CRAYON

What CRAYON does

CRAYON Inc. is a Tokyo-based private company that operates a proprietary no-code platform for building and operating official fan engagement applications in the entertainment industry. The platform, launched in June 2020, enables artists, voice actors, athletes, content creators, and IP rights holders to launch branded mobile fan apps with integrated features including timelines, blogs, photo/video galleries, live streaming, push notifications, priority ticketing, and e-commerce/goods sales, without requiring engineering resources. Standard development cycle is as fast as one month from design consultation, with the service historically offered at zero initial development cost.

The company serves primary segments across entertainment verticals: music artists (J-pop, J-rock, indie), voice actors and seiyū agencies (notably Aoni Production), anime and manga IP rights holders (Pony Canyon, Shueisha), professional athletes (e.g., Naoya Inoue), and content creators. It has released approximately 70 apps since launch, with a cumulative 500,000+ downloads reported by early 2021. CRAYON monetizes through a combination of B2B platform/service fees and a share of end-user premium membership subscriptions (typically ¥200-¥1,000+/month) within each client app, including physical-goods-bundled annual plans that have shown strong uptake among voice actor app subscribers.

CRAYON was founded in August 2018 as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Akatsuki Inc. and became operationally independent in October 2022 after absorbing Akatsuki's fan app business through a simplified absorption-type company split. The company also absorbed the fan app business of group entity Colorful Inc. in August 2022. It maintains three integrated service modules around its core platform: Fan Community (app platform, EC/WEB development, fan club operations), Promotion Support (planning, YouTube/SNS management, advertising), and Globalization Support (overseas promotions, global SNS, cross-border app/EC). In October 2021 the company suffered an Apple Developer Account suspension that removed 67 iOS apps, which was resolved in November 2021.

Name

CRAYON

Legal name

株式会社CRAYON

Website

https://c-rayon.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CRAYON is a Tokyo-based no-code platform company enabling entertainment artists, voice actors, athletes, and IP rights holders to build and operate official branded fan engagement apps with integrated e-commerce and subscription membership features.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Fan Engagement Software Platform

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

akta.pro primary industry

Fan Club, Community & CRM Management (MPAIAGAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB), CRM Strategy, Implementation & Managed Services (MPAAAIAD)

Keywords

• Fan app development
• No-code platform
• Entertainment technology
• Mobile fan community
• Fan engagement 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, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Official Fan App Development and Operation Service: CRAYON provides a no-code fan app development platform for the entertainment industry. Artists, voice actors, anime properties, and other entertainment clients pay for app development and ongoing platform/operation services. The platform supports subscription-based paid membership models within each app, generating recurring revenue from end-user subscriptions. Initial development was offered free with revenue from membership subscriptions.
2. Premium Fan Membership Subscriptions: Each client app offers premium monthly and annual membership plans, typically priced between ¥200-¥1,000+/month. Plans include exclusive content, live streams, priority ticketing, and merchandise. CRAYON operates the billing infrastructure and takes a share of subscription revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CRAYON provides a proprietary no-code fan app development platform that enables entertainment companies, artists, voice actors, anime IP holders, and athletes to build and operate official fan mobile apps without engineering coding. The platform includes built-in features for fan timelines, blogs, photo/video galleries, live streaming, push notifications, exclusive content delivery, priority ticketing, e-commerce/merchandise sales, and subscription-based premium membership management with optional goods-attached plans. CRAYON also offers supporting services for promotion, YouTube/SNS management, and overseas/global expansion including cross-border EC.

Product overview

CRAYON provides a unified no-code fan app development platform called the 'Official App Development Service' for the entertainment industry. The platform consists of the core fan app platform with three integrated service modules: Fan Community (fan app platform, EC/WEB systems, fan club operations support), Promotion Support (planning, YouTube/SNS management, advertising, media outreach), and Globalization Support (overseas promotions, global SNS, cross-border app/EC development). CRAYON has released approximately 70 apps since its 2020 launch, serving artists, voice actors, athletes, influencers, and anime IPs with fan club apps, EC integration, and live streaming capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Official App Development Service (公式アプリ開発サービス) A no-code fan app development platform for the entertainment industry, enabling artists, athletes, influencers, and IP holders to build official mobile apps with features including fan timelines, live streaming, blog, gallery, e-commerce, and membership management without coding.
• Fan Community (ファンコミュニティ構築) Service providing a fan app platform with features for community building, EC/WEB system development, and fan club operations support for entertainment artists, agencies, and IP rights holders.
• Promotion Support (プロモーション支援) Service covering promotional planning and production, YouTube/SNS management, WEB/OOH advertising, and media outreach for entertainment clients.
• Globalization Support (グローバル展開支援) Service supporting overseas market expansion including international promotional planning, global YouTube/SNS operations, and cross-border app/EC development for Japanese entertainment IP.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 titles and 500,000+ cumulative downloads within 8 months of launch (by January 2021), growing to ~70 apps by 2026
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered secondary, core and minor.

• CLOUD NINEsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 February 2026CLOUD NINE, a music and entertainment agency, hired CRAYON to design the official creative and website for the 'Zipangu' music festival held in Los Angeles. This is a creative/website design partnership extending beyond fan apps into broader entertainment creative services.
• 株式会社アカツキ (Akatsuki Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2022CRAYON was originally a subsidiary (100% owned) of Akatsuki Inc. On October 1, 2022, CRAYON became independent through a company split (簡易吸収分割) in which it inherited Akatsuki's fan app business. Akatsuki retains a strategic relationship with CRAYON as a major entertainment company in the same industry. Prior to the split, Akatsuki provided corporate backing, capital, and entertainment industry expertise.
• 株式会社カラー (Colorful Inc.)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 August 2022In August 2022, Colorful Inc. transferred its fan app business to CRAYON through a company split (簡易吸収分割). Colorful had been operating fan apps under Akatsuki group before the consolidation. The business succession formalized CRAYON's role as the central platform provider for entertainment fan apps within the former Akatsuki group ecosystem.
• ポニーキャニオン (Pony Canyon)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 September 2021Pony Canyon, the publishing and entertainment subsidiary handling promotion for the anime 'Yuki Yuna is a Hero -Daimankai no Shou-', partnered with CRAYON to launch the official anime fan app 'ゆゆゆ勇者部'. CRAYON provided the app platform; Pony Canyon managed content strategy and community management. This partnership was also supported by Dentsu for marketing strategy.
• 株式会社電通 (Dentsu Inc.)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2021Dentsu, as a member of the anime production committee, proposed and co-designed the community DX strategy for the 'Yuki Yuna is a Hero' anime fan app. Dentsu contributed marketing strategy expertise and community building methodology alongside CRAYON's app platform.
• 株式会社THReee entertainmentsecondaryGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 June 2021THReee entertainment operates the fan app for DREAMS COME TRUE 'Dori App'. CRAYON developed and provides the platform; THReee manages content operations. This represents a client-operator relationship where CRAYON is the technology provider and THReee is the client-operator.
• 青二プロダクション (Aoni Production)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2021CRAYON and Aoni Production jointly launched official fan app services for Aoni voice actors. The partnership began with 3 voice actors (三上枝織, 高橋花林, 藤井ゆきよ) in April 2021 and expanded to include more talent. Aoni Production provides voice actor talent management; CRAYON provides the app development and operation platform. The partnership introduced the 'goods-attached membership plan' feature.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Koji: Creator commerce and mini-app platform enabling artists and influencers to launch branded digital storefronts and mini-apps — competitively adjacent to CRAYON's EC-enabled fan app with stronger international creator tooling.
• Whop: Marketplace and platform for paid creator communities and digital products, increasingly used by sports, music, and entertainment operators as a fan-engagement front-end — competes for the same end-market of digital-first fandom monetization.
• Memberful: Membership infrastructure for creators offering paid subscriptions, gated content, and newsletters — adjacently comparable to CRAYON's premium membership and paid fan-club billings.

Broad incumbents

• Patreon: Subscription membership platform powering recurring fan payments for creators globally — the de facto incumbent whose pricing logic (monthly tiered memberships, content gates) CRAYON replicates inside each client app.
• Mighty Networks: Global platform enabling creators and brands to launch branded community apps with paid memberships, courses, and events — a broader-incumbent analog to CRAYON's fan community app product with international scale CRAYON lacks.
• Avex Entertainment: Major Japanese music label that operates its own artist fan club platforms and apps — a current/potential customer for CRAYON and a competing internal-build alternative in the J-pop fan app space.

Others

• Dentsu: Japan's largest advertising agency and co-marketing partner on CRAYON's YuYuYusha anime app; serves as both collaborator and adjacent incumbent that could vertically integrate fan community production for IP holders.

Direct peers

• Geneva: Group-based community platform that lets users build themed communities with chat, events, voice, and updates — overlapping with CRAYON's fan community app positioning for creator-led groups.
• SKIYAKI: Japanese fan club and fan app platform operator (TSE: 3995) that provides artists with official mobile app development, membership management, and EC integration — directly competing with CRAYON in Japan's entertainment fan-engagement stack.
• Bitfan (TENTIAL): Japan-based fan club platform offering official fan apps, paid membership, and digital content distribution for musicians, creators, and athletes — serving the same artist/creator customer base as CRAYON.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/crayon_pr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/c-rayon

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 CRAYON