What Exrant does

Exrant (株式会社エクスラント) is a Japanese technology company founded in 2003 and headquartered in Tokyo (Minato-ku, Shimbashi), operating as a group company under eha Holdings. The company builds and operates photo-commerce infrastructure for the Japanese event, sports, and consumer photography markets, organized around three interconnected platforms: PhotoReco, a cloud-based internet photo sales platform used by 32,000+ businesses to upload event photos and sell prints and digital downloads to participants in real time; emps, a one-stop photo business outsourcing service for event organizers (29,000+ adopting businesses) that bundles nationwide photographer dispatch, sales booth setup, and reservation management; and PhotoReco JOB, a marketplace connecting 1,500+ affiliated professional photographers with event photography opportunities across Japan.

The company's commercial moat rests on its installed base across professional and amateur Japanese sports leagues (J.League, B.League, SV.LEAGUE, JD.LEAGUE women's softball, the Japan Sumo Association, plus amateur bodybuilding and dance events), its affiliated-photographer network, and recurring multi-year league partnerships. Exrant generates revenue primarily through transaction fees and commissions on photo sales via PhotoReco, professional service fees from emps, marketplace matching fees via PhotoReco JOB, and consumer photography session revenue from its Estate Casa pet photo studios operated inside Cainz retail stores. Its go-to-market is event-driven and partner-led, combining B2B enterprise sales to sports organizations and event organizers with B2C physical retail through the Cainz pet studio footprint.

The technology stack centers on a cloud-based sales and analytics platform, extended in 2024 through a partnership with VisionWiz to add AI-powered automatic photo capture (Torinku) for daycare and preschool customers, and a pet photography studio sub-brand with rotating backdrops and seasonal digital products. The company employs 222 group staff as of April 2026, holds a JIPDEC Privacy Mark certification (since 2012), and is registered as a qualified invoice issuer under Japan's 2023 invoice system.

Name

Exrant

Legal name

株式会社エクスラント

Website

https://exrant.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Exrant operates PhotoReco, emps, and PhotoReco JOB, a cloud-based photo-commerce platform serving 32,000+ Japanese sports teams, event organizers, and businesses, plus a pet photography studio chain in Cainz retail stores. It monetizes via transaction fees, professional service fees, and consumer photography sessions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Event Photography Sales Platform

NAICS

Commercial Photography (541922), Photographic Services (54192), Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Experiential Content Capture & Event Media Production (Photo/Video/Social) (BPAFAGAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Event Production & Technical Services (AV, Lighting, Staging) (BPAFAGAB)

Keywords

• Photo sales platform
• Event photography services
• Photographer marketplace
• Pet photography studios
• Sports photo distribution

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. PhotoReco - Photo Sales Commission / Transaction Fee: Event photos are uploaded to the PhotoReco platform where participants browse and purchase prints and digital downloads. Exrant earns revenue through transaction fees/commissions on each photo sale. Business owners (sports teams, event organizers) can track real-time orders and sales. Approximately 32,000 businesses have adopted PhotoReco as of February 2025.
2. emps - Full-Service Photo Business Outsourcing: emps provides end-to-end photo business support for event organizers: photographer dispatch, photo sales booth setup, reservation management, and photo product fulfillment (prints, panels, posters, albums, data downloads). Revenue is generated through service fees bundled with photographer dispatch and photo product sales. Approximately 29,000 businesses have adopted emps.
3. PhotoReco JOB - Camera Manpower Marketplace: A job-matching service connecting event organizers with professional photographers nationwide. Exrant facilitates introductions and earns from the placement/matching service. Network includes 1,500+ photographers.
4. Pet Photography Studios (Estate Casa): Operates dedicated pet photography studios within Cainz hardware store locations. Customers pay for photography sessions and photo products (prints, frames). Studios are positioned as experiential, reservation-based pet photo destinations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Exrant operates a cloud-based internet photo sales platform (PhotoReco) that enables event photographers, sports teams, and event organizers to upload photos and sell them online to participants in real time. The platform is complemented by emps, a one-stop photo business outsourcing service for event organizers providing photographer dispatch, booth setup, and sales support, and PhotoReco JOB, a marketplace connecting 1,500+ professional photographers with event opportunities. Exrant also operates Estate Casa pet photography studios within Cainz retail locations.

Product overview

Exrant operates a multi-product photo business ecosystem centered on three core platforms: PhotoReco (internet photo sales platform), emps (photo business revenue optimization service), and PhotoReco JOB (photographer job matching). These products are interconnected: PhotoReco serves as the sales infrastructure used by both emps and individual photographers, while PhotoReco JOB supplies photographers to PhotoReco and emps clients. The company also operates エステカーサ ペットフォトスタジオ, a pet photography studio sub-brand with multiple retail locations. The platform serves over 32,000 business operators, 1,500 partner photographers, and handles sports leagues (J.League, JD.LEAGUE), sumo, dance events, and educational institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• フォトレコ (PhotoReco): インターネット写真販売プラットフォーム - カメラマンが撮影した写真データをインターネット上に掲載し、参加者が写真を閲覧・購入できるサービス
• emps（エンプス）
• PhotoReco JOB（フォトレコジョブ）
• エステカーサ ペットフォトスタジオ

Products and services

• PhotoReco (フォトレコ) Cloud-based internet photo sales platform enabling photographers and event organizers to upload photos and immediately start selling online. Business operators can monitor real-time orders and sales. Consumers browse and purchase photos via smartphone or PC. Used by 32,000+ business operators (February 2025).
• emps (エンプス) One-stop photo business support service for event organizers providing marketing strategy, nationwide professional photographer dispatch, photo distribution system, photo shooting, sales, booth setup, and participant reservation management. 29,000 business operators have adopted the service.
• PhotoReco JOB (フォトレコジョブ) Job matching marketplace service connecting professional photographers nationwide with event opportunities matching their skills and performance. Covers school events, sports competitions, weddings, performances, and other event photography needs. Network of 1,500+ photographers.
• Estate Casa Pet Photo Studio (カインズ エステカーサ ペットフォトスタジオ) Pet specialty photo studio chain offering exclusive-use rental photography spaces within Cainz retail stores. Studios feature monthly-changing backgrounds and seasonal LINE stamps with pet images for pet owners seeking professional photography experiences.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32,000+ businesses adopted PhotoReco (February 2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers25 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and flagship.

• 株式会社エイジェックスポーツマネジメント (Agex Sports Management)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 February 2026Agex Sports Management, as the sports management company for JTEKT STINGS Aichi (SV.LEAGUE volleyball), partnered with Exrant to sell official team photos through the PhotoReco platform.
• 株式会社VisionWizcoreTechnology or Integration · 24 June 2024Exrant integrated VisionWiz's AI-powered 'とりんく' (Torinku) image recognition technology into the PhotoReco childcare solution. This enables automatic child photo capture using the 'とりんくカメラ' app and automatic cloud-based photo organization. The integration reduces workload for daycare staff while increasing photo sales volume through higher capture rates. This is a technology integration partnership that directly enhances Exrant's childcare/preschool offering.
• カインズ (Cainz Corporation)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 April 2023Exrant operates the 'Estate Casa' (エステカーサ) pet photography studio brand within Cainz hardware store locations. Multiple Cainz locations have opened pet photo studios since 2023, with at least 3 stores (西友福生店, リヴィンオズ大泉店, 西友平塚店) hosting studios. The partnership is a co-branded retail presence enabling pet photography services at Cainz locations.
• 合資会社グレアトーン (Glaretone)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2022Glaretone, as the official photo team for Norddea Hokkaido (women's football), partnered with Exrant to sell team photos through the PhotoReco platform. This is a sports photo sales partnership where Glaretone supplies photos and Exrant provides the sales infrastructure.
• JD.LEAGUE (女子ソフトボール)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Exrant serves as the official photo sales partner for the JD.LEAGUE women's softball, covering all 16 teams. This is an exclusive, multi-year partnership that has been renewed annually since 2024 (and likely earlier), with the 2026 season also covered.
• FWJ (Fitness World Japan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Exrant has partnered with FWJ (Fitness World Japan), Japan's premier amateur bodybuilding organization, since 2017 to photograph and sell official photos for all FWJ competitions. The 2024 season marks the 8th consecutive season of partnership.
• ehaホールディングス (eha Holdings)coreOthersExrant is a group company under eha Holdings. The group includes subsidiaries: 株式会社ハピリィ (Happily), 株式会社アドニティ (Adnity), and 株式会社hirody. Shared services and group synergies are implied.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Pic-Time: Global photographer gallery and online sales platform used by professional and event photographers. Closest international functional analog to PhotoReco, with shared workflow (upload → gallery → online purchase → fulfillment) and overlapping target customers.
• PhotoDay: US-based photo-sales platform purpose-built for sports teams, schools, and events. Directly comparable to Exrant's PhotoReco because both monetize event photography through online galleries for parents and fans, with similar transaction-fee economics.
• Shimauma Print: Japanese online photo-printing service with strong consumer brand recognition. Competes with PhotoReco for end-consumer photo-spend and shares the online-delivery fulfillment model that anchors Exrant's transaction-fee revenue.
• 30min (Thirty-Min): Japanese online photo-printing and photo-book service, operating in the same Japanese consumer/photographer ecosystem as Exrant. Comparable on the consumer-facing photo-sales mechanic that PhotoReco delivers to event attendees.

Emerging players

• Studio Alice: Japan's largest children's photo-studio chain, focused on the same early-childhood customer segment that Exrant targets through its VisionWiz 'Torinku' integration with daycare and preschools.
• Life Studio: Japanese in-store children's photo-studio chain operated inside home-furnishing retailers. Functionally parallel to Exrant's Estate Casa pet studios inside Cainz, particularly on the 'specialty photo studio inside a national retail partner' business model.

Broad incumbents

• SmugMug: US-based photo platform serving photographers and event organizers with gallery hosting, online sales, and fulfillment. Comparable product category to PhotoReco at the platform level, but operates at much broader international scale and without Exrant's Japan-specific sports-league positioning.
• Camera Kitamura: Japan's largest photo retail and printing chain, with nationwide physical storefronts. Adjacent incumbent offering photo printing, retail equipment, and portrait services — overlapping with Exrant's consumer photo output but not its sports/event infrastructure play.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Exrant