What Ampersand does

Ampersand (株式会社アンパサンド / AmpersAnd INC.) is a privately-held Japanese digital marketing agency and venture-creation firm headquartered in Osaka (transferred January 2023 to NPC Building Honmachi 901, 2-1-2 Kitakuhojimachi, Chuo-ku), founded in June 2017 by representative director Wataru Nagatomo (長友 渉). The company operates three primary service lines—Web Design and Production, Advertising Operations (listing, display, video, and shopping ads), and Business Development—with an in-house creative team capable of executing 300+ web design project requests annually. Its named enterprise client base spans at least six industries: telecommunications (NTT Corporation), travel/hospitality (Tabist), media/publishing (Daiichi Tsushinsha), media/entertainment (USEN), cosmetics (Menard Cosmetics), and real estate (Daika Jisho).

The company's proprietary product, Smart HP (スマートhp), is a subscription-based website creation service marketed at ¥6,500 per month that bundles servers, domain, professional homepage production within two months, and post-delivery editing support. Beyond web and ads, Ampersand has expanded into custom software development, D2C product planning (notably cat food and electronic cigarettes), and joint business venture creation with enterprise partners. Technology stack disclosures do not mention AI/ML modalities, public APIs, SDKs, MCP endpoints, patents, or trademarks; the firm is purely an in-house execution shop.

Go-to-market is hybrid: sales-led direct engagement for enterprise digital marketing and advertising engagements, alongside self-serve online subscription for Smart HP targeting SMB customers. Revenue is generated primarily through professional services fees (web projects, ad operations, software, D2C planning) with a small but recurring subscription overlay from Smart HP. No external funding rounds, parent entity, or M&A activity are disclosed, and the firm operates exclusively within Japan's Kansai region with a global footprint claim limited to recognition on international design platforms (CSS Design Awards, CSS Winner) earned in 2025 for the nekozenworld.jp project.

Name

Ampersand

Legal name

株式会社アンパサンド (AmpersAnd INC.)

Website

https://ampersand.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Ampersand is an Osaka-based digital marketing agency founded in 2017, offering web design, advertising operations, and business development services to enterprise clients, complemented by a proprietary monthly subscription website platform (Smart HP) serving SMBs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Marketing Services

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Creator Management & Talent Representation (BPAFAHAB)

Keywords

• Digital marketing services
• Web design services
• Advertising operations
• Website subscription service
• Business development consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Osaka

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Web Design and Production Services: Professional website creation and design services, including overall direction, design production, implementation and application support. Annual capacity of 300+ project requests supported by in-house creative team.
2. Advertising Operations: Internet advertising agency services including listing ads, display ads, video ads, and shopping ads. Comprehensive optimization from path design to creative elements, combining data-driven decision making with strategic creative approaches.
3. Smart HP Monthly Subscription: Monthly subscription service for homepage creation starting from 6,500 yen per month, including server and domain costs. Professional production within 2 months with free post-delivery editing support.
4. Software Development Services: Custom software service planning and development, including co-development with partner companies for new service creation.
5. D2C Development Planning: Direct-to-consumer product planning and development services, including cat food planning and development, electronic cigarette product development.
6. Joint Business Development: Co-development of new businesses and establishment of joint venture companies with client enterprises, leveraging mutual strengths and resources as a growth strategy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Ampersand is a Japan-based digital marketing agency that provides web design and production services (handling 300+ project requests annually), internet advertising operations (listing, display, video, and shopping ads), and business development / joint venture creation services for enterprise clients. The company also operates Smart HP, a proprietary monthly subscription website creation service starting at 6,500 yen per month that bundles server and domain costs with professional homepage production within two months.

Product overview

Ampersand operates as a digital marketing and technology solutions company offering three core service lines: Web Design and Production (ウェブ制作), Advertisement Operations (広告運用), and Business Development (事業開発). The company also provides a proprietary product called Smart HP (スマートhp), a monthly subscription-based website production service. The service lines work together to provide comprehensive digital solutions—from creative design and advertising to strategic business co-development—with the web production team handling over 300 requests annually and coordinating with advertising operations for optimized creative delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• スマートhp (Smart HP): 月額制でホームページをプロが制作するサービス。制作費無料・月額6,500円から、高品質・多機能なホームページを2ヶ月間で制作。

Products and services

• Web Design and Production Services
• Advertisement Operations
• Smart HP Subscription Website Service
• Software Development Services
• D2C Product Development Planning
• Joint Business Development

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record.

• りそな銀行 (Resona Bank)Others · 1 June 2017Primary transaction bank for the company, providing banking services including account management and financial transactions.
• 三菱東京UFJ銀行 (MUFG Bank)Others · 1 June 2017One of Japan's major banks serving as a primary transaction bank.
• 池田泉州銀行 (Ikeda Shonai Bank)Others · 1 June 2017Regional bank serving as a primary transaction bank for the company.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Jimdo: Germany-based DIY website builder with strong presence in Japan, offering subscription-based website creation similar to Ampersand's Smart HP product but with automated rather than human-designed sites.
• Wix.com: Israeli-headquartered global DIY website builder with a significant Japanese user base, competing directly with Smart HP in the SMB subscription website creation market.

Broad incumbents

• Hakuhodo: One of Japan's largest advertising agencies with extensive digital marketing, web, and creative capabilities — overlapping with Ampersand's offering but serving national and global clients.
• GMO Pepabo: Japanese web services provider offering hosting, domain, and website building services under brands like Lolipop and heteml, comparable to the infrastructure elements of Ampersand's Smart HP subscription.
• Dentsu: Global Japanese advertising and public relations giant offering full-service advertising, digital, and creative services across all industries, much broader than Ampersand but competing for the same enterprise digital marketing budgets.

Direct peers

• Digital Holdings: Japanese digital marketing group including Digital Garage, providing internet advertising, content, and digital transformation services — directly comparable to Ampersand's integrated web design and ad operations model.
• Basic Inc. Japanese digital marketing company offering web advertising, content marketing, and creative production services, with similar agency-plus-product hybrid structure to Ampersand.
• Septeni Holdings: Japanese digital advertising agency group providing internet ad operations and digital marketing services, directly comparable to Ampersand's advertising operations business and enterprise client focus.
• IRIS Communications: Japanese digital marketing agency offering integrated web and advertising services to enterprise clients, comparable in scale and service mix to Ampersand.
• Opt Holding: Japanese digital advertising company specializing in performance marketing and ad operations, comparable to Ampersand's listing ads, display ads, and shopping ads services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Ampersand