EXA Innovation Studio

What EXA Innovation Studio does

EXA Innovation Studio (EIS) is a Paris-headquartered private venture studio and cross-border business builder founded in 2013. The firm operates a zero-to-one model: it conceives, incubates, and operates ventures across mobility, communications, wellness, and cultural sectors, with regional offices in Los Angeles, Nairobi, and Tokyo enabling direct market access into Japan, France, the United States, and East Africa. The portfolio currently includes eight subsidiaries ranging from operational platforms (Songa Mobility rural e-mobility in Kenya, Social Mover welfare transport SaaS in Japan, Shikohin DTC skincare) to service businesses (EIS Communication agency, Classical Music Collection Japan events, Art & Space, PHIC); EXA Air, a sustainable packaging venture, was successfully divested to VALSEM in 2021 as the studio's first exit.

EIS's core technology comprises integrated platforms rather than a single product: Songa Mobility combines hardware (solar charging stations, electric trikes, refurbished Li-ion batteries), software (mobile/web fleet and transaction management), and IoT remote control for vehicles and batteries; Social Mover's CareDrive platform applies algorithms for carpooling, vehicle use optimization, and route planning targeted at Japan's long-term care facilities; and EIS Communication delivers 360-degree branding and PR services supported by events, press relations, and content partnerships. The studio also runs a strategic intelligence and M&A advisory service line.

Revenue is generated through a mix of professional services fees (corporate branding, city promotion, cross-border advisory), recurring mobility-as-a-service and SaaS subscriptions (Songa Mobility, Social Mover), DTC product sales (Shikohin via luxury retail partners), and equity upside from incubated ventures. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are described as customized enterprise engagements. Customer concentration skews toward Japanese government tourism bodies and European luxury retail anchors for the communications and consumer lines, and toward long-tail SMB and welfare-sector accounts for the mobility ventures.

Name

EXA Innovation Studio

Legal name

EXA Innovation Studio

Website

https://eisnetwork.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

EXA Innovation Studio is a Paris-headquartered private venture studio that incubates and operates cross-border businesses in mobility, communications, wellness, and cultural sectors across Japan, France, the US, and Kenya, serving enterprises, Japanese municipalities, and consumer markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Venture Studio and Business Development Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Marketing Organization, Operating Model & Capability Building (MPAAAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Integrated Full-Service Creative Agencies (MPAAAAAA), Brand Activations & Experiential Campaign Design (MPAAAGAA)

Keywords

• Venture studio services
• Cross-border incubation
• Business development consulting
• Mobility platform solutions
• Strategic advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

Kamakura

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services: Revenue from strategic intelligence, incubation, cross-border business development, M&A advisory, communication, and event production services provided to enterprise clients.
2. Venture Portfolio: Equity stakes and exits from internally incubated ventures. Successfully exited EXA Air to VALSEM in 2021.
3. Songa Mobility Operations: Fleet management fees and mobility-as-a-service revenue from rural African e-mobility operations serving smallholder farmers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

EXA Innovation Studio is a global venture studio and business development firm that incubates and develops cross-border ventures across mobility, communications, wellness, and cultural sectors. The company provides professional services including strategic intelligence, incubation, cross-border business development, M&A advisory, communication, and event production to enterprise clients, while operating portfolio ventures such as Songa Mobility (rural Kenya eMobility platform), Social Mover (Japan welfare transport optimization), Shikohin (Japanese mushroom skincare), EIS Communication (360° branding agency), and Classical Music Collection Japan (temple concert series).

Product overview

EXA Innovation Studio is a global business builder and zero-to-one venture studio that incubates and develops cross-border ventures across mobility, communications, wellness, and cultural sectors. The company operates multiple distinct ventures: Songa Mobility (rural eMobility platform in Kenya with hardware/software/IoT components), Social Mover (Japanese mobility service for welfare transport optimization), Shikohin (Japanese mushroom skincare brand), EIS Communication (360-degree branding agency for Japan/Europe), Classical Music Collection Japan (CMCJ - temple concert series), and EXA Air (sustainable packaging venture, exited to VALSEM in 2021). The parent company also provides services including Strategic Intelligence, Incubation, Cross-border Business Development, M&A Advisory, Communication, and Event Production through offices in Los Angeles, Nairobi, Paris, and Tokyo.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Songa Mobility: Electric mobility platform for rural Africa empowering smallholder farmers
• Social Mover
• EIS Communication
• Shikohin
• Classical Music Collection Japan (CMCJ)
• Art & Space
• PHIC

Products and services

• Songa Mobility Integrated rural eMobility platform in Kenya offering solar charging stations, electric trikes, refurbishable Li-ion batteries, mobile/web fleet and transaction management software, and IoT remote control for vehicles and batteries; serves smallholder farmers in rural Kenya with transportation to markets.
• Social Mover Japanese mobility service helping vulnerable passengers by optimizing and restructuring welfare and tourism transport through the CareDrive platform, which provides door-to-door transportation planning with carpooling algorithms, vehicle use optimization, and driving distance reduction.
• EIS Communication 360-degree communications agency specializing in corporate branding and city promotion for Japan and Europe, with a Franco-Japanese team providing marketing, PR, and branding solutions for clients including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Kyoto City.
• Shikohin High-quality Japanese mushroom skincare brand with functional botanical ingredients, offering premium wellness products inspired by Japanese traditions for holistic self-care; distributed through luxury retailers including Le Bon Marché and Neiman Marcus.
• Classical Music Collection Japan (CMCJ) Classical music salon and concert series bringing international performers to temples, gardens, and special concert halls in Japan (Kamakura, Kyoto, Nikko, Tokyo), offering immersive concerts and cultural experiences at historic venues, in partnership with luxury brands and instrument makers.
• EXA Innovation Studio (Venture Incubation and Cross-border Business Development Services) Professional services offering including strategic intelligence, business incubation, cross-border business development, M&A advisory, communication, and event production for enterprise clients, supported by offices in Los Angeles, Nairobi, Paris, and Tokyo.

Quantifiable outcome

• EXA Air grew consistently for 8 years before successful exit to VALSEM
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• CEFJminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partnership with CEFJ for Classical Music Collection Japan cultural salon series.
• KAWAIminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024KAWAI provides piano instruments for CMCJ classical music concerts in Japan.
• MikimotominorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2024Luxury pearl brand Mikimoto sponsors or partners with CMCJ cultural events.
• The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport & Tourism JapancoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Japanese government ministry partners with Social Mover to address mobility challenges in Japan's aging society through innovative transport solutions.
• Toyota Mobility FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Toyota Mobility Foundation partnered with EXA Innovation Studio for Songa Mobility, a rural e-mobility venture in Kenya serving smallholder farmers with electric trikes and solar charging infrastructure.
• UNEPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022United Nations Environment Programme collaborates with Songa Mobility on sustainable mobility solutions for rural Africa.
• Le Bon MarchécoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Le Bon Marché luxury department store in Paris retails Shikohin Japanese mushroom skincare products.
• Neiman MarcuscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2021Neiman Marcus luxury retailer distributes Shikohin premium skincare products.
• VogueminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2021Vogue magazine coverage and media partnership for Shikohin skincare brand promotion.
• Kyoto CitycoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014EIS Communication serves as Kyoto City's representation office in France for tourism promotion and branding.
• Tokyo Metropolitan GovernmentcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014EIS Communication serves as Tokyo's representation office in France for tourism promotion and city branding.
• Tobu RailwaymajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014EIS Communication promotes Tobu Railway's Nikko region tourism in the French market.
• Toyooka CitymajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014EIS Communication handles tourism promotion for Toyooka City in France, including Kinosaki Onsen hot spring destination.
• KCVBmajorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Kyoto Convention & Visitors Bureau partnership for promoting Kyoto tourism in France.
• TCVBcoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2014Tokyo Convention & Visitors Bureau partnership for promoting Tokyo tourism internationally.
• VALSEMcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013VALSEM acquired EXA Air in 2021 after being one of its key distribution partners. This was EIS's first successful exit.
• RAJA / CENPACcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Major packaging distributor partner for EXA Air sustainable protective packaging solutions in France.
• E. LeclercmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2013Major French retail chain distributed EXA Air packaging solutions.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Science Inc. Los Angeles-based venture studio and operating company that builds and scales consumer and technology businesses. Operates from LA like EIS's US office and shares the venture-builder operating model.
• Idealab: Long-running US venture studio that creates and operates technology companies, with a portfolio model similar to EIS. Operates across multiple verticals with centralized support functions.
• Entrepreneur First: London-based global venture builder that invests in and co-founds deep-tech and consumer startups from inception, with offices across Europe, Asia, and Africa. Highly comparable to EIS in its zero-to-one incubation model.
• High Alpha: US-based venture studio that partners with corporate and B2B SaaS founders to build and scale companies. Comparable in its studio model of building multiple ventures simultaneously with shared resources.
• Antler: Global early-stage venture studio and startup generator operating across multiple continents with a cohort-based approach to building companies from zero. Directly comparable to EIS as a venture studio building businesses from ideation.
• Founders Factory: Global venture studio and accelerator that builds and scales startups with corporate partners across continents. Comparable to EIS as a venture builder partnering with corporates and operating internationally.

Emerging players

• BasiGo: Kenya-based electric bus and mobility company. Regional peer in African e-mobility serving transport operators, with overlap in Songa Mobility's Kenyan operating market and similar hardware-plus-platform model.
• Ampersand: Africa-focused electric mobility company building battery-swap networks for motorcycle taxi operators. Directly comparable to Songa Mobility as a peer in rural/emerging-market electric mobility, though focused on motorcycles rather than trikes.

Broad incumbents

• BCG X (formerly BCG Digital Ventures): Global consulting firm's venture-building arm that incubates and scales corporate-backed ventures. Comparable in providing incubation, cross-border business development, and innovation services, though embedded within a much larger consulting firm.
• Hakuhodo: Japan's second-largest advertising agency with extensive international operations. Comparable to EIS Communication as a Japanese-origin communications and city-promotion agency with Western market reach, though at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@CMCJapan
• Facebookfacebook.com/eisnetwork
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/eis-communication
• Instagraminstagram.com/classicalmusiccollectionjapan
• Xx.com/eis_network

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries8 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 EXA Innovation Studio