What northshore does

Northshore (ノースショア株式会社, founded February 7, 2008) is a Tokyo-based private company operating as a 'Creative Experience Company' that integrates creative production with AI-enabled tooling and a creator marketplace. The company runs out of its Roppongi, Minato-ku headquarters (Kurosaki Building 9F) with 77 full-time 'Surfers' as of January 2026 and a registered capital of ¥30,000,000, led by founder-CEO Ishii Ryu (石井 龍). It maintains a wholly-owned technology subsidiary, Creative Technology Inc. (クリエイティブテクノロジー株式会社), co-located at the same address to handle technology, data, and platform operations separately from agency services.

The company's core offerings span an integrated production services arm — strategy, branding, promotion campaigns, events, immersive digital experiences (VR/AR/Metaverse), web/SNS management, and TVCM/online film production for major Japanese advertisers — and a productized portfolio: カットウヒョー (Cut Panther), an AI-powered generative AI SaaS tool that automates video cut-table creation with claims of approximately 70% time reduction and support for both horizontal and vertical (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels) formats; クリショア (Crishore), a two-sided matching platform connecting over 3,400 CM production professionals with advertisers, agencies, and broadcasters; クリショアfor発注者 (Crishore for Clients), a high-quality-focused video production matching service; and フルAICM制作カレッジ (Full AI CM Production College), an online learning platform teaching AI-assisted commercial production.

The business model combines professional services revenue (project-based integrated production targeting major Japanese advertisers, broadcasters, and entertainment companies via direct enterprise field sales) with four productized streams: usage-based SaaS (Cut Panther, pay-per-use with credit card billing and no contract), transaction fee revenue (Crishore marketplace), professional services consulting (strategy, PMO, web/SNS optimization), and subscription/recurring education (Full AI CM Production College). Distribution mixes enterprise direct sales for production, self-serve product-led growth for SaaS, and a marketplace channel for platform services. The company holds an extensive international awards track record spanning Cannes Lions, ACC TOKYO CREATIVITY AWARDS, ADFEST, Spikes Asia, and PR Awards, supporting its premium positioning with named clients including Persol Holdings, JACCS, Saison Card, TBS Holdings, Sony Network Communications, MIXI, and past work for Honda, Toyota, Nissin Foods, Kao, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, and NTT Docomo.

Name

northshore

Legal name

ノースショア株式会社 (NORTHSHORE Inc.)

Website

https://north-s.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Tokyo-based Creative Experience Company founded in 2008 delivering integrated video, branding, events, and digital production to Japanese enterprises while productizing AI-powered video cut-table SaaS (Cut Panther), a 3,400-professional creator marketplace (Crishore), and AI-CM production education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Roppongi

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Integrated Production Services: Full-service creative production including strategy, creative direction, branding, promotion campaigns, events, digital content, and ongoing operational support for enterprise clients. Revenue is project-based with engagement from initial strategy through execution.
2. DX/SaaS Products (カットウヒョー): Usage-based AI tool subscription for video cut table creation. Pay-per-use model with credit card payment, no contract required. Upload capacity up to 3GB per video. Supports professional video production workflows.
3. Platform Services (クリショア): Matching platform connecting video creators with production companies and clients. Provides discovery, search, and matching services for the video production ecosystem.
4. Consulting Services: Hands-on consulting including marketing strategy, project management (PMO), and web/SNS operational optimization for digital transformation initiatives.
5. Education/Training (フルAICM制作カレッジ): Online courses teaching AI-powered CM production techniques for advertising professionals.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NORTHSHORE is a creative experience company that provides integrated creative production services for video, web, and advertising content, primarily for advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, and brands in Japan. In addition to its core production services, the company offers Cut Panther, an AI-powered SaaS tool that automates kae-ten (cut table) selection for video rushes, and Crishore, a matching platform that connects video creators and producers with clients. It also operates the Full AI CM Production College, an online education program focused on AI-assisted commercial video production.

Product overview

NORTHSHORE operates as a Creative Experience Company offering integrated creative services across multiple business domains: Integrated Production (branding, promotion, campaigns, events), Consulting (strategy, marketing, CX, SES), Immersive Digital (VR/AR, metaverse, interactive art), Creative Production (TVCM, web video, graphics, digital, SNS marketing), DX/SaaS (AI tools), and Platform services. The product portfolio includes カットウヒョー (Cut Panther), an AI-powered video cut table creation SaaS tool; クリショア, a video creator matching platform; クリショアfor発注者, a quality-focused video production service; and フルAICM制作カレッジ, an online AI-assisted commercial production training platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• カットウヒョー (Cut Panther): AI-powered cut sheet creation tool for video production that reduces cut sheet creation time by up to 70%. Supports vertical video formats for TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels.
• クリショア (Creshore)
• クリショア for発注者 (Creshore for Clients)
• フルAICM制作カレッジ (Full AI CM Production College)

Products and services

• Integrated Creative Production Services (動画・Web・広告制作) End-to-end creative production services for video, web, and advertising content, covering planning, direction, shooting, and post-production. Delivered as project-based B2B work for advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, and corporate brands in Japan.
• Cut Panther (カットウヒョー)
• Crishore (クリショア)
• Crishore for Clients (クリショア for 発注者)
• Full AI CM Production College (フルAICM制作カレッジ)

Quantifiable outcome

• Cut table creation time reduced by up to 70%
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Creative Technology Corporation (クリエイティブテクノロジー株式会社)coreOthersSubsidiary company of NORTHSHORE Inc. Joint use of personal information is conducted with this subsidiary for group-wide management, internal controls, risk management, product/service recommendations, data analysis, and product/service development purposes.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• AOI Pro. Japan-based video and commercial production company serving major advertisers with end-to-end CM production, post-production, and digital content. Direct competitor for Northshore's core video production and post-production business, particularly for TVCM and web film work.
• TBWA\Hakuhodo: Japan-based creative agency network that consistently wins regional and global creative awards (Cannes Lions, ADFEST, ACC) while serving major Japanese enterprise advertisers. Closest direct analogue in business model (integrated creative production), client profile (large Japanese corporates), and award-driven positioning.

Emerging players

• VidMob: AI-driven creative analytics and production platform that helps brands and agencies optimize ad creative. Comparable to Northshore's AI-powered toolset (Cut Panther) and creator-matching platform (Creshore) in spirit, but with a global enterprise focus.
• Runway: Well-funded AI video generation and editing platform used by creative professionals and studios. Direct competitive threat to Cut Panther's AI video workflow automation, with substantially greater R&D resources and global brand.

Broad incumbents

• ADK Holdings: Major Japanese advertising agency group (formerly Asatsu-DK) with integrated creative, digital, and media services. Competes with Northshore for the same enterprise creative briefs and CM production work, though at much larger scale.
• CyberAgent: Japan-listed digital media and internet advertising conglomerate with creative production, ad technology, and creator-economy businesses (ABEMA, Ameba, CATS). Adjacent to Northshore's digital/SNS marketing and creator-matching offerings but at significantly larger scale.
• Dentsu Inc. Largest advertising agency group in Japan with full-stack creative, media, and digital services including Dentsu Digital. Overlaps with Northshore in enterprise integrated production and video/CM work, but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.
• Hakuhodo Inc. Second-largest Japanese ad agency group, offering creative, digital, and media services to major Japanese corporates. Comparable client roster and integrated production capabilities, but at significantly larger scale and with a broader service portfolio.

Regional players

• AnyMind Group: Asia-headquartered marketing, influencer, and e-commerce enablement platform operating across Japan, Southeast Asia, and Greater China. Comparable in targeting Asia-based advertisers and creators with a tech-enabled marketplace model, but with broader geographic spread.
• Dentsu Digital: Digital arm of Dentsu offering integrated digital marketing, creative, and consulting services to Japanese enterprise clients. Overlaps with Northshore's integrated production and DX consulting offerings, though positioned as a digital transformation specialist within the larger Dentsu group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/northshore.inc/?locale=ja_JP
• Xx.com/northshore_inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 northshore