Info Lounge

What Info Lounge does

Info Lounge Corporation (インフォ・ラウンジ株式会社) is a privately held Japanese IT services firm headquartered in Yokohama that specializes in open data, civic technology, and digital-transformation consulting primarily for Japanese local governments, prefectures, and public cultural institutions. The company delivers end-to-end services spanning open data catalog construction, citizen-engagement platforms, accessible and multilingual websites, data visualization dashboards, and DX training programs. Its work is anchored by clients such as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Osaka City, Niigata Prefecture, Yokohama City, Chiba Prefecture, and the National Art Research Center, with a portfolio that includes one of Japan's largest open data deployments (Osaka Open Data Portal with 20,000+ datasets).

The company's technology stack combines cloud-native web development (React, Vue.js, Nuxt, WordPress, Laravel on AWS, GCP, Azure, and Firebase) with semantic-web expertise (RDF, SPARQL, Linked Open Data, CKAN). It operates a portfolio of proprietary products: Datashelf (open data creation/management/publishing with automated personal-information detection), OpenPhoto (photo cloud for municipalities with freemium and paid tiers), LinkData.org (open data utilization network, operated since November 2018), Xdiorm (tangible urban design tool), and KUKAN (June 2026 open-source release positioned as a modern successor to CKAN with native generative AI query support).

Info Lounge generates revenue through three streams: professional-services contracts for custom development, consulting, and operational support with government and public institutions; recurring SaaS subscriptions for Datashelf and OpenPhoto (the latter converted to a paid tier in April 2026); and training/workshop services for government employees on data utilization, BI tools, and service design. The go-to-market blends enterprise field sales into government RFPs, self-service SaaS signup for product offerings, and event-driven brand building through Smart City Expo World Congress, Code for Japan, and IEEE IDEA JAM. The company holds ISMS certification (since 2019) and operates as an independent entity led by Representative Director Masateru Hidano (肥田野 正輝), with no disclosed external funding or institutional ownership.

Name

Info Lounge

Legal name

インフォ・ラウンジ株式会社

Website

https://info-lounge.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Info Lounge Corporation is a privately held Japanese IT services firm that builds open data platforms, civic tech solutions, and accessible websites primarily for Japanese local governments, prefectures, and public cultural institutions, combining proprietary products (Datashelf, OpenPhoto, LinkData.org, Xdiorm, KUKAN) with consulting and SaaS revenue streams.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Civic Technology and Open Data Solutions

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (51821), Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Processing & Data Preparation (7374), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Data Strategy & Governance Services (BPAEAHAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Data Platforms & Modern Data Stack Services (Lakehouse, DW, MDM) (BPAEAHAC), Data, Analytics & AI Consulting (BPAHAEAF), Data Governance Platforms (Policies, Stewardship, Workflows) (HDAEADAB), Data Platform (Unified Data & Analytics) Suites (HDAEABAD)

Keywords

• Open data platforms
• Civic technology services
• Government web development
• Data catalog systems
• Digital transformation consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Yokohama

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Government Contracts: Custom software development, technical consulting, and operational support for local governments and public institutions. Includes website construction, data system development, and civic tech solutions. Revenue derived from project-based contracts with government agencies.
2. SaaS Products (Datashelf, OpenPhoto): Subscription-based cloud services for data catalog management and photo cloud storage. OpenPhoto recently introduced paid plans with enhanced features including extended storage, analytics, and video support.
3. Training and Workshop Services: Data utilization training programs for government employees, including DX training, BI tool workshops, and service design workshops for open data.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Info Lounge Corporation develops and operates proprietary open data platforms and civic technology solutions for Japanese municipalities and cultural institutions. The company sells subscription-based SaaS products (Datashelf, OpenPhoto), operates the LinkData.org open data utilization platform, and provides custom software development, technical consulting, and operational support services under government contracts. Its work spans open data catalog construction, multilingual accessible websites, digital archives, urban design tools, and digital data utilization training programs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Datashelf: Open data creation, management, and publishing platform - one-stop support service
• OpenPhoto
• LinkData.org
• Xdiorm
• KUKAN

Products and services

• Datashelf Open data creation, management, and publishing platform providing one-stop support for municipalities, including data catalog management, data cleaning, and automated personal information detection for safe data publishing.
• OpenPhoto Photo cloud service for local government photo archiving and open data publishing, including map-based photo display, timeline views, license management, and free basic plan with paid tiers for enhanced features.
• LinkData.org Open data utilization support platform that facilitates data distribution, application development, and business utilization of open data, supporting sustainable data circulation and utilization networks across Japan.
• Xdiorm

Named customers10 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

Integration3 records

AI capability5 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Niigata PrefecturecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2026Data Utilization Promotion Project contract - company will provide open data catalog construction using proprietary KUKAN platform, data cleaning automation, and operational support for prefecture's data strategy.
• LinkData Association (General Incorporated Association)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 November 2018Company took over operation of LinkData.org platform from the association in November 2018. Platform supports open data distribution and application development across Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CivicPlus: CivicPlus provides government websites, community engagement, and content management software for municipalities — closely aligned with Info Lounge's web development and civic tech projects for Japanese local governments.
• Granicus: Granicus provides government experience and digital engagement platforms (websites, citizen services, open data) for US and Canadian municipalities — competing for similar civic tech and open data budget as Info Lounge in the Japanese market.
• OpenDataSoft: OpenDataSoft is a SaaS open data platform provider serving cities and enterprises with data catalog, visualization, and API capabilities — directly comparable to Info Lounge's Datashelf and KUKAN offerings and serving the same municipal/government customer base.
• Tyler Technologies (Socrata): Tyler Technologies, through its Socrata acquisition, provides a leading government open data and performance analytics platform in the US — the closest large-scale commercial analog to Info Lounge's municipal data catalog deployments for cities.
• CKAN Association: CKAN is the open-source open data publishing platform that Info Lounge has historically implemented and that KUKAN is explicitly positioned to succeed — directly comparable technology and ecosystem footprint.

Emerging players

• LinkData Association: LinkData Association is the General Incorporated Association from which Info Lounge assumed operation of the LinkData.org platform in 2018 — a direct open data ecosystem peer with overlapping open data distribution and application development mission.
• Datahub.io: Datahub.io operates an open data portal and catalog platform with both free and enterprise tiers — comparable in functionality to Info Lounge's LinkData.org and Datashelf offerings, though with a more global / commercial focus.

Broad incumbents

• Esri (ArcGIS Hub): Esri's ArcGIS Hub Initiative provides open data and civic engagement capabilities within the dominant GIS platform — a broad incumbent whose open data functionality overlaps with Info Lounge's municipal data portal deployments.
• NTT Data (Government Solutions): NTT Data is a major Japanese system integrator providing large-scale government IT, digital transformation, and data platform services — a broad incumbent competing against Info Lounge for municipal DX contracts in Japan.

Others

• Code for Japan: Code for Japan is the leading civic tech community organization in Japan, with which Info Lounge has a core ongoing partnership — a peer/community stakeholder in the same Japanese civic tech ecosystem, working on complementary citizen-facing open data and digital government initiatives.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/InfoLounge
• Facebookfacebook.com/InfoLounge
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/info-lounge-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Info Lounge