What CRO does

CRO Inc. (株式会社CRO) is a privately held Japanese services company founded in October 2015 by Representative Director Yusuke Watanabe, headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo. The company operates three core business divisions: (1) Creative Services, encompassing web design, video production, and web media/marketing; (2) Multilingual Call Center Operations, delivered across Japanese, English, Vietnamese, and Chinese via the Tokyo HQ, a wholly-owned Cebu, Philippines subsidiary (KOREKURU International, Inc., est. 2017), and partner sites in Vietnam and China, with standard call center pricing at ¥275,000/seat/month and an English-only Cebu offering at ¥999/hour; and (3) Esports, including the Creative GAMING professional team, event production, regional esports associations in Tottori, Shimane, and Fukushima, and a JV with Irodori Inc. for esports facility design.

Beyond these three cores, CRO has built a broad portfolio of digital products and sub-brands: the no-code app builder Saqpli, the Workation Portal booking platform, the Remote Office workspace marketplace, the AIBOU CxO sharing service (¥500,000+ per executive), the Takeout Delivery Map restaurant media site, the DELISTA gourmet media platform, Gaming English (an esports-linked education service), the Cebu 0-Yen Study Abroad program, and K.W. Design (a Beverly Hills Japanese-space-design joint venture). The company holds a Japanese METI IT Introduction Support Operator certification (FY2017) and is privately held without disclosed venture capital backing, with no publicly reported revenue, headcount, or financials in the available sources.

Name

CRO

Legal name

株式会社CRO

Website

https://cro-jp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Short description

CRO Inc. is a Tokyo-based Japanese company providing creative services (web, video, marketing), multilingual call center operations in Japanese/English/Vietnamese/Chinese, and esports business development. It serves Japanese SMBs and mid-market enterprises, with a Cebu, Philippines offshore delivery subsidiary.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative and Digital Services

NAICS

Telephone Call Centers (56142), Telemarketing Bureaus and Other Contact Centers (561422), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)

akta.pro primary industry

CRM Managed Services & Support (BPAEAGAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Service/Support CRM & Contact Center Platforms (BPAFAFAK), Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Creative production services
• Multilingual call center
• Esports event management
• Digital marketing services
• Web video production

Headquarters

HQ city

Akasaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Services: Web design, movie creation, web media production, and marketing services provided to businesses. Revenue generated through project-based fees for creative production work.
2. Call Center Outsourcing: Multilingual call center services (Japanese/English/Vietnamese/Chinese) with Standard Plan at ¥275,000/month per seat. Services include telemarketing, customer support, market research, and inbound/outbound operations.
3. CxO Sharing Service (AIBOU): CxO-on-demand service providing part-time executive access (CFO, CTO, CMO) with pricing from 500,000 yen per person for Standard Plan. Connects companies with professional executives for business growth support.
4. Workation Portal: Workation accommodation booking platform launched in August 2020. Free for facilities to list (initial and monthly fees are 0 yen). Revenue model based on facilitating workation stays.
5. Esports Operations: Professional esports team management (Creative Gaming), esports event planning, consulting, and player management. Revenue from event production, sponsorship, and player representation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CRO Inc. provides three core service lines: (1) Creative Services including web design, video/movie production, and web media management combined with digital marketing strategy; (2) Multilingual Call Center operations supporting Japanese, English, Vietnamese, and Chinese for telemarketing, customer support, and market research; (3) Esports business services including event planning, consulting, and management of the Creative Gaming professional esports team. The company also operates standalone digital platforms such as Saqpli (no-code app builder), Workation Portal, Remote Office, AIBOU (CxO sharing), and media properties including DELISTA and Takeout Delivery Map.

Product overview

CRO Inc. operates a multi-service platform combining three core business divisions: Creative Services (web design, video production, web media), Call Center Operations (multilingual support in Japanese/English/Vietnamese/Chinese), and eSports (event planning, pro gaming team Creative GAMING, consulting). The portfolio includes standalone digital products and platforms such as SaaS tools for app creation (サクプリ), workation booking (ワーケーションポータル), workspace rental marketplace (リモートオフィス), CxO sharing (AIBOU), restaurant mapping (テイクアウトデリバリーマップ), gourmet media (DELISTA), gaming education (ゲーミング英才), Japanese architectural design (K.W.Design), and overseas study programs (セブ島0円留学). The ecosystem spans from B2B enterprise services to B2C consumer platforms, unified by digital transformation and creative services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Creative GAMING: Professional esports gaming team operated by CRO Inc., featuring pro players and competing in various esports titles.
• AIBOU
• Workation Portal (ワーケーションポータル)
• Remote Office (リモートオフィス)
• Takeout Delivery Map (テイクアウトデリバリーマップ)
• DELISTA (デリスタ)
• Saqpli (サクプリ)
• KOREKURU International Contact Center
• Cebu 0-Yen Study Abroad (セブ島タダで留学)
• K.W. Design
• Gaming English (ゲーミング英才)

Quantifiable outcome

• 3 consecutive years of revenue and profit increase
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Irodori Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2020Joint venture partner for world's first esports facility specialized space design business. CRO Inc. and Irodori collaborate on designing and developing esports venues and gaming facilities with Japanese aesthetic sensibilities.
• K.W. Design (岸/Aya - Architecture Design)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2020Joint venture for Beverly Hills Japanese space design business. Partner includes architect from Bonbi Girl (TV show) and Beverly Hills-based real estate broker Erik. Operates Japanese architectural craft training school and craftsman introduction services.
• KOREKURU International, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 April 2017CRO Inc.'s subsidiary in Cebu, Philippines. Operates call center and language school services. Established as the operational base for 0-yen study abroad program combining English lessons with business skills training. Located in IT Park's Park Centrale building.
• Kredo (IT/English School in Cebu)supportingOthersCebu-based IT and English language school operating within IT Park. Only school in Cebu offering IT education in English. Affiliated with CRO Inc.'s study abroad program. Instructor staff from San Carlos University.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• TTEC: TTEC is a large global customer-experience and BPO operator with multilingual contact-center delivery including Asia-Pacific sites. Comparable to CRO's English contact center in Cebu in offshore English-support delivery for US and Japanese enterprise clients.
• Foundever (formerly Teleperformance): Foundever is a global customer-experience and contact-center BPO operating multilingual delivery centres across Asia. Comparable to CRO's multilingual call-center division because it targets the same Japanese and US enterprise customers seeking offshore English/multilingual support at competitive hourly rates.
• Transcosmos: Transcosmos is a large Japanese BPO and digital marketing services firm operating multilingual contact centers and creative/production services across Asia. Comparable to CRO because it combines call-center outsourcing, digital marketing, and creative production for Japan-headquartered clients — CRO's call-center and creative business lines target the same buyer.
• Bell System24: Bell System24 is one of Japan's largest contact-center operators under the Bell Group, offering inbound/outbound support, market research, and offshore seat delivery. Comparable to CRO's multilingual call-center outsourcing business in scale of operations and client segments served.

Direct peers

• SCARZ: SCARZ is a Japanese esports organisation with pro rosters and event operations. Comparable to CRO's Creative GAMING esports business because both operate Japan-based pro teams, run competitive tournaments, and pursue sponsorship revenue.
• Wantedly: Wantedly is a Japanese talent platform with business divisions including Visits and Salary offering executive and professional matching as well as recruitment. Comparable to CRO's AIBOU CxO sharing service because both operate online marketplaces connecting SMEs with senior/executive talent on a project basis.
• Anotherwork: Anotherwork is a Japan-based executive-sharing (CxOシェア) platform connecting SMEs with part-time CFOs, CTOs, and other senior executives. Closely comparable to CRO's AIBOU service because it sells the same on-demand executive-talent subscription to Japanese SMEs at similar price points.
• ZETA DIVISION: ZETA DIVISION is a Japanese esports organisation operating competitive teams and content production across multiple game titles. Comparable to CRO's Creative GAMING esports operations because both run Japan-based pro teams, player management, and brand-sponsored event activities.
• Altius Link: Altius Link (formerly Altius and formerly Willcom Asia) is a Japanese contact-center and BPO operator providing multilingual customer support and telemarketing. Directly comparable to CRO's call-center division in customer type, multilingual coverage, and BPO outsourcing model.
• DetonatioN Gaming: DetonatioN Gaming is a Japanese professional esports organisation operating rosters across multiple titles and producing community events. Comparable to CRO's Creative GAMING division because both manage Japanese pro players, run events, and pursue regional esports development partnerships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/croincjp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 CRO