Areteco
Areteco HOLDINGS is a Tokyo-based marketing firm operating brand businesses including the shabon beauty media platform, the Relook meditation app, and the M-DIVE marketing retreat, while providing integrated marketing strategy and sales agency services to corporate clients.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2016
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Areteco does
Areteco HOLDINGS (株式会社ARETECO HOLDINGS) is a privately-held Japanese holding company founded in November 2016 and headquartered in Tokyo, operating as a marketing firm that builds and scales consumer and B2B ventures through an in-house marketing function. The group runs a Brand Business comprising three core consumer properties: shabon, a beauty media platform for women distributed primarily through Instagram (~500K+ followers as of January 2021) and YouTube (~35M+ views); Relook, a meditation and mindfulness mobile app available on iOS and Android that combines neuroscience, clinical psychology, psychosomatic medicine, and cognitive behavioral therapy in audio-guided programs and is offered on a freemium-with-annual-subscription (¥6,900/year) model; and M-DIVE, a 3-day intensive marketing retreat. Beneath these brands sits the CMO BANK proprietary marketing education curriculum, which condenses upstream-to-downstream marketing into a 1-month intensive and is delivered (alongside a paid internship at ¥250,000/month) to top-tier university students — functioning as a structured talent pipeline that also produces entrepreneurial alumni.
The group's second operating pillar is the Marketing Partner Business, a sales-agency model in which Areteco acts as a sales representative for client products and services and earns transaction commissions, supported by direct enterprise engagement for integrated marketing strategy. Corporate clients referenced in the public record span publishing (Weekly Diamond, Weekly Economist, Yomiuri Shimbun-affiliated coverage), fitness (Irex Sports Life, 25 clubs in Aichi Prefecture), and healthcare (Nagoya University Hospital, Kasugai City Health Center). The group also operates wholly-owned subsidiaries including shabon Co., Ltd. (beauty media), ARETECO MARKETING FIRM Co., Ltd. (marketing services), Relook Co., Ltd. (meditation app), CMO BANK Co., Ltd. (education), haco. Co., Ltd. (creative production), Digital Human Lab Co., Ltd. (digital human technology), and an acquired orthodontic brand subsidiary whose trademark was transferred to SheepMedical Technologies in November 2022. Leadership is founder-led by CEO Kensaku Takagi (appointed March 2019), with registered capital of ¥15M and a stated 2030 vision of ¥1 trillion market capitalization.
Areteco firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Areteco
- Legal name
- 株式会社ARETECO HOLDINGS
- Website
- https://areteco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2016
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Areteco HOLDINGS is a Tokyo-based marketing firm operating brand businesses including the shabon beauty media platform, the Relook meditation app, and the M-DIVE marketing retreat, while providing integrated marketing strategy and sales agency services to corporate clients.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Areteco industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810), Advertising Agencies (54181), Public Relations Agencies (541820)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B) (BPAFADAH)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- B2B / Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Consulting (MPAAAFAM)
Keywords
Where Areteco is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Areteco business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Brand Business: Integrated marketing services provided collaboratively with client companies, or proprietary brand development. ARETECO creates and manages brands including shabon (beauty media), RELOOK (meditation app), and M-DIVE (marketing education retreat).
- Marketing Partner Business: Sales agency model where ARETECO acts as a sales agent for client products/services, earning commission fees on completed transactions.
- Relook App (Subscription): Meditation and mindfulness app with annual subscription model (¥6,900/year) offering both free and paid content.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Relook Annual Subscription |
| Subscription | Monthly | Marketing Internship Compensation |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Areteco product offering
Product offeringCore offering
ARETECO HOLDINGS operates a 'marketing firm' that creates and runs brand businesses either jointly with client companies or as wholly-owned proprietary brands, supported by a top-tier marketing education system. Its consumer-facing offerings include the shabon beauty media platform (Instagram + YouTube) and the Relook meditation/mindfulness smartphone app (¥6,900/year subscription). Its B2B offerings include Marketing Partner Business sales-agency services for client products (commission-based) and integrated marketing support/cobranding. The M-DIVE 3-day marketing retreat and CMO BANK one-month curriculum serve both as products and as talent pipelines.
Product overview
Areteco operates as a marketing firm offering a portfolio of brand businesses and marketing education services. The portfolio includes shabon (beauty media platform), Relook (mindfulness/meditation app), and M-DIVE (marketing training program), supported by the CMO BANK educational platform. The company functions as a 'marketing firm' that creates businesses driven by marketing leadership, combining brand development with educational programs to develop marketers and launch new ventures.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- shabon: Beauty media platform delivering 'love' and 'happiness' to all women, helping them love themselves
- Relook
- MARKETING DIVE (M-DIVE)
Products and services
- shabon Consumer-facing beauty media brand and wholly-owned subsidiary (株式会社shabon) delivering cosmetics, skincare, and beauty content primarily to Japanese women through Instagram and YouTube channels; positioned under ARETECO's Brand Business.
- Relook Smartphone meditation and mindfulness app (iOS and Android; ¥6,900/year annual subscription with a free tier) developed by Relook株式会社 using neuroscience, clinical psychology, cognitive behavioral therapy, and psychosomatic medicine; features audio-guided meditation with engineered sound frequencies, voice modulation, breathing techniques, and Japanese seasonal sounds.
- MARKETING DIVE (M-DIVE) Three-day immersive marketing retreat program under which participants gain new perspectives on marketing essence and develop innovative ideas for value creation; serves as both a Brand Business product and a talent-pipeline / community-marketing channel.
- CMO BANK Proprietary one-month intensive marketing education curriculum (formerly priced at ¥1M externally, free to internship participants); delivered by marketers with 10+ years of experience and operationalized by wholly-owned subsidiary 株式会社CMO BANK; past alumni have founded companies that went public or became market leaders.
- Marketing Partner Business B2B marketing partner / sales agency service where ARETECO acts as sales agent for client products and services, earning commission fees on completed transactions; sold via direct engagement to corporate clients in Japan.
- Integrated Marketing & Brand Co-Development Services B2B integrated marketing and brand co-development service: ARETECO collaborates with client companies on end-to-end marketing for the client's (or co-developed proprietary) products and services, bundling strategy, creative, and execution.
Quantifiable outcome
- CMO BANK alumni have achieved rapid business growth and successful exits to listed companies
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Areteco
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Areteco technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability5 records
Feature2 records
Areteco partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- SheepMedical Technologies株式会社minorTransfer of Kirei Line Orthodontic trademark rights and associated website/system productions. ARETECO had operated the service since launch based on the philosophy 'making orthodontic treatment accessible to everyone.'
- VCA (Venture Community for Arts)minorARETECO participated as a corporate partner in VCA's first offline art event 'Emergence of Artistic Thinking' held at ARETECO's office. The event featured panel discussions on 'Imagination and Creation' with artists whose works decorate ARETECO offices, and networking programs between corporate employees and artists.
- Nagoya University Hospital / Kasugai City Health Center (名古屋大学医学部附属病院/春日井市総合保健医療センター)minorRelook provided its meditation program content free of charge for Nagoya University Hospital's exploratory research on mindfulness app effectiveness for weight loss in metabo patients. The program focused on mindful eating and appetite control.
- Zen Priest Kawano Taishu (臨済宗建長寺派林香寺住職 川野泰周)minorZen monk and psychiatrist collaborated on Relook meditation program development. The program teaches meditation history, breathing techniques, and mindfulness practices with clear, easy-to-understand guidance.
- Mindfulness Meditation Association / Masao Yoshida (吉田昌生)minorFirst collaboration under Relook Meditation All-Star Project. Developed 7-episode original meditation program for both beginners and experienced practitioners, covering correct posture and breathing fundamentals.
- Irex Sports Life (アイレクススポーツライフ)minorCo-developed meditation programs for Irex's 25 fitness clubs in Aichi Prefecture. Programs include 'Cooldown Meditation' (breath mindfulness, body scanning) and 'Stress Release Meditation' (autonomic nervous system adjustment), delivered in specially designed spaces at Yoga & Gym IREX Light+24 locations.
- SME Project (中小企業からニッポンを元気にプロジェクト)minorARETECO HOLDINGS participates in the 'SME Project to Revitalize Japan from Small and Medium Enterprises' as a participating company.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Areteco competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Repro: Tokyo-based marketing technology company providing customer engagement and analytics tools. Comparable as a Japan-rooted marketing tech/business that supports corporate marketing execution, with similar venture-stage profile to ARETECO.
Direct peers
- MERY: Japanese women-focused lifestyle and beauty media platform. Comparable to shabon as a Japan-dominant beauty/women's media brand with similar audience demographics.
- Calm: Leading global meditation and sleep app with subscription business model. Comparable to Relook as a direct category competitor and benchmark for the meditation app's growth potential.
- Headspace: Global subscription meditation and mindfulness app. Most direct international comparable to ARETECO's Relook product in terms of business model, pricing (annual subscription), and category.
- Septeni Holdings: Japanese digital marketing and advertising group offering performance marketing, brand businesses, and venture investments. Most directly comparable to ARETECO's combination of marketing services with proprietary brand/sales operations.
- istyle (operator of @cosme): Operates @cosme, Japan's leading beauty review/media platform, and runs beauty-related e-commerce and marketing services. Closest direct comparable to ARETECO's shabon beauty media business.
Broad incumbents
- Hakuhodo: Japan's second-largest advertising agency with a full-service offering across creative, media, and digital. Comparable as an established marketing-services incumbent operating in the same Japanese corporate client base.
- CyberAgent: Large Japanese internet/media company operating an internet advertising business alongside proprietary media brands (AbemaTV, Ameba, etc.). Comparable as a larger player running both ad/marketing services and owned consumer brands.
- Dentsu: One of the largest global advertising agencies headquartered in Japan. Represents the broad incumbent against which ARETECO's boutique marketing-firm model competes for corporate marketing budgets.
- Recruit Holdings: Japanese marketing/media conglomerate spanning HR, real estate, beauty (HotPepper Beauty), and education. Comparable as a broad incumbent in Japan operating matching-platform and marketing-services businesses with a venture-creation heritage.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Areteco social profiles
Digital presenceAreteco financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Areteco leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Areteco subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries7 records
Areteco funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Areteco M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Areteco
What does Areteco do?
ARETECO HOLDINGS operates a 'marketing firm' that creates and runs brand businesses either jointly with client companies or as wholly-owned proprietary brands, supported by a top-tier marketing education system. Its consumer-facing offerings include the shabon beauty media platform (Instagram + YouTube) and the Relook meditation/mindfulness smartphone app (¥6,900/year subscription). Its B2B offerings include Marketing Partner Business sales-agency services for client products (commission-based) and integrated marketing support/cobranding. The M-DIVE 3-day marketing retreat and CMO BANK one-month curriculum serve both as products and as talent pipelines.
Is Areteco a public or private company?
Areteco is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Areteco founded?
Areteco was founded in 2016.
Where is Areteco based?
Areteco is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Areteco make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Brand Business are the primary driver. The others are marketing Partner Business and relook App (Subscription).
Who are Areteco's main competitors?
Repro is listed as an emerging player. Direct peers are MERY, Calm, Headspace, Septeni Holdings and istyle (operator of @cosme). Broad incumbents are Hakuhodo, CyberAgent, Dentsu and Recruit Holdings.
Does Areteco have an API?
No public API is recorded for Areteco.
What industry is Areteco in?
Areteco's product category is Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFADAH, Product & Brand PR (Consumer & B2B), with a secondary code of MPAAAFAM, B2B / Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Consulting. Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.