SIFCA CORPORATION

What SIFCA CORPORATION does

SIFCA Corporation (株式会社シフカ) was a Tokyo-based Japanese design and development studio operating under a horizontal, multi-disciplinary model. The firm delivered GUI/UX design, smartphone application development, illustration, animation, and design-mock production services to corporate, governmental, and educational clients across verticals including automotive, healthcare, fitness/smart-home, education, professional sports, manufacturing, and public communications. Its portfolio combined commissioned client work (notably for NTT Data's 'No Maps' campaign, J.LEAGUE's 25th-anniversary workshop site, Gunma University's CRANTS logo, Miyagawa Seisakusho's MSK logo, and Saitama Prefecture's Omoiyari Shuttle branding) with self-initiated concept products such as a VR Home GUI, an AR HUD helmet interface, a full digital car meter mock, a COVID-19 close-contact notification app, a hand-washing app, and UI mocks for fitness (PriPri Marron) and HEMS applications.

Revenue was generated on a project-based professional services model, with new business acquired primarily through direct client inquiry via the company's website contact form — a sales-led approach relying on portfolio visibility and referrals. No public pricing, subscription, or productized SaaS streams were disclosed. The firm employed 11–50 people and operated as a private Kabushiki Kaisha (株式会社) domiciled in Japan.

On July 1, 2026, SIFCA merged with Impress Digital Values Corporation (株式会社インプレス・デジタル・バリューズ), ceasing to exist as an independent entity. The SIFCA Division continues to handle inquiries for the combined organization, and the studio's portfolio of client and self-initiated design work remains part of the combined company's service surface.

Name

SIFCA CORPORATION

Legal name

株式会社シフカ

Website

http://www.sifca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIFCA Corporation was a Tokyo-based Japanese design studio offering GUI/UX, smartphone app, illustration, and animation services to corporate, governmental, and educational clients across automotive, healthcare, sports, and government verticals via project-based professional engagements. It merged into Impress Digital Values on July 1, 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Client Work / Custom Design Projects: SIFCA Corporation generates revenue through custom design and development projects for clients, including GUI/UX design, smartphone app development, illustration work, and design mock production. Projects include corporate client work and self-initiated products.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

SIFCA Corporation is a Japanese design studio providing GUI/UX design, smartphone application interface design, illustration, animation, icon design, and branding/logo services. The studio delivers both proprietary in-house design concepts (e.g., fitness app UI mocks, HEMS app UI mocks, risk score apps, COVID-19 tracking apps) and commissioned client work for Japanese corporations, universities, sports leagues, government bodies, and manufacturers.

Product overview

SIFCA Corporation is a design studio offering a diverse portfolio of creative services centered on GUI/UX design and smartphone application development. The company operates as a project-based service provider rather than a unified software product, delivering services ranging from icon animation, HUD helmet interface design, and VR home GUI to illustration, animation, and LINE stamp creation. Their portfolio includes both client work for major organizations (NTT Data, J.League, Gunma University, Miyagawa Seisakusho, Saitama Prefecture, Impress) and proprietary app concepts such as risk score apps, COVID-19 tracking apps, hand washing apps, fitness app UI mocks (PriPri Marron), and HEMS app UI mocks. SIFCA also produces publications like year-end greeting books and collaborates with SODA, inc. on branded products like Collon. The company emphasizes careful, detail-oriented work aimed at making everyone involved smile, with services spanning planning, production, and illustration across multiple digital platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• GUI/UX Design Services

Named customers7 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature10 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Impress Digital Values (株株式会社インプレス・デジタル・バリューズ)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2026SIFCA Corporation merged with Impress Digital Values on July 1, 2026, forming a combined entity. The merger combines SIFCA's design capabilities with Impress's digital value services. The SIFCA division continues to operate and handle inquiries for the combined company.
• SODA, inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on the 'Collon' product, a SIFCA × SODA co-branded initiative. The partnership combines SIFCA's design expertise with SODA's platform or services.

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• ZOWL Inc. Japanese design and branding studio serving SaaS, fintech, and corporate clients with logo, web, and UI design. Comparable boutique-scale competitor in Japan's professional design services market.
• NNG (formerly NaviGo): UX-focused firm specializing in automotive HMI and connected vehicle interfaces. Highly relevant peer given SIFCA's digital car meter, HUD helmet, and HEMS interface work; competes specifically in mobility/IoT interface design.

Direct peers

• Goodpatch: Japanese UX/design firm (TSE-listed) offering UI/UX design, prototyping and digital product consulting. Directly comparable to SIFCA in target customers (Japanese corporates) and core offering (GUI/UX, mobile app design).
• Pentagram: Multi-disciplinary design firm with a partnership model spanning graphic design, branding, digital, and motion. Comparable business model and service mix to SIFCA's design studio offering.
• Takram: Tokyo-based design engineering studio offering product, service, and UI/UX design. Comparable to SIFCA as a multi-disciplinary Japanese design studio with corporate clients across mobility, IoT, and digital products.
• WOW inc. Japanese visual design studio known for branding, motion, and digital experience work. Closely comparable peer to SIFCA in domain (graphic design, illustration, motion) and Japanese B2B client base.

Broad incumbents

• IDEO: Internationally recognized design consultancy offering strategy, design, and innovation services. Comparable to SIFCA's multi-disciplinary design portfolio but at a far larger scale and with broader consulting scope.
• Dentsu Group: Largest Japanese advertising agency group with substantial digital creative and design services. Tangentially competes for the same corporate branding, marketing, and digital communications work as SIFCA.
• HAKUHODO DY Holdings: Japan's second-largest advertising and marketing group with significant digital design and creative services arms. Comparable as a Japanese incumbent competing for design and digital communications budgets of major enterprises like NTT Data.
• Canopy (formerly frog): Global design and innovation firm (part of Capgemini Engineering). Direct competitor for premium GUI/UX and product design engagements, but operates at significantly larger scale and broader geographic scope than SIFCA.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 SIFCA CORPORATION