NYX
NYX Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-based research laboratory developing CONTRUST, a browser-based electronic contract service that helps individual Japanese artists and art collectors create legally valid copyright-aware artwork sales contracts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What NYX does
NYX Co., Ltd. (NYX) is a small private research laboratory incorporated in Japan and headquartered in Tokyo, with a secondary office in Kyoto. Founded on April 9, 2019 by three pioneers, NYX describes itself as exploring niche fields through the lens of social science and designing, prototyping, and testing ideas across services, applications, and education. As of May 2024, the organization operates with approximately five members drawn from engineering, computer science, IT, photography, design, and the arts.
The company's sole commercial product is CONTRUST, a browser-based electronic contract creation service that helps individual artists (sellers) and art collectors (buyers) in Japan generate legally valid contracts specializing in the handling of 'familiar copyrights' in artwork transactions. The service guides users through a sequential input flow and automatically generates a contract, supports inclusion of separate copyright grants attached to transferred works, confirms rights for both seller and buyer in plain language, and issues an automatic certificate of purchase upon contract completion. CONTRUST closed-betad in March 2023, transitioned to open beta in July 2023, and the public beta was concluded on September 30, 2025; during the entire beta lifecycle, access was free of charge, with optional PayPal donations accepted in lieu of formal pricing. NYX has stated plans to release a successor tool with a sharper focus on preventing everyday copyright-related disputes; pricing and release timing for the new tool have not been announced.
NYX operates on a self-funded, founder-owned basis with no external venture capital, institutional investment, or parent company disclosed, and no partnerships, M&A, regulatory actions, or leadership changes are documented. Marketing is concentrated on the company's own website and blog (nyx.tokyo.jp), supplemented by referenced-but-not-confirmed social media channels and earned media attention from a team member's NASA Artemis II mascot design finalist recognition in August 2025. Distribution is exclusively through self-serve web access at contrust.art, restricted to Japan-region users.
NYX firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- NYX
- Legal name
- NYX Co., Ltd.
- Website
- https://nyx.tokyo.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- NYX Co., Ltd. is a Tokyo-based research laboratory developing CONTRUST, a browser-based electronic contract service that helps individual Japanese artists and art collectors create legally valid copyright-aware artwork sales contracts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
NYX industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Electronic Contract Software
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (5132), Software Publishers (513210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights) (MPACAFAK)
Keywords
Where NYX is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
NYX business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- CONTRUST Service: Free during public beta period. Donations accepted via PayPal. Fees may be set after beta period ends.
- Future Fee-Based Model: Plans to introduce fees after beta period conclusion. Specific pricing to be announced separately.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Public Beta - Free Access |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
NYX product offering
Product offeringCore offering
NYX operates CONTRUST, a browser-based electronic contract creation service that enables artists (sellers) and clients (buyers) in Japan to easily create online contracts specializing in the handling of "familiar copyrights" for artwork transactions such as drawings and photographs. The service generates legally valid contracts through a guided process, confirms rights of both parties, and automatically issues certificates of purchase to prevent copyright disputes following artwork sales.
Product overview
NYX operates as a small research lab offering a single core product: CONTRUST. This browser-based electronic contract creation service targets artists and art collectors in Japan, facilitating the creation of legally valid contracts that address copyright handling in artwork transactions. The service was developed to foster a fair and open art market by making copyright-related contract creation accessible to individuals without legal expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CONTRUST: A browser-based electronic contract creation service that allows artists (sellers) and clients (buyers) to easily create online contracts specializing in the handling of familiar copyrights. The service helps prevent copyright disputes following the sale of artworks in individual transactions.
Products and services
- CONTRUST A browser-based electronic contract creation service that allows artists (sellers) and clients (buyers) in Japan to easily create online contracts specializing in the handling of "familiar copyrights" for artwork transactions such as drawings and photographs. The service guides users through a step-by-step process to automatically generate legally valid contracts, enables electronic execution, and automatically issues certificates of purchase. It is targeted at individual artists and art collectors who lack formal copyright or legal expertise but want to conduct transactions with confidence and prevent future disputes.
Quantifiable outcome
- Used by far greater number of participants than anticipated since July 2023 open beta launch
Companies that use NYX
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
NYX technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
NYX partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
NYX competitors and assessment
Company assessmentOthers
- Artsy: Artsy is the largest global online art marketplace and reference platform. While not a contract tool, it serves the same buyer/seller personas (artists and collectors) that CONTRUST targets, making it a potential distribution partner or adjacent competitor in Japan.
- SHIFT MUSEUM / 日本美術著作権協会 (JASPAR-equivalent): Japanese cultural agencies and rights-collection societies (e.g., Agency for Cultural Affairs) operate in the same copyright-and-art ecosystem that CONTRUST serves. They are ecosystem participants rather than direct competitors but shape the regulatory and rights-administration context for NYX's product.
Broad incumbents
- DocuSign: DocuSign is the global leader in electronic signatures and contract automation. It does not specialize in art/copyright workflows but dominates the broader market NYX targets, and its scale and brand set the competitive ceiling.
- Adobe Acrobat Sign: Adobe Acrobat Sign is Adobe's enterprise e-signature solution bundled with the Acrobat PDF ecosystem. As a broad incumbent, it competes in the same overall contract-management category and benefits from Adobe's deep penetration into creative professional tooling.
Direct peers
- freeeサイン: freeeサイン is the e-contract product of freee, a well-known Japanese SaaS company. It is another major direct competitor in the Japanese electronic contract space targeting SMBs and individuals.
- GMOサイン: GMOサイン is a major Japanese electronic contract service from GMO GlobalSign. It competes head-on with CONTRUST in the Japan e-contract market and could trivially add art-industry templates that would replicate CONTRUST's functionality.
- CloudSign (弁護士ドットコム): CloudSign is Japan's leading cloud-based electronic contract/e-signature service. While not art-specialized, it is the dominant domestic competitor for any Japanese electronic contract workflow and operates in the same regulatory and customer environment as CONTRUST.
Emerging players
- Artlogic: Artlogic provides gallery and art-business management software including inventory, CRM, and sales workflows. It overlaps with NYX's domain (art transactions) and includes contract-adjacent functionality for galleries, making it a comparable emerging player in art-market tooling.
Market position
Strengths1 record
Weaknesses1 record
Competitive moat2 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
NYX social profiles
Digital presenceNYX financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
NYX leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
NYX funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
NYX 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 NYX
What does NYX do?
NYX operates CONTRUST, a browser-based electronic contract creation service that enables artists (sellers) and clients (buyers) in Japan to easily create online contracts specializing in the handling of "familiar copyrights" for artwork transactions such as drawings and photographs. The service generates legally valid contracts through a guided process, confirms rights of both parties, and automatically issues certificates of purchase to prevent copyright disputes following artwork sales.
Is NYX a public or private company?
NYX is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was NYX founded?
NYX was founded in 2019. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is NYX based?
NYX is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does NYX make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. CONTRUST Service is the primary driver. The others are future Fee-Based Model.
Who are NYX's main competitors?
Others on record are Artsy and SHIFT MUSEUM / 日本美術著作権協会 (JASPAR-equivalent). Broad incumbents are DocuSign and Adobe Acrobat Sign. Direct peers are freeeサイン, GMOサイン and CloudSign (弁護士ドットコム). Artlogic is listed as an emerging player.
Does NYX have an API?
No public API is recorded for NYX.
What industry is NYX in?
NYX's product category is Electronic Contract Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAFAK, Creator Licensing & Rights Monetization (UGC Licensing, Music/Video Rights). Its NAICS code is 5132.