Asken

Name

Asken

Legal name

株式会社asken

Website

https://asken.inc

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Health & Nutrition Software

NAICS

Diet and Weight Reducing Centers (812191)

akta.pro primary industry

General Nutrition Coaching (HSADAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Meal Planning & Prep Coaching (Macros, Grocery Guidance) (HSADAFAN), Healthcare & Wellness Personalization (HDAAAGAI)

Keywords

• AI meal management
• Diet tracking app
• Nutrition analysis software
• Corporate wellness platform
• Health management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Asken Premium Service (Consumer Subscription): Freemium-to-paid conversion model. Free tier provides basic meal logging, calorie tracking, and limited features. Premium subscription (¥300-¥580/month depending on plan/platform) unlocks per-meal AI advice, advanced AI image analysis, voice meal recording, goal-specific diet courses (e.g., Asu Mama for pregnancy/postpartum), and more. Annual plans available at discounted rates (e.g., ¥3,600/year).
2. Corporate Wellness Services (Asken Plus / Asken式健康づくりプログラム): B2B SaaS-style subscription for corporate health management, targeting enterprises, health insurance associations, and government entities. Includes the specific health guidance program (特定保健指導) using Asken's data-driven approach with online dietitian coaching.
3. Advertising: In-app advertising placements enabled through tracking pixels and third-party ad SDKs (Google Ads, fluct, i-mobile, Repro, Adjust, AppLovin, InMobi, ironSource, Unity Ads, Liftoff/Vungle, LINE Yahoo, Amazon Ads, AnyMind). Advertisers can target users based on health interests and meal data.
4. E-commerce (Asken Shop): Direct-to-consumer online store selling Asken-branded merchandise including the Asken 体組成計 (body composition scale), 雑穀米 (multi-grain rice), health food products, cookbooks, and other health-related goods.
5. Cookbook Publications: Publishing revenue from official Asken-branded cookbooks including the '短的レシピ' series, '50代からの食べやせ術', 'ほぼ100円野菜で整うスープ', '200kcal台スイーツ大全', '7日間で適量が身につくレシピ', and others. Published through Wanibooks, Fusosha, and Gakken.
6. Data Monetization & Research Partnerships: Aggregate, anonymized meal data from 14M+ users (110B+ records) is used for proprietary research and published as 'Asken Data News' reports, contributing to food trend insights and scientific publications. Partnerships with universities (Waseda, Kyoto University, Fujita Medical University) generate academic validation and corporate credibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

Asken operates an AI meal management app (あすけん) that lets users record meals via photos, voice, barcode/OCR, or manual input and automatically calculates calories and nutrients using proprietary food image-recognition AI trained on 110B+ meal records. The free app is monetized through a premium subscription (Asken Premium Service) that unlocks per-meal AI advice, advanced image analysis, voice recording, and life-stage-specific diet courses, while a parallel B2B channel (Asken Plus and the Asken-style Specific Health Guidance Program) sells corporate wellness subscriptions to enterprises, health insurance associations, and municipalities, complemented by an e-commerce store (Asken Shop) selling branded hardware and food products.

Product overview

Asken offers a unified platform centered on its AI meal management app 'あすけん' (Asken), which provides meal recording, nutrition calculation, and diet advice. The core free app is supplemented by the premium subscription service 'あすけんプレミアムサービス' offering enhanced AI features and personalized guidance. The portfolio includes corporate health services ('あすけんプラス', 'あすけん式健康づくりプログラム'), owned media ('あすけんmore'), e-commerce (あすけんSHOP), and health measurement hardware (あすけん体組成計). Premium features include AI image analysis, voice recording, personalized meal proposals, and dietitian-supported advice courses targeting specific life stages (pregnancy, muscle training, weight loss).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• あすけんmore: Owned media platform featuring articles, videos, recipes, and a shop for health-related content.
• あすけんSHOP
• あすけんプレミアムサービス
• あすけんプラス
• kawaii diet

Products and services

• Asken (あすけん) AI Meal Management App AI-powered meal management app (iOS, Android, web) that enables individuals to record meals by photo, voice, barcode, or manual input, automatically calculates calories and nutrients, and provides personalized advice combining registered dietitian expertise with AI. Free basic tier; ranked No.1 in Japan's Nutrition & Diet category for 4 consecutive years (2022–2025).
• Asken Premium Service (あすけんプレミアムサービス) Paid subscription add-on for the Asken consumer app that unlocks per-meal AI advice, advanced AI image analysis, voice-based meal recording, life-stage-specific diet courses (e.g., Asu Mama for pregnancy/postpartum), detailed nutrition reports, and goal-specific coaching. Priced at ¥162–¥580/month or ¥3,600/year.
• Asken Plus (あすけんプラス) B2B corporate wellness platform sold to enterprises for employee health management, wellness campaigns, and Specific Health Guidance programs. Includes dashboards, reporting, and integration with company health initiatives.
• Asken-style Health Creation Program (あすけん式健康づくりプログラム) 3-month Specific Health Guidance (特定保健指導) program combining Asken app usage with online coaching from registered dietitians (あすけん指導員) to drive measurable weight and waist reduction outcomes for employees of health insurance associations, enterprises, and municipal governments.
• Asken more (あすけんmore) Owned media platform with articles, videos, recipes, and an integrated shop for health-related content targeting Asken users and the broader Japanese health-conscious audience.
• Asken Shop (あすけんSHOP) Direct-to-consumer e-commerce store selling Asken-branded hardware (body composition scale), multi-grain rice (雑穀米), health food products, cookbooks, and seasonal gift boxes.
• Asken Body Composition Scale (あすけん体組成計) Branded Bluetooth body composition meter that syncs with the Asken app, tracking 8 body-composition metrics (weight, body fat, muscle mass, etc.) visualized in-app.
• kawaii diet (カワイイダイエット) Sub-brand diet app featuring Sanrio characters that gamifies nutrition management for users seeking a more casual, character-driven experience; available on iOS and Android.

Quantifiable outcome

• Average 2.3kg weight reduction in users combining Asken diet management with Fit Boxing 3 exercise over 3 months (BMI 25+ users, n=252)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration20 records

AI capability11 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Five Mini (ファイブミニ)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 30 September 2025Third installment of ongoing collaboration campaign with Suntory's Five Mini brand. Joint promotions targeting health-conscious consumers with combined diet/exercise messaging. Previous campaigns in 2023-2024.
• Fujita Medical University (藤田医科大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 September 2025Research using Asken published in the peer-reviewed medical journal 'Nutrients', validating the app's clinical utility in dietary management studies. Part of Asken's evidence-based medicine strategy.
• Otsuka Pharmaceutical (大塚製薬)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Co-sponsored 'Healthy Habit Campaign supported by Otsuka Pharmaceutical' with KENPOS (E-Well Inc.'s corporate health service). Otsuka's 'Kenja no Shokutaku Double Support' product was recommended alongside Asken's diet management for 133 corporate organizations and 386 participating employees.
• 310LIFE Corporation (株式会社310LIFE)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 15 June 2025310LIFE President Daiaki Oki appeared as speaker at Asken-hosted free webinar for corporate HR and health management professionals. Used Asken user data (n=8,487) on dietary habits to present insights on 'weight management challenges in summer' and corporate food support design.
• Daiichi Koukio Co., Ltd. / Big Echo Karaoke (第一興商/ビッグエコー)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 June 2025'Karaoke with Fun Calorie Consumption Challenge' collaboration campaign. Asken users could record karaoke sessions as exercise in the app. Joint effort targeting rainy season exercise motivation gap for health-conscious consumers.
• Niantic Inc. / Pikmin Bloom (ピクミン ブルーム)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 May 2025Limited-time collaboration event 'Official Party Walk' featuring Asken's AI nutritionist character Mirai-san within the Pikmin Bloom walking app. Event ran from May 22, 2025, encouraging users to walk while engaging with Asken's nutritional guidance character.
• The Pokémon Company / Pokémon Sleep (ポケモン社が提供する睡眠ゲームアプリ)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 May 2025Asken's registered dietitians supervised the creation of real-world 'sleep support recipes' inspired by in-game meals from Pokémon Sleep, developed from a large-scale survey on nutrients and sleep conducted jointly with The Pokémon Company and University of Tsukuba's IIIS. Recipes published on Asken's column platform.
• House Foods Corporation (ハウス食品株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 March 2025Asken and House Foods co-developed new curry stew recipes using seasonal vegetables for all-season enjoyment. The 3 recipes were published on House Foods' official recipe website. The partnership aims to expand vegetable consumption and provide new menu options for health-conscious consumers.
• Lalune (ラルーン)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 March 2025Cross-promotion campaign between Lalune (female health/menstruation tracking app) and Asken. Offered Asken Premium 'Asu Mama' course (pregnancy/postpartum nutrition course) free for 1 month to Lalune users during 'Postpartum Care Day' campaign period (March 4-11, 2025).
• Meiji Co., Ltd. (明治)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 27 January 2025Co-hosted seminar and talk event 'Happy Parenting Without Overdoing It' targeting parents of 1-3 year olds. Asken dietitian Miyuki Michie spoke on nutrition balance importance. Joint effort to reach parents as a nutrition-conscious consumer segment.
• Santori Sunbirds Osaka (サントリーサンバーズ大阪)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 24 January 2025Match-day partner sponsorship (January–March 2025 SV.LEAGUE season). 'Asken Match Day' event hosted at Ookini Arena Maishoma with health promotion activities. Featured in Sports Navi interview about partnership approach to fan health.
• Imaginier Co., Ltd. / Fit Boxing 3 (イimagini株式会社 / Fit Boxing 3)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 20 December 2024Joint marketing campaign and research study combining Asken diet management with Fit Boxing 3 exercise game on Nintendo Switch. Published research findings showing 2.3kg average weight reduction and 9-point higher health scores in 252 combined users (December 2024–February 2025). Follow-up campaign with joint promotion in March 2025.
• Japan Digital Health Alliance / JaDHA (日本デジタルヘルス・アライアンス)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2024Asken serves as working group leader company in JaDHA. Contributed to the alliance's vision paper on 'Digital Health Literacy for Industrial Promotion and Social Problem Resolution.' Participating in Osaka/Kansai Expo 2025 and Japan Health 2025 events. JaDHA's first industry-government-academia collaborative project addresses health equity and digital health literacy.
• Kyoto University (京都大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2021Kyoto University and Asken are jointly developing a therapeutic app for diabetes nutrition guidance through specific clinical research. The collaboration leverages Asken's meal management technology and Kyoto University's medical expertise. An interview on this project was published in Medical Tech News in February 2025. This represents a core medical-tech partnership for regulatory-grade therapeutic app development.
• University of Tokyo Hospital (東京大学医学部附属病院)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 7 December 2021Joint research on therapeutic diet apps with Tokyo University Hospital, presented at Shintaishikagaku Society and Japan Diabetes Complications Society conferences (December 2021). Part of broader digital therapeutics research agenda.
• Fujisawa City, Saitama Prefecture (埼玉県深谷市)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2021Municipal government collaboration for citizen health promotion. 'More Health Fukaya by Health Up App' program using Asken for 200 residents aged 20+ over 3 months (November 2021–January 2022). Second implementation building on prior year's success. AI nutritionist Mirai's encouragement emails and recipe delivery included.
• Kyoto Prefectural Medical University (京都府立医科大学)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 October 2021Type 1 diabetes patient nutrition evaluation study using Asken as online nutrition assessment system (RISING-STAR trial). Presented at the 58th Japan Diabetes Society Kinki Regional Meeting (October 2021). Demonstrates clinical research application of Asken's platform.
• Waseda University - Shibata Laboratory (早稲田大学理工学術院 柴田重信研究室)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 September 2021Joint research on chrononutrition: surveyed ~30,000 Asken users during COVID-19 self-restriction period. Found that morning-type sleep patterns correlated with weight loss while evening-type correlated with weight gain. Research published in International Journal of Obesity (2021) and Frontiers in Nutrition. Represents core academic validation of Asken's data capabilities.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Lose It!: US-based calorie-counting and weight-loss app with similar freemium-to-premium model and food database. Comparable core use case and demographic; competes with Asken in markets where Japanese expats or local users adopt global alternatives.
• Noom: Subscription-based behavior-change nutrition app combining AI coaching with human coaches. Comparable to Asken Premium in paid coaching model and to Asken Plus in B2B employer/insurer health programs; competing globally with growing Japan presence.
• MyFitnessPal: Global leader in calorie/macro tracking and meal logging. Most direct international peer: same core function (meal recording + nutrition tracking) with a large proprietary food database, and an active effort to localize for Japan.
• Welby: Japanese digital health platform focused on chronic disease self-management (diabetes, hypertension) with strong ties to pharma and health insurers. Comparable on the B2B clinical/therapeutic side where Asken is developing diabetes DTx via Kyoto University.
• FiNC Technologies: Japanese AI health/fitness/diet app with large user base and similar freemium + corporate wellness (FiNC for Business) model. Direct competitor in Japan's nutrition/health app category with overlapping consumer and B2B health insurance association channels.
• Lifesum: Subscription nutrition and meal-planning app with AI-driven personalization, similar to Asken's freemium + premium model and macro/calorie tracking core. Targets similar weight-management consumer demographic.

Emerging players

• Foodvisor: AI meal photo recognition app with similar image-to-nutrition core technology as Asken's AI image analysis. Niche-focused direct competitor on the food recognition moat that Asken highlights as a key differentiator.

Broad incumbents

• CalorieMate: Otsuka's nutrition-focused brand (calorie-controlled products, calorie database) with deep Japanese consumer awareness in nutritional balance. Comparable as a Japanese nutrition data and education brand adjacent to Asken's content and Asken Shop offerings.
• Tanita: Japanese incumbent in body composition and weight management hardware (scales, monitors). Asken's body composition scale product overlaps with Tanita's consumer hardware; both share Japanese health-conscious consumer base and wellness positioning.
• OMRON Healthcare: Japanese incumbent in connected health devices (blood pressure monitors, body composition scales, activity trackers) with OMRON Connect app ecosystem. Comparable on the consumer health hardware + app integration layer where Asken sells its body composition scale synced to its app.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/askenjp
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCkAUH-YJ7LkbNPwhDi6kNVA
• Facebookfacebook.com/askenjp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asken-inc
• Instagraminstagram.com/asken_official

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 Asken