What Tilde does

Matilde Inc. (株式会社間チルダ, operating as Matilde™) is a Tokyo-based, founder-led digital communication and content creative studio founded in 2014 by Kei Shiratori. The studio's name incorporates the Japanese concept of "ma" (間, interval/negative space), reflecting a design philosophy that fuses Eastern aesthetics with media technology. Its core capabilities span AR application development, digital content production (video, music, and installations), iOS/Android app development, website development, hardware product design, and digital communication strategy. The flagship intellectual property is ARART, an augmented-reality smartphone application developed by Shiratori that animates classical paintings (Vermeer, da Vinci) when the device is held over the artwork; ARART won the ZKM AppArtAward Grand Prix in Germany in 2014 and has been exhibited internationally in France, the UK, Brazil, and Dubai. The studio also brought to market the Fun'iki Ambient Glasses (2017), a consumer wearable developed in collaboration with Lunettes Inc. and the Gifu Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS), and produced the official multilingual app and AR content for the Tsuruoka Museum of the Kamakura Bunkakan (2021).

Matilde operates as a project-based creative services business, billing on a per-engagement basis for custom work delivered to enterprise clients. There is no publicly disclosed pricing; engagements are quoted per project scope. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales driven by a portfolio of high-profile work that functions as the primary evidence of capability — clients include Audi Japan (Q8 Japan Premiere installation at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo), Ferrari (international supercar unveil film direction), Leica (M10-R promotional movie direction), Casio G-SHOCK (AWM-500 sound production), Tsuruoka Museum, Tokai Television, and amana Inc. Distribution runs exclusively through direct project engagement; there is no self-serve, marketplace, or e-commerce channel. The primary customer segments are luxury automotive, premium consumer electronics and photography brands, and cultural institutions/museums, with secondary work in media broadcasting and technology hardware co-development.

The studio is privately held, founder-owned, and operates from a single Shibuya, Tokyo headquarters. It has no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and no subsidiaries. Marketing is portfolio-led, relying on its website (ma-tilde.com), the founder's Instagram presence, a corporate Facebook page, international exhibition presence, and earned coverage from outlets such as Creative Application Net and Design Boom.

Name

Tilde

Legal name

Matilde Inc.

Website

https://ma-tilde.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Matilde Inc. (Tilde) is a Tokyo-based, founder-led digital communication and creative studio that develops AR applications, digital content, and hardware products for luxury automotive, premium consumer electronics, and cultural-institution clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Creative Services and AR Content Production

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Graphic Design & Visual Content Production (BPAFAIAC)

Keywords

• Augmented reality applications
• Digital content production
• Creative installation services
• Museum mobile applications
• Wearable hardware development

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Project Services: Project-based fees for art projects, creative projects, digital content production (video/music/installations), and event production for luxury brands and cultural institutions. Revenue is earned per engagement rather than on a recurring basis.
2. Application Development Services: Custom iOS/Android application development services, including AR applications, official museum apps, and digital exhibition platforms. Billed per project.
3. Hardware Product Development: End-to-end management and direction of hardware product development from prototyping through mass production, including applications, websites, and promotional video production. Revenue generated through product development fees and/or product sales (e.g., Fun'iki Ambient Glasses).

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Matilde Inc. is a Tokyo-based digital communication and content creative agency that delivers end-to-end creative production for brands and cultural institutions, spanning AR application development (notably the ARART platform), bespoke iOS/Android apps, large-scale installations, projection mapping, video and music production, and consumer hardware development such as the FUN'IKI Ambient Glasses. Revenue is generated primarily through project-based professional services engagements for luxury brands, museums, and consumer electronics companies, supplemented by sales of proprietary products and IP such as the ARART app and the FUN'IKI eyewear.

Product overview

Matilde Inc. (Tilde) is a digital communication and content creative agency offering a portfolio of proprietary AR products and creative services. Core products include the ARART app that brings art to life through augmented reality, and the FUN'IKI Ambient Glasses for ambient smartphone notifications. The company also provides digital content production services (video, music, installations), iOS/Android application development, website development, hardware product development, and digital communication strategy. The ARART application serves as a standalone product and platform, powering both the mobile app and the AR Art Museum touring exhibition. Services are delivered primarily to luxury brands in automotive, photography, and consumer electronics sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ARART: An augmented reality application that brings famous paintings (Vermeer, Leonardo da Vinci) to life when viewed through a smartphone.

Products and services

• ARART Art installation and mobile application that uses proprietary augmented reality technology to overlay animated content onto classical artworks (Vermeer, Leonardo da Vinci) when users point a smartphone camera at them. Served as the AR backbone for the AR Art Museum touring exhibition and functions as both a standalone creative IP and a deployable museum/interactive platform.
• FUN'IKI Ambient Glasses Digital spectacles (smart eyewear) that convey smartphone notifications in an ambient, glanceable manner. Consumer hardware product developed through a three-party industry-academia collaboration and available via the dedicated fun-iki.com product website.
• Digital Content Production Services Bespoke creative production services spanning video production direction, music and sound production, large-scale installations, projection mapping, exhibition planning, and event production. Delivered for enterprise clients such as Audi Japan, Ferrari, Leica, Casio G-SHOCK, and Japanese museums as project-based engagements.

Quantifiable outcome

• ARART promotional video received over 300,000 views; covered by international design blogs Creative Application Net and Design Boom

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Lunettes Inc. (株式会社ルネット)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-academia collaboration partner for the Fun'iki Ambient Glasses project. Matilde was responsible for management and direction of the entire project including hardware prototyping, mass production design, application development, website development, and promotional video production. Lunettes contributed hardware expertise and presumably brand/distribution for the consumer eyewear product.
• Gifu Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences / IAMAS (岐阜県立情報科学芸術大学院大学)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIndustry-academia partner in the Fun'iki Ambient Glasses development. IAMAS contributed academic research and advanced media arts expertise to the wearable technology project. This partnership reflects founder Kei Shiratori's academic background at IAMAS and demonstrates a pipeline between academic research and commercial product development.
• Tokai Television (東海テレビ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint production partner for the 'AR Art Museum' digital exhibition using the ARART application. The exhibition toured six cities across Japan (Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Sendai, Aomori, Akita). Tokai Television provided broadcast/media resources and audience reach, while Matilde provided the AR technology and exhibition content. This partnership combined media broadcasting reach with technological innovation.
• amana Inc. (株式会社アマナ)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the 'ANOTHER ROOM' exhibition focused on fusion of digital technology and art. Matilde was responsible for overall exhibition direction and AR application development, collaborating with seven photographers to produce the art installation. amana Inc. is a major visual content company in Japan, providing photography and visual expertise to the project.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• UNIT9: Global creative production studio with dedicated AR, interactive installations, and film production units serving automotive, luxury, and cultural brands. Comparable to Matilde in its cross-format, award-led, project-based creative tech work.
• Moment Factory: Montreal-based multimedia studio producing immersive installations, projection mapping, AR/VR, and branded experiences for cultural institutions and global brands. Directly comparable in offering and client profile (museums, luxury, large-format storytelling).
• Ideum: US-based creative technology firm designing interactive museum exhibits, AR/VR experiences, and multitouch installations. Comparable to Matilde's Tsuruoka Museum AR/audio-guide work and cultural-institution pipeline.
• Rhizomatiks: Tokyo-based creative studio fusing technology, design, and performance for brand experiences, installations, and live events (notable collaborations with Perfume, Nike, Lexus). Comparable to Matilde in its Japan-based, technology-led, luxury-brand-targeted experiential offering.
• WOW Inc. Tokyo-based creative studio producing AR, interactive installations, projection mapping, and brand experiences for Japanese and global luxury and entertainment clients. Directly comparable to Matilde's positioning in Japan's premium experiential market.
• Marshmallow Laser Feast: London-based experiential art collective known for immersive AR/VR installations and museum-grade experiences. Comparable to Matilde's ARART/AR Art Museum work and its international cultural institution pipeline.
• dotdotdash: Independent creative and production studio with a strong track record in AR, experiential design, and branded content for global clients. Comparable to Matilde in offering mix and project-based revenue model.
• teamLab: Tokyo-based interdisciplinary art collective creating large-scale immersive digital installations, AR experiences, and museum exhibitions. The closest direct peer to Matilde: same Japanese creative-tech DNA, same luxury and museum client mix, same international exhibition circuit.

Broad incumbents

• Obscura Digital: San Francisco-based large-scale experiential studio specializing in projection mapping, interactive installations, and brand activations. Comparable to Matilde's Audi Q8 and luxury launch installations but at a significantly larger scale and broader client base.
• Ars Electronica Futurelab: Austrian research and creation lab producing AR/AI installations, museum experiences, and cultural-tech commissions. Comparable to Matilde's museum and cultural-tech work (e.g., Tsuruoka Museum) but operates as a larger institutional lab with academic backing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/MatildeInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/keiswan

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Tilde