Aikido West

What Aikido West does

Aikido West is an educational nonprofit martial arts organization founded in 1974 by Frank Doran Shihan and headquartered at a single dojo at 3164 Bay Road, Redwood City, California. The organization delivers traditional aikido instruction under Chief Instructor Cyndy Hayashi Shihan, with a curriculum that includes ongoing beginner classes (Tuesdays 7PM and Thursdays 6PM with first-month-free trial), children's classes, Zoom-based remote classes, Kenjutsu (Japanese sword) classes, Budo Accelerator intensive training, and Focus classes. The product portfolio centers on recurring membership access to scheduled classes and is supplemented by episodic seminars featuring visiting master instructors such as Miyuki Kumazawa, Mitsugi Saotome, and Takeshi Yamashima. The organization is affiliated with Aikikai and the Continental Aikido Association, lending lineage and governance legitimacy within the international aikido community.

The business model rests on three revenue streams: monthly membership dues on a subscription-recurring basis, one-time seminar fees (typically tiered by registration window), and fees for CAA-hosted friendship-training events. Pricing for the September 2026 Kumazawa seminar, for example, ranges from $180 (early registration, full seminar) to $250 (at-door) plus per-class options. Memberships and seminars are transacted via PayPal, credit card, and Zelle. Distribution is omnichannel but geographically concentrated: in-person at the dojo, virtual via Zoom, and outbound through the Chief Instructor's international seminar circuit at venues such as Northern Alberta Aikikai, Switzerland, and the University of Utah.

Go-to-market is community-led rather than performance-marketing-driven. Outreach relies on the dojo's website (aikido-west.org), Facebook announcements, an email mailing list, and word-of-mouth. The organization operates with 1-10 employees, and there is no disclosed headcount growth, no funding history, no investor base, and no acquisition or M&A activity. The underlying technology stack is limited to a Squarespace website, Zoom, and standard online payment processors — there is no proprietary technology, no AI/ML capability, no mobile app, and no API surface.

Name

Aikido West

Legal name

Aikido West

Website

https://aikido-west.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aikido West is an educational nonprofit founded in 1974 operating a single aikido dojo in Redwood City, California. It serves Bay Area adults, children, and families through membership-based martial arts classes, Zoom instruction, and visiting-instructor seminars.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Martial Arts Instruction

NAICS

Sports and Recreation Instruction (61162)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Traditional Martial Arts Schools (Karate, Taekwondo, Kung Fu, etc.) (HSADADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kids & Youth Martial Arts Programs (HSADADAG), Combat Sports Gyms & Dojos (MMA, Boxing, Wrestling, Martial Arts) (MPAKAJAG)

Keywords

• Martial arts training
• Aikido instruction
• Martial arts dojo
• Traditional japanese martial arts
• Self defense classes

Headquarters

HQ city

Redwood City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Monthly membership fees charged to regular dojo attendees. First month is free for new members as a trial offer.
2. Seminar Fees: Fees charged for special seminars hosted at the dojo featuring visiting instructors. Pricing varies by registration period (early, regular, at-door). Full weekend seminars and per-class options available.
3. CAA Training Events: Fees for California Aikikai (CAA) friendship training and meeting events hosted at the dojo location

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Aikido West provides traditional aikido martial arts instruction at its Redwood City dojo, offering ongoing beginner and continuing classes for adults and children, alongside specialized programs in kenjutsu (sword), focus training, and Zoom-based remote sessions. The dojo supplements its regular curriculum with periodic seminars led by visiting master instructors and a monthly membership program that grants access to scheduled classes.

Product overview

Aikido West is an educational nonprofit martial arts dojo founded in 1974, offering instruction in aikido and related Japanese martial arts. The organization provides a unified program of in-person and remote classes, including regular ongoing classes for adults and children, specialized Zoom instruction, kenjutsu (sword), and focus training. The portfolio centers on the core class offerings supplemented by periodic seminars featuring visiting master instructors. The dojo is led by Chief Instructor Cyndy Hayashi Shihan and Founder Frank Doran Shihan, and maintains affiliation with Aikikai. Membership is the primary access model for regularly scheduled instruction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Aikido Classes (Ongoing Beginners Classes) Regular aikido martial arts instruction offered on Tuesdays at 7:00PM and Thursdays at 6:00PM, designed for beginners with the first month free.
• Children's Classes Aikido instruction specifically designed for children.
• Zoom Classes

Named customers2 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

One partnership is on record.

• AikikaiminorOthersAikido West maintains an affiliation with Aikikai, the international aikido organization. The website references 'Affiliation' as a section but detailed content was not available in the scraped data.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Gracie University: Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu-focused martial arts instruction brand with online and in-person programs for adults and children — an adjacent emerging player in the U.S. martial arts instruction market competing for the same beginner/family demand.

Direct peers

• New York Aikikai: Established aikido dojo in New York City affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation, offering ongoing aikido classes, seminars, and children's programs — a direct peer in traditional aikido instruction and nonprofit community dojo operations.
• Aikido Westside (Seattle): Pacific Northwest aikido dojo offering traditional aikido classes for adults and youth, including seminars — comparable discipline, instructional model, and nonprofit/community-style operations.
• Boston Aikikai: Nonprofit aikido dojo in Boston affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation, offering ongoing classes, seminars, and youth programs — comparable in operating model, lineage, and community-led GTM.
• San Francisco Aikikai: Bay Area aikido dojo affiliated with the Aikikai Foundation, providing traditional aikido training for adults and youth — a close regional peer competing for the same Bay Area student base as Aikido West.
• Aikido of San Jose: South Bay aikido school offering traditional aikido instruction, children's classes, and seminar programming — directly comparable instructional product and geographic overlap in the Bay Area.
• Berkeley Aikikai: Aikikai-affiliated aikido dojo in the East Bay offering traditional aikido classes for adults and children — directly comparable discipline, affiliation, and instructional structure to Aikido West, operating in the same metro.
• Aikido Center of Los Angeles: Long-standing Aikikai-affiliated aikido dojo in Los Angeles offering traditional aikido instruction, seminars with visiting instructors, and children's and adult programs — directly comparable in discipline, lineage, and instructional model to Aikido West.
• Aikido Shobukan Dojo: Washington, D.C.-area aikido dojo offering traditional aikido classes and seminars with visiting instructors — comparable in offering traditional instruction, membership dues model, and seminar-led engagement.

Broad incumbents

• ATA Martial Arts: Large for-profit martial arts school franchise network offering taekwondo and other programs for children and adults — a broader incumbent in the martial arts instruction space that competes for the same family and beginner student base as Aikido West.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/aikidowest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aikido-west

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 Aikido West