What eSmiley does

eSmiley (株式会社イースマイリー) is a Tokyo-based social impact company founded in 2016 by Osamu Yazawa that designs mechanisms linking the social sector, corporations, and consumers to produce sustainable revenue alongside social outcomes. The company operates a portfolio of seven interconnected business lines: (1) KidsTube Publishing, a planning-to-Amazon distribution publishing operation for original picture books; (2) the きっずちゅーぶ (KidsTube) YouTube channel with 40,000+ subscribers and 1M+ monthly views producing educational read-aloud videos; (3) SDGsえほん, a co-created picture book program in which NPO/NGO partners provide expert review and corporate sponsors fund free distribution to families; (4) crowdfunding accompaniment as an official curator on CAMPFIRE and READYFOR, with 50+ projects and cumulative procurement exceeding 50 million yen; (5) town development support for municipal and community regional revitalization programs; (6) Wow! Quest, a social school with a physical store in Shibuya Honmachi offering inquiry-based learning for elementary school children; and (7) disability/illness community support and production/marketing services.

The underlying technology is content-and-relationship-driven rather than software-platform-driven. Core assets include a proprietary picture book and video content library, a YouTube channel, a LINE community, and a methodology for four-phase crowdfunding support (preparation, pre-launch, campaign, post-goal). The company maintains a cross-sector network of NPO/NGO review partners, corporate sponsors (including Yogibo as a gold sponsor), and municipal clients (Shibuya, Matsue, Sakai). Distribution occurs through Amazon (Kindle and physical), YouTube, LINE, and direct B2B sales for professional services.

Revenue is generated through a hybrid model: one-time consumer sales of picture books via Amazon, professional service fees for crowdfunding accompaniment, town development, and content production projects, and corporate sponsorship of the SDGsえほん program. Pricing is project-based and not publicly disclosed. The company is privately held with no external funding rounds disclosed, and its estimated capital base is 5,000,000 yen at founding. Geographic operations are domestic Japan, with a minor international pilot involving Finnish-language content distribution.

Name

eSmiley

Legal name

株式会社イースマイリー

Website

https://esmiley.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Short description

eSmiley is a Tokyo-based social impact company (founded 2016) that bridges NPOs, municipalities, and corporations through co-created picture books, the KidsTube YouTube channel, municipal town development support, and official-curator crowdfunding services on CAMPFIRE and READYFOR, serving families, social enterprises, and local governments in Japan.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social Impact Services & Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Postproduction Services and Other Motion Picture and Video Industries (51219)

SIC

Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)

akta.pro primary industry

Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) & Life Skills Trade (EDAGAIAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Children’s Subscription & Book Club Publishing (MPAJAFAO), Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC), Social-Emotional Learning (SEL), Health & Wellbeing Curriculum (EDAGAAAF)

Keywords

• Crowdfunding consulting
• Picture book publishing
• Social impact consulting
• Educational content production
• Regional development support

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Publishing Sales (出版販売): Original picture books and educational content published through Amazon (Kindle and physical), generating revenue from direct consumer sales. The キッズチューブ出版 brand publishes various titles including co-created works with influencers, municipalities, and social sector organizations.
2. Crowdfunding Accompaniment Services (クラウドファンディング伴走支援): Professional services supporting crowdfunding project owners through the full campaign lifecycle. Total procurement support exceeds 50 million yen across 50+ supported projects. Revenue generated as service fees for campaign planning, execution support, and post-campaign book publishing integration.
3. Town Development Support (まちづくり支援): Comprehensive support for regional revitalization projects including concept design, event planning, sponsorship acquisition, project management, and operational support for community events and programs.
4. Content & Marketing Production (企画・制作＆マーケティング支援): Planning and production of videos, events, landing pages, websites, and marketing content leveraging expertise developed through in-house content operations.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

eSmiley designs and delivers social impact services spanning original picture book publishing (KidsTube Publishing), educational video production and distribution (KidsTube YouTube channel), and B2B professional services including crowdfunding accompaniment as an official CAMPFIRE/READYFOR curator, town/regional development support, business development consulting, and content/marketing production. The company also operates social-issue picture book co-creation (SDGsえほん) sponsored by corporations and reviewed by NPO/NGO experts, an inquiry-learning social school (Wow! Quest), and disability/illness community production. Revenue is generated through Amazon sales of picture books, professional service fees for consulting and crowdfunding accompaniment, and corporate sponsorship of social-impact programs.

Product overview

eSmiley is a social impact company that designs mechanisms where 'social issue resolution' and 'business sustainability' coexist. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected services: publishing (KidsTube Publishing - books/picture books), community development (Town Development Support), crowdfunding support (official CAMPFIRE/READYFOR curators), educational content (KidsTube YouTube channel, Wow! Quest social school, SDGs Picture Books), disability/illness support services, and production/marketing support. These services are designed to work together - for example, crowdfunding support often leads to publishing projects, SDGs Picture Books combine picture book publishing with video content on KidsTube, and business development support helps social entrepreneurs launch and fund their ventures.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• キッズチューブ出版: 絵本をはじめとする書籍の企画・編集・出版事業
• きっずちゅーぶ
• SDGsえほん
• ワオ！クエスト
• イースマイリーコミュニティ

Products and services

• KidsTube Publishing (キッズチューブ出版) — Printing, Binding & Publishing Planning-publisher service that produces original books end-to-end — concept, design, editorial, printing, binding, and sales via Amazon (Kindle and physical). Targets authors, organizations, and brands seeking a turnkey book publishing partner, including co-created works with influencers, municipalities, and social sector organizations.
• Town Development Support (まちづくり支援事業) End-to-end consulting service for Japanese municipalities and community organizations covering concept design, planning, execution, operational promotion, review, and systematization to solve regional issues. Delivered as project-based professional services with proven track record including Shibuya Ward, Sakai City, and Matsue City.
• KidsTube (きっずちゅーぶ) — Educational Video Production & Distribution YouTube-based educational video channel and content production service producing original picture book read-aloud videos for children. The channel is a distribution platform for the company's publishing output and a marketing channel driving Amazon book sales and LINE community sign-ups. Production know-how is also offered as a service to clients.
• Business Development & Fundraising Support (事業開発・資金調達支援事業) One-stop business development accompaniment for social sector and impact-oriented ventures, including business planning, strategy, implementation, marketing, content production, and fundraising. Includes official-curator crowdfunding support on CAMPFIRE and READYFOR covering campaign planning, pre-launch, execution, and post-goal phases, plus corporate partnership fundraising, subsidies, and grants.
• SDGsえほん Co-Creation Program (SDGsえほん共創事業) Program that produces social-issue and SDG-themed picture books co-created with NPO/NGO reviewers and funded by corporate sponsors, then distributed free (1,000 copies per title) to families with children. Titles include 'Mabushigariya no Mogura' (disability welfare), 'Nichiyoubi no Tanoshimi' (community cleaning), 'Chicchai Hoikuen ni Iketai na' (sick child care), and others.
• Wow! Quest (ワオ！クエスト) — Social School Social school for elementary school children that develops 'exploration skills' through practical social experiences and inquiry-based/project-based learning (PBL) in collaboration with local facilities and stores. Operates as a physical store and program in Shibuya, Tokyo.
• Disability & Illness Support (障害・難病支援事業) Community building and production services for people with disabilities and intractable illnesses and their families, including online community management, patient organization operational support, affected-individual YouTuber production, and video creation/distribution support.
• Production & Marketing Support (企画・制作＆マーケティング支援事業) Content production and marketing support services including event planning, video production, workshop design, landing page creation, article writing, website production, and advertising/marketing campaign planning, leveraging know-how cultivated through the company's in-house content operations (KidsTube, SDGsえほん, etc.).
• Inquiry Learning Support (探究学習支援事業) Workshop planning, development, execution, and operational support service based on inquiry-based and project-based learning (PBL), designed to help children realize 'what they want to do'.

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and minor.

• CAMPFIREcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCAMPFIRE is Japan's largest crowdfunding platform. eSmiley serves as an official crowdfunding curator for CAMPFIRE, providing structured accompaniment services to project owners across planning, launch, execution, and post-campaign phases. This partnership is a primary revenue channel for the company.
• READYFORcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerREADYFOR is a major Japanese crowdfunding platform. eSmiley serves as an official crowdfunding curator for READYFOR, providing campaign support services to project owners alongside their CAMPFIRE work.
• 公益財団法人 日本ケアフィット共育機構keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creation and review partner for the SDG picture book 'まぶしがりやのモグラ' on disability welfare and inclusive society themes. The NPO provides expert content review in exchange for social impact reach.
• 認定NPO法人 green birdkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-creation and review partner for the SDG picture book 'にちようびのたのしみ' on community cleaning and local community themes.
• 認定NPO法人 フローレンスkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerReview partner for the SDG picture book 'ちっちゃいほいくえんにしていきたいな' on sick child care and childcare support themes.
• 認定NPO法人 ゴールドリボン・ネットワークkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerReview partner for the SDG picture book 'がんばったあかし' on pediatric cancer support and supportive friendship perspectives.
• 認定理事长法人 かものはしプロジェクトkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerReview partner for the SDG picture book 'ぼく、スターになれるよね？' on human trafficking issues and inclusive society themes.
• 株式会社YogibokeyGTM or Marketing PartnerGold sponsor for the SDGsえほん program. Yogibo provides advertising funding as social impact sponsorship, with their ad budget used to produce and distribute picture books to families. eSmiley provides brand visibility and social impact association.
• 渋谷区 (Shibuya Ward)keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Shibuya Ward's 渋谷をつなげる30人 regional revitalization program to produce picture books about Shibuya, distributed to libraries and family facilities in the ward.
• 島根県松江市keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Matsue City and the Matsue Confectionery Association to produce and donate a picture book themed around Matsue's tea ceremony culture (published April 2022).
• 大阪府堺市keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Sakai City to produce and donate a picture book themed around Sakai for regional cultural promotion (published January 2022).
• 理事长法人 脳フェス実行委員会keyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-created the picture book 'タグすけ' with the Brain Festival Executive Committee, aimed at promoting an inclusive society for stroke/brain injury patients and their families.
• 日本文化友の会 芬兰minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with a Finnish organization to distribute Japanese culture picture books to Finnish children, with きっずちゅーぶ producing Finnish-language read-aloud videos.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Benesse Corporation: Major Japanese educational services and content provider, including the 進研ゼミ correspondence education program. Operates broadly in the educational content space where eSmiley's KidsTube and Wow! Quest educational services compete.
• LITALICO Inc. Japanese company providing educational and disability support services, including after-school programs, vocational training, and HR services for people with disabilities. Comparable to eSmiley's disability/illness support business and Wow! Quest educational services.
• Poplar Inc. Major Japanese children's book publisher producing picture books, novels, and educational materials for young readers. Operates as a broad incumbent in the children's trade publishing space where eSmiley's picture book business also competes.
• Gakken Holdings Co., Ltd. Japanese educational publishing company producing children's books, textbooks, learning magazines, and educational services. Comparable to eSmiley's educational content and children's publishing operations as a broader established player.
• Kodansha Ltd. One of Japan's largest publishing houses with significant children's book and manga divisions. Competes with eSmiley in the broader Japanese publishing ecosystem and could enter eSmiley's niche social-impact picture book space.

Emerging players

• ETIC. (NPO法人ETIC.): Japanese nonprofit focused on social entrepreneurship and startup support, including the 社会起業塾 program. Comparable to eSmiley's social sector business development and crowdfunding support services, particularly given overlapping social sector DNA.

Direct peers

• Kitemina Inc. Japanese crowdfunding marketing and PR support company that helps project owners optimize crowdfunding campaigns. Directly comparable to eSmiley's crowdfunding accompaniment service on CAMPFIRE and READYFOR, serving a similar social-impact project owner base.
• Froebel-Kan Co., Ltd. Long-established Japanese children's picture book and educational material publisher with a heritage in the picture book category. Directly comparable to eSmiley's KidsTube Publishing and SDGs picture book business targeting families with young children.

Others

• CAMPFIRE Inc. Japan's largest crowdfunding platform where eSmiley serves as an official curator. A critical platform partner for eSmiley's crowdfunding accompaniment business rather than a direct competitor.
• READYFOR Inc. Major Japanese crowdfunding platform where eSmiley holds official curator status. A platform partner providing infrastructure for eSmiley's professional services, particularly focused on social and NPO-sector projects.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/kidstube_ch
• Facebookfacebook.com/strikingly

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 eSmiley