retail (Glasses/Frames/Lenses). Its NAICS code is 45613 and its SIC code is 3851.