NOVEL

What NOVEL does

NOVEL株式会社 (NOVEL Inc.) is a Tokyo-based AI consulting and contract development firm founded in 2019 that helps Japanese enterprises and SMEs operationalize generative AI. The company serves manufacturing, retail, finance, and logistics clients — ranging from listed companies to mid-market firms with roughly 150–200 employees — using its proprietary "AI導入3Tメソッド" (Organize → Connect → Use) methodology, which sequences data cleanup, system integration, and operational deployment ahead of AI tool rollout. NOVEL has delivered 30+ AI implementations since inception, with documented outcomes including order-entry automation reducing manual work by up to 90% and Excel/VBA legacy tool modernization to Python-based cloud applications.

The product portfolio spans three branded SaaS offerings — SAKUBUN (AI writing tool, 20,000+ accounts and 500,000+ cumulative uses), Data Analysis Agent (data.n-v-l.co), and AI Knowledge Inheritance chatbot (knowledge.n-v-l.co) — alongside a services catalog that includes the Virtual AI Promotion Department (バーチャルAI推進室) embedded consulting engagement, AI Automation Potential Diagnostics, Excel/VBA Modernization, AI Talent Development training, and sub-brands TechUnit, GPT Unit, TechAssign, and the March 2024-launched TechConnect freelance engineer marketplace. Underlying technology relies on third-party LLMs (OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, open-source models) orchestrated through Dify workflow tooling, combined with AI-OCR, RPA, and RAG pipelines for enterprise document and knowledge workflows.

NOVEL's commercial model is consulting-led with a small-ticket entry point of 500,000 JPY/month (~3,300 USD) for a 2–3 month consulting phase that typically converts into a 3–12 month system development engagement at higher rates, supplemented by subscription revenue from SaaS products and retainers from TechUnit/TechConnect. Go-to-market is direct sales plus content-led demand generation through a high-frequency Japanese-language blog, email newsletter, webinars, third-party PR features, and exhibition presence at events such as Back Office DXPO Tokyo '25. The company is self-described as "創業段階" (founding stage), reports 1–10 employees, has not disclosed external funding, and operates exclusively within Japan.

Name

NOVEL

Legal name

NOVEL株式会社

Website

https://n-v-l.co

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

NOVEL is a Tokyo-based AI consulting and contract development firm, founded in 2019, that helps Japanese enterprises and SMEs across manufacturing, retail, finance, and logistics operationalize generative AI via its proprietary 3T methodology and a SaaS suite including SAKUBUN, Data Analysis Agent, and AI Knowledge Inheritance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

AI Consulting and Development Services

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511), Other Computer Related Services (541519), Software Publishers (51321)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAEAF

Data, Analytics & AI Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Technology & Digital Consulting

SECONDARYBPAEAHAF

AI/ML Engineering & Model Development Services

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/Data, Analytics & AI Services

SECONDARYHDAEANAI

AI Integration & Orchestration Platforms (Connectors, Workflow, iPaaS for AI)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Enterprise Platforms & Databases/Artificial Intelligence Platforms for Enterprise

SECONDARYHDAAACAF

Agents & Autonomous Workflows (Tool Use, Planning, Multi-Agent)

Hardware, Technology & Telecom/Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning/Foundation Models & Generative AI (LLMs, multimodal)

Keywords

• AI consulting services
• Generative AI development
• Business process automation
• Data analysis automation
• AI knowledge management

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. AI Consulting / Advisory Services: AI implementation consulting using the proprietary 3T methodology. Engagement starts with a 2-3 month consulting phase covering knowledge sharing, workflow analysis, AI applicability assessment, and ROI calculation (cost reduction and revenue uplift).
2. AI System Development: Custom AI system development following the consulting phase. Covers requirement definition, development, operational testing, and performance improvement over 3-12 months.
3. SaaS / Product Subscriptions: Subscription-based AI tools including Data Analysis Agent (data.n-v-l.co), AI Knowledge Inheritance (knowledge.n-v-l.co), and Excel/VBA Modernization tool (modernize.n-v-l.co).
4. AI Writing Tool (SAKUBUN): AI writing tool marketed at sakubun.ai with 20,000+ accounts. Generates revenue via subscription or usage-based model.
5. TechUnit Monthly Development Service: Monthly development retainer service for ongoing AI development tasks. Also includes GPT commissioned development (GPT Unit) and TechAssign for unresolved development tasks.
6. Education / Training Programs: AI talent development programs including executive AI strategy workshop (half-day), on-site hands-on AI training (2 days), and AI agent construction training for engineers (3 days).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

NOVEL is a Tokyo-based AI consulting and contract development firm that operationalizes generative AI for Japanese enterprises and SMBs across manufacturing, retail, finance, and logistics. Using its proprietary 'AI導入3Tメソッド' (Organize → Connect → Use) methodology, NOVEL cleans and connects scattered enterprise data before deploying AI solutions. The company delivers consulting engagements (starting from 500,000 JPY/month), custom AI system development, AI training programs, and branded SaaS products including the SAKUBUN AI writing tool (20,000+ accounts, 500,000+ uses).

Product overview

NOVEL株式会社 provides AI consulting and implementation services centered on its proprietary 「AI導入3Tメソッド」(Organize → Connect → Use) methodology. The portfolio includes both branded SaaS products (SAKUBUN AI writing tool, Data Analysis Agent, AI Knowledge Inheritance chatbot) and service offerings (Virtual AI Promotion Department consulting, Excel/VBA Modernization, AI Automation Diagnostics, AI Talent Development, GPT contract development via GPT Unit and TechUnit development partner services, TechConnect freelance matching, and TechAssign backlog development). Services range from one-month consulting engagements starting at ¥500,000/month to multi-month system development. The company also publishes downloadable guides and reference materials, and has released a ChatGPT prompt engineering book. NOVEL targets Japanese SMEs and listed companies across manufacturing, retail, finance, and logistics sectors, with 30+ AI implementation cases.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SAKUBUN: AI writing tool for SEO-optimized content generation, with over 20,000 user accounts and 500,000+ usage records.
• TechUnit
• GPT Unit
• TechAssign
• AI受発注くん
• バーチャルAI推進室

Products and services

• SAKUBUN An AI-powered writing SaaS tool that generates SEO-optimized Japanese text content for websites, blogs, and marketing materials. Targets individual content creators, marketers, and small businesses; subscription-based revenue model with over 20,000 registered accounts and 500,000+ usage records.
• Data Analysis Agent (データ分析エージェント) An AI agent product that consolidates scattered enterprise data from multiple sources into a unified database and performs automated analysis and reporting. Replaces manual 3-day spreadsheet aggregation tasks with AI-powered 3-minute analysis. Targets Japanese enterprises and SMBs needing faster data-driven decision making.
• AI Knowledge Inheritance (AIナレッジ継承) An AI chatbot system that digitizes and structures tacit knowledge from experienced employees using RAG technology, enabling enterprise-wide knowledge sharing via conversational AI before veteran employees retire. Targets Japanese manufacturers and companies facing knowledge loss from workforce aging.
• Virtual AI Promotion Department (バーチャルAI推進室) An AI business reform consulting service that functions as a dedicated in-house AI team embedded within client organizations. Provides business process analysis, strategy planning, prototype development (PoC), full-scale deployment, and internalization support, available from 1-month engagements. Targets Japanese enterprises and mid-market companies.
• Excel/VBA Modernize (Excel/VBAモダナイズ) A modernization service that uses AI to analyze manual, person-dependent Excel/VBA tools, automatically generates specification documents, and migrates workflows to Python-based cloud web applications. Includes free diagnostic assessments. Targets Japanese SMBs dependent on legacy Excel/VBA macros.
• AI Automation Potential Diagnostics (AI自動化ポテンシャル診断) A one-week AI-powered business analysis service that surveys a company's operations, identifies automation opportunities, and delivers a report quantifying the ROI and automation potential of each process. Targets Japanese enterprises and SMBs evaluating AI adoption.
• AI Talent Development (AI人材育成) An AI training program that develops in-house AI-proficient talent, covering practical use of ChatGPT, Claude, and other tools. Includes executive-level AI strategy workshops (half-day), hands-on practitioner training (2-day), and AI agent construction training for engineers (3-day). Targets Japanese corporate training departments and DX managers.
• GPT Unit (GPT受託開発) A GPT contract development service providing custom generative AI application development using OpenAI's GPT models and related technologies, leveraging Dify for no-code/low-code AI application building. Targets Japanese enterprises needing bespoke AI implementations.
• TechUnit (月額開発サービス) A monthly development partner service that provides ongoing development resources to companies, supporting long-term development tasks and software maintenance on a subscription basis. Targets Japanese companies needing flexible, ongoing engineering capacity.
• TechConnect (テックコネクト) A freelance and side-job engineer agent service that matches independent engineers with client projects based on their skill stack, industry expertise, and project scale preferences. NOVEL's team provides career advisory and contract negotiation support. Targets freelance engineers and companies seeking flexible engineering resources.
• TechAssign A development service addressing backlogged and untouched development tasks, helping companies clear technical debt and complete stalled projects. Targets Japanese companies with accumulated development backlogs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces data aggregation from 3 days (Excel) to 3 minutes (AI)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability14 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• テックコネクト (TechConnect)minorOthers · 21 March 2024TechConnect is an in-house freelance/副業者 engineer agent service launched by NOVEL. It matches freelance and side-gig engineers with project opportunities. Represents a complementary service offering rather than a traditional partnership.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• ELYZA: Japan-focused generative AI specialist offering LLM-powered solutions and consulting. Directly comparable to NOVEL on generative AI consulting and Japanese enterprise focus, but with deeper proprietary LLM expertise.

Broad incumbents

• Accenture Japan: Global consulting giant with significant Japan presence, offering enterprise AI consulting, generative AI services, and large-scale implementation. Overlaps with NOVEL's enterprise AI consulting practice at much greater scale.
• Nomura Research Institute (NRI): Large Japanese IT consulting and solutions firm with established AI/DX practice serving financial services and other enterprises. Overlaps with NOVEL's vertical focus (finance, manufacturing) and consulting-led delivery model.
• Deloitte Tohmatsu (Japan): Big-4 consulting firm with significant Japan AI consulting practice including generative AI services. Comparable to NOVEL as a competing AI advisory service targeting Japanese enterprises, though operating at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• ALBERT: Japanese AI/data analytics consulting and solutions firm offering data science consulting and AI implementation. Highly comparable to NOVEL's combination of consulting services and AI product delivery for Japanese enterprises.
• Abeja: Japanese AI platform company providing AI/DX consulting services and proprietary AI infrastructure to enterprises. Comparable as a Japan-based AI consulting and implementation firm with both services and products.
• Fixstars: Japanese technology company with an AI/ML development and consulting business, plus an AI platform product. Comparable to NOVEL as a Japan-based AI engineering and implementation services firm serving enterprise and mid-market clients.
• Insight Edge (Deloitte Tohmatsu): Japanese AI/DX consulting spinoff within the Deloitte network offering data analytics, AI implementation, and digital transformation services. Directly comparable to NOVEL's AI consulting and implementation offerings for Japanese enterprises.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 NOVEL