BowNow

What BowNow does

BowNow is a cloud-based B2B marketing automation and CRM platform developed and operated by Cloud CIRCUS, Inc., a Japanese corporation headquartered in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The product combines CRM capabilities (lead management, segmentation, ABM support) with marketing automation features including email drip campaigns, web visitor tracking, behavioral scoring, hot-lead auto-extraction, inquiry form creation, and graphical reporting. The platform is positioned as an accessible entry point for beginners and small teams, with no-code onboarding and end-to-end support through biweekly Zoom sessions.

The business model is primarily freemium plus subscription, with a free plan, paid subscriptions starting at $8/month for implementation and from $100/month for unlimited users, and a Cloud CIRCUS Console for license management. Go-to-market is hybrid: a product-led growth motion (free trial with no credit card, 3-minute registration) layered with inside sales demos (completed in 30 seconds) and a recurring 2–3x monthly webinar channel targeting Southeast Asian time zones.

BowNow primarily targets B2B companies and SMEs, with a strong focus on the Japanese domestic market and active expansion into Southeast Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia). The website supports five languages, and named case-study customers span manufacturing (FUJIKURA COMPOSITES, Kubota Chemix, Maxell), technology (IDX, Mitsubishi Space Software, Gaiax), real estate (Wedge Home), education (EN Japan), and digital agencies (LIG, Keyword Marketing). Integration depth remains limited (Salesforce, LINE) and the product explicitly excludes GDPR/CCPA-subject customers, constraining enterprise and Western expansion.

Name

BowNow

Legal name

Cloud CIRCUS, Inc.

Website

https://bow-now.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

BowNow is a cloud-based B2B marketing automation and CRM platform by Japan's Cloud CIRCUS, Inc. It serves SMEs and B2B companies across Japan and Southeast Asia, combining lead management, email automation, and web tracking with pricing starting from $100/month.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shinjuku

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Subscription: Monthly or annual subscription for access to the BowNow CRM and marketing automation platform. Pricing tiers based on features and usage requirements. Cloud CIRCUS Console manages license agreements.
2. Free Plan: Free license agreement for the Software where consideration for the license is free of charge. Allows users to try the platform before committing to paid plans.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

BowNow is a B2B marketing automation and CRM SaaS platform that combines lead management, email marketing, web visitor tracking, behavioral lead scoring, and analytics into a single integrated cloud solution. It enables B2B companies and SMEs to capture, score, segment, nurture, and convert leads through automated email workflows and visualize prospect behavior on their websites. The platform is offered under a freemium subscription model with self-serve onboarding and paid tiers from $8/month implementation and from $100/month for unlimited users.

Product overview

BowNow is a unified B2B marketing automation and CRM platform developed by Cloud CIRCUS, Inc. The product combines CRM features for managing leads and customer information with marketing automation capabilities including email marketing, web visitor tracking, lead scoring, and automated workflows. BowNow is positioned as an easy-to-use solution for beginners and SMEs, offering essential features at an affordable price point starting from $100/month for unlimited users. The platform is designed primarily for B2B companies in Asia.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• BowNow BowNow is a B2B marketing automation and CRM platform designed for beginners and SMEs, combining lead management, email marketing, web visitor tracking, behavioral lead scoring, segmentation, account-based marketing (ABM), and graphical reporting in a single cloud SaaS solution. It enables small marketing teams to capture, score, nurture, and convert leads via automated email workflows and visualize prospect behavior on their websites without the complexity or cost of enterprise tools.

Quantifiable outcome

• 98.4% client retention rate
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers17 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cloud CIRCUS SoftwarecoreTechnology or IntegrationBowNow is developed and provided by Cloud CIRCUS, Inc. Integration with other Cloud CIRCUS software products is available as part of the ecosystem.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• HubSpot: HubSpot offers an integrated CRM, marketing automation, email, and sales-hub suite for SMBs and mid-market companies, overlapping directly with BowNow's core product positioning. Both target B2B SMEs with freemium/PLG motions; HubSpot serves as the global scale benchmark that BowNow competes against in Asian markets.
• Mailchimp: Mailchimp provides email marketing automation, audience management, and basic CRM features aimed at small businesses, directly competing with BowNow's email and lead-nurturing capabilities. Both emphasize ease of use, freemium onboarding, and PLG, with comparable pricing tiers.
• ActiveCampaign: ActiveCampaign combines email marketing automation, CRM, and sales engagement for SMBs and mid-market B2B firms, a very similar feature mix to BowNow. Both compete on automation depth at affordable price points targeting non-enterprise marketers.
• Zoho CRM: Zoho's suite spans CRM, marketing automation (Zoho Campaigns), and lead scoring with strong SMB and Asia-Pacific reach, positioning it as a comparable SME-focused, low-cost alternative to BowNow. The bundling and pricing philosophy are similar.

Broad incumbents

• Pardot (Salesforce): Salesforce Pardot offers B2B marketing automation tightly integrated with Salesforce CRM, primarily for mid-market and enterprise. It overlaps with BowNow on B2B lead nurturing but serves a different price and complexity tier, and represents the integration partner/competitive incumbent.
• Marketo (Adobe): Adobe Marketo is a leading enterprise B2B marketing automation platform with ABM, lead scoring, and revenue attribution. It competes with BowNow in B2B MA but at a much higher price tier and complexity, representing the incumbent ceiling BowNow's SME customers would graduate toward.

Emerging players

• GetResponse: GetResponse provides email marketing, automation funnels, and webinar tools aimed at SMBs, overlapping with BowNow's email automation and webinar functionality. Both pursue global SME customers with similar freemium-to-paid pricing ladders.
• Mautic: Mautic is an open-source marketing automation platform offering email, lead nurturing, and campaign management that competes with BowNow on capability at potentially lower cost. While BowNow is closed SaaS, Mautic represents a free/cheap alternative for cost-sensitive Asian SMEs.

Regional players

• b-dash: b-dash is a Japanese B2B marketing automation and CDP platform by Flectoria, targeting similar SME and mid-market B2B customers as BowNow within Japan. It is one of BowNow's closest domestic direct competitors in the Japanese MA market.
• SATORI: SATORI is a Japan-based MA platform specialized in anonymous visitor identification and lead nurturing, directly comparable to BowNow's web tracking and hot-list features. It competes with BowNow primarily in the Japanese SME segment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/startialabmarketingtool
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bownow

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 BowNow