What SOBA Project does

SOBA Project, Inc. (株式会社SOBAプロジェクト) is a Kyoto-headquartered Japanese software company that develops and operates proprietary visual communication technology built on its SOBA Framework Cloud, a P2P (peer-to-peer) communication middleware originated from a 2001 industry-academia-government research consortium involving Kyoto University, NTT Comware, and Omron and spun out into the company in 2005. The company is a consolidated subsidiary of Urueru Net Advertising Group Inc. (TSE Growth Market: 9235) and operates from Kyoto Research Park with a small team of 11-50 employees.

The company's commercial portfolio is organized around the SOBA Framework Cloud middleware and includes three primary revenue lines: SOBA Mieruka Cloud, a browser-based WebRTC web conferencing service priced at 25,000 JPY/month for 5 users and distributed via self-serve, a reseller/agent network, and OEM/custom development; SOBA Framework Cloud, an SDK and licensing platform that allows developers and enterprises to embed P2P video, audio, and data-sharing into their own applications at roughly one-tenth the cost of conventional builds; and SOBA School, an online one-on-one tutoring system operated through a 2009 joint venture (SOBA Education) with Yashima Gakuen. Since 2024 the company has layered Web3 services onto the same technology base, including SOBA GAS (NFT gas fee prediction), SOBA NFT Plat (fiat and convenience-store payment for NFT purchases), and SOBA NFT meeting (an NFT-gated community platform), and in 2026 it introduced Mieruka SFA, an upsell module that auto-syncs conferencing data into sales force automation systems.

Monetization combines monthly SaaS subscriptions, SDK and framework licensing royalties, custom development project fees, recurring reseller commissions, and emerging NFT transaction fees. Named enterprise and institutional users include Google, Omron, NTT Comware, Tezuka Productions, and Kyoto Institute of Technology. The company is privately held and self-describes as having a zero security incident history with SSL 256-bit encryption; revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

SOBA Project

Legal name

株式会社SOBAプロジェクト

Website

https://soba-project.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SOBA Project, Inc. is a Kyoto-based Japanese software subsidiary of Urueru Net Advertising Group that provides proprietary P2P visual communication technology, including the Mieruka Cloud web conferencing SaaS, the SOBA Framework Cloud SDK, an online tutoring system, and emerging Web3/NFT services, serving SMB, enterprise, and education customers primarily in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Web Conferencing Software

NAICS

Software Publishers (5132), Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

AV/Collaboration & Unified Communications Support (VoIP, Video, UCaaS) (BPAAACAJ)

Keywords

• Web conferencing software
• Video communication platform
• P2P communication middleware
• Remote collaboration tools
• Tutoring management software

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. SaaS Subscription - Mieruka Cloud: Monthly subscription model with tiered pricing based on number of users. 5 users at 25,000 JPY/month. No initial fees, no option charges. Revenue recognized monthly as services are delivered.
2. SDK/Framework Licensing: SOBA Framework Cloud provided as middleware for developers to build custom visual communication applications. Revenue from developer SDK packages and framework services.
3. Custom Development Services: Bespoke development services for enterprises requiring customized visual communication solutions. One-time project fees for custom implementations.
4. Agent/Reseller Commissions: Channel partners resell Mieruka Cloud and earn ongoing commissions for as long as referred clients continue using the service. Stock-type recurring revenue for partners.
5. NFT Services: SOBA NFT Plat charges transaction fees for payment processing. SOBA GAS is offered free as customer acquisition tool for crypto/Web3 market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

SOBA Project develops and sells proprietary visual communication software built on its SOBA Framework Cloud P2P middleware. Its main commercial offerings are the SOBA Mieruka Cloud browser-based web conferencing service (Standard/Pro), the SOBA Framework Cloud SDK/middleware for developers and OEMs, the SOBA School online tutoring platform for educational institutions, and SOBA Web3/NFT services (SOBA GAS, SOBA NFT Plat). The company also undertakes custom development and OEM/white-label projects for enterprises.

Product overview

SOBA Project offers a platform-plus-modules architecture centered on the SOBA Framework Cloud, a proprietary P2P communication middleware. The core product line includes SOBAミエルカ・クラウド, a browser-based web conference system with WebRTC support, and SOBA スクール for remote tutoring. The portfolio extends into web3 services (SOBA GAS, SOBA NFT Plat, SOBA NFT meeting) and add-on features like Mieruka SFA for sales automation. All products share the common SOBA Framework Cloud technology foundation, allowing flexible integration and customization at reduced development cost.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SOBA ミエルカ・クラウド (SOBA Mieruka Cloud): Browser-based webRTC video conferencing and online business negotiation platform with features including screen sharing, chat, whiteboard, and seminar functionality.
• SOBA フレームワーク・クラウド (SOBA Framework Cloud)
• SOBA スクール (SOBA School)
• SOBA web3
• SOBA NFT Plat
• SOBA GAS
• SOBA NFT meeting

Products and services

• SOBA Framework Cloud P2P visual communication middleware and SDK that lets developers and enterprises embed video/audio chat and screen sharing into their own web applications. Targets software vendors, OEM customers and enterprise product teams.
• SOBA Mieruka Cloud Browser-based web conferencing service (Standard and Pro editions) supporting up to ~5,000 concurrent users with screen sharing, recording, file transfer and SSL 256-bit encryption. Sold to Japanese SMB and mid-market service businesses (consultation, legal, medical, matchmaking, sales/support) via self-serve trial and inside sales.
• SOBA School Online tutoring management platform that enables tutoring schools (cram schools / 塾) and educational institutions to deliver live online lessons to students. Targets school owners and heads of instructional operations.
• SOBA GAS Gas-fee prediction and optimization service that helps Web3 and NFT users reduce transaction costs on blockchain networks. Targets Web3/NFT service operators and community organizers.
• SOBA NFT Plat NFT payment platform supporting multiple NFT services with multi-device compatibility and NFT-community features. Targets Web3 startups, NFT platform operators and NFT community organizers.
• SOBA Mieruka Cloud API Web API product that lets developers integrate SOBA Mieruka Cloud video/audio conferencing and screen sharing into their own external web applications. Targets CTOs, product teams and ISVs building communication-enabled apps.
• Custom Visual Communication Development / OEM Bespoke custom development and OEM/white-label visual communication systems built on SOBA Framework for enterprise customers. Positions custom development cost at roughly 1/10 of conventional approaches. Targets enterprises needing tailored communication platforms.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduced development costs to 1/10th of conventional methods
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

Yes

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Kyoto University (京都大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding academic partner from 2001. Core research group included Kyoto University Mathematical Institute along with Tokyo Institute of Technology, Waseda University, and Keio University. Provided foundational R&D for SOBA Framework technology.
• NTT Comware (NTTコムウェア株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding industry partner in 2001 industry-academia-government research consortium. Contributed telecommunications expertise and technology development for SOBA Framework.
• Omron Corporation (オムロン株式会社)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFounding industry partner in original SOBA project research consortium. Contributed sensor and control technology expertise to visual communication system development.
• Yashima Gakuen (学校法人八洲学園)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation sector partner for joint venture SOBA Education. Established in May 2009 to provide online tutoring services using SOBA technology.
• JICA/JESCO Holdings (独立行政法人国際協力機構/JESCOホールディングス)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerVietnam BIM theory industry-academia cooperation project. SOBA Project participated in international development survey using visual communication technology for education programs.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lifesize: Cloud video conferencing and meeting room solutions provider targeting mid-market and enterprise customers; comparable in scale and product breadth to SOBA's conferencing business.
• Vonage Video API: Real-time video API platform (formerly TokBox) providing WebRTC-based video embed capabilities, directly comparable to SOBA Framework Cloud for developers embedding communication into applications.
• Whereby: Browser-based video meeting tool emphasizing frictionless, no-install conferencing; comparable positioning to SOBA Mieruka Cloud's WebRTC plugin-free experience at similar SMB scale.
• Agora: Real-time engagement platform providing video, voice, and messaging APIs/SDKs, directly comparable to SOBA Framework Cloud as a developer-facing communication middleware.
• V-CUBE: Japan-based web conferencing and visual communication provider offering cloud-based video meeting and webinar services directly competing with SOBA Mieruka Cloud in the Japanese enterprise and education markets.

Broad incumbents

• Twilio (Programmable Video): Cloud communications platform offering programmable video APIs alongside broader CPaaS services; competes with SOBA in the developer-facing real-time communication space as part of a much larger portfolio.
• Microsoft Teams: UCaaS platform bundled into Microsoft 365, widely deployed across Japanese enterprises and education; represents the largest bundled competitor to SOBA's conferencing offerings.
• Zoom Communications: Dominant global web conferencing platform with significant SMB and enterprise presence in Japan, setting the pricing and feature baseline against which SOBA Mieruka Cloud must compete.
• Cisco Webex: Enterprise UCaaS suite offering meetings, calling, and collaboration; relevant comparable for SOBA's enterprise-tier offerings and a likely incumbent in Japanese large-enterprise RFPs.
• Google Meet: Video conferencing service bundled with Google Workspace, used by SOBA's own enterprise customer Google for internal comms and competing head-on in the browser-based conferencing segment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SOBA_PRJ

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 SOBA Project