What Social Databank does

Social Databank, Inc. (ソーシャルデータバンク株式会社) is a Tokyo-based private SaaS company founded in October 2017 by Representative Director Itō Toshiki (伊藤俊輝). The company develops and operates Liny (リニー), a marketing automation (MA) and customer relationship management (CRM) platform purpose-built for LINE Official Accounts. Liny integrates with LINE's official business-account API to provide automated messaging, scenario-based distribution, chat/chatbot workflows, and customer-data management, with complementary OAuth-based integrations to Google Calendar, Google Ads, and Slack. The product is used by Japanese enterprises, small and medium businesses, and local government entities, with publicly referenced deployments including the Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) 'Future Classroom' initiative.

The company's business model is a tiered SaaS subscription, with monthly/annual pricing scaled to customer usage and feature set on a quote-based, non-publicly-disclosed schedule. Revenue is generated primarily through direct sales to enterprise and SMB customers and a parallel agent/reseller channel that promotes Liny to partner client bases, supplemented by co-marketing and joint seminars; post-sale customer success is handled by an internal support team using Salesforce as CRM. Social Databank holds the LINE Technology Partner (LINEテクノロジーパートナー) certification and the LINE Official Account Store Partner recognition, both granted in 2019, and operates a Yokohama (Hiyoshi) satellite office in addition to its Hamarikyu Intercity headquarters in Minato-ku, Tokyo. In 2023 the company completed a business integration (経営統合) with two group companies, AroLink Co., Ltd. and Maneql Co., Ltd., to consolidate operations and shared data use.

The company is regulated and certified for handling sensitive personal and communications data: it holds ISMS ISO/IEC 27001:2022 certification (JP23/00000242), the Japan Privacy Mark (No. 10824855), and Registered Telecommunications Carrier status (No. A-01-17076). It does not disclose revenue, headcount, or external funding in the public record, and operates with a reportedly small management and engineering team that has been expanding into developer training and new product development via the Yokohama office.

Name

Social Databank

Legal name

ソーシャルデータバンク株式会社

Website

https://social-db.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Social Databank is a Tokyo-based SaaS company that develops Liny, a LINE Official Account-focused marketing automation and CRM platform serving Japanese enterprises, SMBs, and local government entities. It generates revenue through tiered subscriptions via direct sales and an agent/reseller channel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Marketing Automation Software

NAICS

Information (51)

SIC

Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Customer Success & Account Management CRM (HDAEAFAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Social CRM & Community Engagement Platforms (HDAEAFAF)

Keywords

• LINE marketing automation
• LINE CRM platform
• Customer engagement software
• LINE official account tools
• Marketing automation SaaS

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Liny SaaS Subscription: Monthly/annual subscription revenue from the Liny marketing automation and CRM platform. Pricing is tiered based on usage volume and features. Customers include enterprises, small businesses, and local government entities using LINE Official Accounts.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Social Databank develops and operates Liny (リニー), a cloud-based SaaS Marketing Automation and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool specialized for LINE Official Accounts. The platform enables Japanese enterprises, SMBs, and local government entities to run automated messaging, scenario-based delivery, chatbot-driven support, and customer engagement workflows integrated with the LINE ecosystem.

Product overview

Social Databank offers Liny as its primary product—a LINE-specialized Marketing Automation (MA) and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tool. Liny integrates with LINE Official Accounts to help businesses and local governments efficiently manage customer communications through automated messaging, scenario-based distribution, and marketing optimization. The company also develops supporting internal tools including ワクマネ (Wakuman), a meeting room reservation system deployed at headquarters, and まなびちゃん (Manabi-chan), an e-learning system created through their internship program. The product portfolio centers on LINE ecosystem tools for marketing and customer engagement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Liny: LINE-focused MA (marketing automation) and CRM (customer management) tool that integrates with LINE Official Accounts to enable efficient customer communication for businesses and local governments.

Products and services

• Liny (リニー) Cloud-based Marketing Automation and CRM tool specialized for LINE Official Accounts. Enables Japanese enterprises, SMBs, and local government entities to automate messaging, deliver scenario-based communications, route customer inquiries via chatbot, and manage customer relationships through the LINE ecosystem.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, notable, flagship and supporting.

• 株式会社アローリンク (AroLink Co., Ltd.)coreOthers · 1 January 2023Group company with integrated management. Personal data collected for service provision may be jointly used among group companies within the scope of the stated privacy purposes. Joint use includes customer data necessary for service delivery, support, and related operations.
• 株式会社ManeqlcoreOthers · 1 January 2023Group company with integrated management. Personal data collected for service provision may be jointly used among group companies within the scope of the stated privacy purposes. Joint use includes customer data necessary for service delivery, support, and related operations.
• LINEみらい財団 (LINE Mirai Foundation)notableTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2020Social Databank provided development cooperation for the LINE official account operated by the LINE Mirai Foundation (general incorporated foundation). The partnership involved building LINE official account infrastructure for the foundation's digital initiatives.
• 東京都 (Tokyo Metropolitan Government)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Social Databank constructed and operated the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's LINE official account in March 2020, supporting the government's digital communication infrastructure for citizen services.
• 経済産業省 (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) - '未来の教室' (Learning Lab for the Future)notableStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Constructed the LINE official account for METI's 'Learning Lab for the Future' initiative in March 2020, supporting digital education transformation efforts.
• Google (Google Workspace, Google Calendar, Google Ads)coreTechnology or IntegrationLiny integrates with Google's APIs for OAuth-based account linkage. The integration enables ad performance tracking, calendar functionality, and workflow automation. The company complies with Google API Services User Data Policy including 'Limited Use' requirements.
• Slack (Salesforce subsidiary)supportingTechnology or IntegrationLiny integrates with Slack API to send notifications to designated Slack channels. The integration provides real-time alerts and team communication capabilities for Liny users.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• L Step (エルステップ): Japan's leading LINE-specialized marketing automation and CRM platform, widely used by SMBs and personal-brand businesses. Directly competes with Liny for the same LINE Official Account customer base and represents the most comparable product-category rival in the Japanese market.
• SATORI: Japanese B2B marketing automation platform focused on mid-market and enterprise lead nurturing and customer engagement. Comparable to Liny in serving Japanese companies seeking automation of customer communication, with broader channel support including email and web in addition to messaging.
• Synergy! (シナジー): Japanese marketing automation and CRM platform by Synergy Marketing targeting enterprise and mid-market customers. Comparable to Liny in its positioning as a Japan-focused MA/CRM tool with workflow automation, lead management, and customer engagement features.

Broad incumbents

• HubSpot: Global CRM and marketing automation platform with a Japan presence offering marketing, sales, service, and CMS hubs. Comparable as a horizontal MA/CRM incumbent that competes for the same customer-automation budget as Liny, particularly with Japanese mid-market and enterprise buyers.
• Adobe Marketo Engage: Global B2B marketing automation platform with deep enterprise adoption. Comparable to Liny in offering lead nurturing, scoring, and automated campaign workflows, and competes in Japan especially among larger enterprises seeking account-based marketing capabilities.
• Pardot (Account Engagement): Salesforce-owned B2B marketing automation platform used in Japan for email, lead scoring, and CRM-integrated nurture programs. Comparable to Liny as a CRM-tied MA tool, though without Liny's LINE-Official-Account-native depth.
• Oracle Eloqua: Enterprise marketing automation and orchestration platform owned by Oracle. Comparable to Liny in offering automated multi-step customer journeys, with stronger large-enterprise footprint in Japan but limited LINE-channel specialization.
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud: Enterprise CRM and marketing platform from Salesforce that Social Databank itself uses internally for pipeline management. Competes for the same Japanese enterprise and government CRM/automation wallet, with broader cross-channel capabilities but heavier implementation footprint than Liny.

Emerging players

• ChatPlus: Japan-focused chatbot platform supporting LINE, website, and other messaging channels. Comparable to Liny at the overlap of automated LINE-based customer communication, with a stronger focus on chatbot conversation flows rather than full MA scenario messaging.

Others

• LY Corporation (LINE / Yahoo Japan parent): Parent of LINE and the platform provider whose APIs underpin Liny. Included as a critical ecosystem counterpart rather than a direct competitor; LY Corporation's roadmap on Official Account features, API pricing, and partner programs materially shapes Liny's competitive environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Subsidiaries2 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 Social Databank