Zelkova

What Zelkova does

Zelkova (ゼルコバ合同会社) is a privately held Japanese IT services company founded in December 2017 and headquartered in the Nishikyo Ward of Kyoto City, with a single disclosed managing officer, Takeuchi Akinori. The company operates as a multi-portfolio software distributor and services integrator whose revenue mix is built around reseller commissions and bundled service delivery rather than first-party software development. Its commercial center of gravity is a set of exclusive or master-reseller relationships with upstream software vendors: Rosetta (T-4OO neural AI translation and the 2023-added Onyaku real-time speech translation), Visionary (master reseller for the long-running AreaManager Professional area-calculation software in building maintenance and construction), Trend Micro (the あんしんプラス cloud antivirus SaaS), and the company's own direct business-chat product for fieldwork teams. Layered on top of those product lines is a professional-services business that builds and operates EC storefronts for Japanese SMBs across Shopify, GMO MakeShop, and BASE under the bundled 合わせ技-EC concept, with stated annual onboarding targets per platform. The company also operates two distinct sales agents roles — as a sales agent for Optage's mineo mobile telecommunications service and as a sales-support partner for Dynax's ビルメン女子 building-maintenance cloud — and in December 2023 entered a non-IT vertical entirely: a reuse business purchasing, refurbishing, and exporting Japanese second-hand branded goods and collector's items into Greater China and Southeast Asia, holding an antique dealer license issued by Kyoto Prefecture.

Underlying the core offering is a portfolio of mature productivity technology rather than a unified proprietary platform. T-4OO combines a neural translation engine with a 2,000-plus specialized domain dictionary database, supports more than 90 languages, and is claimed to reach 90-95% accuracy in specialized fields such as medical, chemical, legal, IT, and finance — a claim that received a 2019 Nikkei Electronics feature asserting outperformance versus Google Translate. Onyaku extends the same capability to real-time speech and online-meeting translation across 110 languages with integrations for Zoom, Teams, and Webex. AreaManager Professional processes scanned drawings and CAD files via image-based tracing for automated area, perimeter, and length calculations used in construction and maintenance quotation workflows, with Excel-bound reporting. The reuse business is the only line where Zelkova holds inventory and operates logistics. Pricing across software lines is opaque (custom quotes only), and revenue, headcount, and ownership details beyond the managing officer are not publicly disclosed.

The go-to-market is a hybrid of direct enterprise sales (for AreaManager and EC services) and multi-tier channel partners (master resellers, sales agents, EC platform partners). Strategic cadence has accelerated in 2022–2023, with a cluster of new platform partnerships (Shopify, Liac), an offshore development partnership with NewIT (Vietnam), and the Onyaku and reuse-business launches compressing several go-to-market and product bets into an 18-month window. The company is registered as a qualified invoice issuer in Japan and has explored but not certified ISO 27001. Operating geographies are Japan-domestic for software and services, with international activity presently limited to the December 2023 reuse export initiative.

Name

Zelkova

Legal name

ゼルコバ合同会社

Website

https://zelkova123.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Zelkova is a Kyoto-based Japanese IT services firm distributing third-party software (AI translation, area-calculation, business chat, cloud security) and delivering EC site-development services on Shopify, GMO MakeShop, and BASE, alongside a 2023-launched reuse/luxury-goods export business.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

IT Services and Software Distribution

NAICS

Custom Computer Programming Services (541511)

SIC

Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAEAHAK

Industry/Domain Analytics Solutions & Accelerators

Business & Public Services/IT & Digital Services (Managed Services, Systems Integration)/Data, Analytics & AI Services

Keywords

• AI translation services
• Area calculation software
• Business chat applications
• Cloud security services
• E-commerce site development

Headquarters

HQ city

Kyoto

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Software Sales - AreaManager Professional: Direct sales and resale of automated area calculation software to building maintenance and construction companies. Master reseller arrangement with accumulated 700+ customer companies over 20 years.
2. AI Translation Services - T-4OO: Distribution and sales support of AI translation service with specialized domain dictionaries. Subscription-based translation service provided by Rosetta, with Zelkova acting as sales partner.
3. EC Site Development Services: Custom EC site creation and operation support services using platforms including Shopify, GMO MakeShop, and BASE. Service fee-based model with annual targets.
4. Reuse Business: Resale of cleaned and refurbished second-hand branded goods and collector items in Japan, targeting wealthy foreign markets (China, Hong Kong, Singapore).
5. Business Chat - direct: Sales and support of field-optimized domestic business chat application for construction and building maintenance field workers.
6. Security Cloud Service - あんしんプラス: SaaS endpoint virus protection service using Trend Micro technology. Multi-device management for Windows, Android, Mac.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Zelkova is a Kyoto-based IT services and software distribution company that resells and supports third-party AI translation (Rosetta T-400 / Onyaku), automated area calculation software for building maintenance (AreaManager Professional), business chat ("direct"), and cloud security ("Anshin Plus") products to Japanese enterprises. It also provides EC site creation and operations services on Shopify/GMO MakeShop/BASE platforms, and operates a resale business for second-hand branded goods targeting overseas markets in Asia.

Product overview

Zelkova is an IT services company providing information technology solutions to improve workplace efficiency. The portfolio includes T-400 neural AI translation service for enterprise document translation across 90+ languages, AreaManager Professional automatic area calculation software for construction/building maintenance, direct business chat optimized for fieldwork,あんしんプラス cloud security service powered by Trend Micro, オンヤク real-time voice translation for online meetings, and合わせ技-EC site creation service. These products address workplace productivity through AI translation, field operations management, security, and e-commerce support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• T-400 AI Translation Service (T-400) AI-powered cloud translation service using a neural translation engine with 2,000 specialized dictionaries, achieving 90-95% translation accuracy across 90+ languages. Supports Word, Excel, PPT, and PDF files, and integrates corporate terminology databases. Targeted at Japanese enterprises with translation needs in pharmaceutical, chemical, legal, financial, and IT/communications sectors.
• AreaManager Professional Automatic area calculation software for construction and building maintenance companies. Processes scanned drawings and CAD files to automatically calculate area, perimeter, and length measurements with mouse-trace measurement, zone delineation, and Excel data export. Used for quote preparation and floor management by 700+ Japanese building maintenance and construction companies.
• direct (Business Chat) Fieldwork-optimized domestic business chat application designed to maximize communication speed for field workers in construction and building maintenance, with administrative controls for secure messaging.
• Anshin Plus (Security Cloud Service)
• Awasewaza-EC (合わせ技-EC) Service EC site creation service combining corporate websites for fan-base building with shopping sites to increase customer lifetime value. Built on partnerships with Shopify, GMO MakeShop, and BASE platforms. Annual deployment targets: 20 companies via MakeShop and 50 via BASE.
• Onyaku (オンヤク) AI Voice Translation Next-generation AI voice translation service providing real-time speech-to-text transcription and text translation, supporting 110 languages for business, education, and R&D communication across online meeting platforms including Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Webex.
• Reuse Business (リユース事業) Resale of cleaned and refurbished second-hand branded goods and collector items in Japan, with an export focus on wealthy overseas markets including China, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Operated under a second-hand dealer permit issued by the Kyoto Public Safety Commission.

Quantifiable outcome

• 95% translation accuracy in specialized fields
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 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

Integration3 records

AI capability6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core, strategic and minor.

• Shopify Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 4 July 2023Global e-commerce platform leader Shopify partnership. Zelkova provides Shopify store development and implementation services to Japanese customers, leveraging Shopify's platform capabilities for online retail solutions.
• 株式会社ロゼetta (Rosetta)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 June 2023Sales agent for Rosetta's T-4OO AI translation service (90+ languages, 95% accuracy in specialized fields) and Onyaku AI speech translation (110 languages). Also handles sales of AI translation tool T-400.
• 株式会社LiacstrategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 May 2023EC site development partnership for Shopify platform expertise. Liac has extensive know-how and track record in Shopify store construction. Partnership expands Zelkova's EC platform capabilities.
• NewIT株式会社strategicStrategic or Co-development Partner · 20 April 2023Business partnership for web system and app development leveraging Vietnam offshore development. NewIT was founded by Vietnamese engineers active in Japan, offering quality and cost balance. Partnership enables higher quality and lower cost services.
• GMOメイクショップ株式会社 (GMO MakeShop)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2022Sales partner for GMO MakeShop's EC site building SaaS. Zelkova provides EC site setup and operational support services targeting 20 companies annually. MakeShop achieved 274.9 billion yen annual transaction volume and 11,000 store deployments.
• BASE株式会社coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2022Official partner for BASE's EC platform with 5 consecutive years of No.1 store creation track record. Zelkova provides EC site development services targeting 50 companies annually. BASE hosts 1.7 million shops.
• 株式会社ダイナックス (Dynax)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 16 May 2022Sales partnership for ビルメン女子 building maintenance cloud service. Zelkova provides sales support to existing AreaManager Professional customers targeting Dynax's solution for property management, contractor management, contract management, work management, and billing.
• 京都西陣工房minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 November 2021EC sales partnership for Kyoto Nishijin-ori traditional craft products. Combines Zelkova's ICT and EC expertise with Kyoto Nishijin Kobo's craft production capabilities for online and physical store sales.
• ブルーフィン合同会社 (Blue Fin)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 December 2020AreaManager sales partnership for Tokyo metropolitan area market expansion with annual target of 100 new installations.
• ブルーフィン合同会社 (Blue Fin)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Translation business partnership for T-4OO AI translation tool sales and translation services provision.
• 株式会社オプテージ (Optage)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 17 March 2020Registered sales agent for Optage's mineo mobile service for businesses. Provides mobile service resale and business cooperation using mineo for corporate needs.
• 株式会社ビジョナリー (Visionary)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 2 September 2019Master reseller for AreaManager building maintenance software with 500+ installation track record. Partnership strengthens sales of area calculation software to building maintenance and construction companies.
• アクスビー株式会社 (AccuBee)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 19 April 2019Domestic sales agent for Rosetta's AI translation service T-400. Partnership established March 3, 2019 for translation service distribution.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Linc Inc. Linc develops the 'direct' business chat application that Zelkova resells to Japanese field workforce customers. Directly comparable as the underlying product vendor Zelkova represents in the Japanese market.
• Chatwork: Chatwork is one of Japan's leading business chat platforms serving SMBs and field workers, directly competing with the 'direct' product Zelkova distributes. Highly comparable target customer and use case.
• DeepL: DeepL is a leading AI translation provider competing directly against T-4OO with neural machine translation across multiple languages. Most directly comparable specialized AI translation competitor serving enterprise documentation workflows.
• LINE WORKS: LINE WORKS is a major Japanese business chat platform from LY Corporation targeting SMBs and field operations, competing head-to-head with 'direct'. Most comparable business chat competitor in Japanese market.
• Rosetta (ロゼッタ): Rosetta is the developer of T-4OO and Onyaku AI translation services, which Zelkova resells in Japan. Most directly comparable as the underlying product company whose solutions Zelkova distributes to enterprise customers.

Others

• Trend Micro: Trend Micro provides the security infrastructure powering Zelkova's あんしんプラス cloud endpoint security service. Most comparable as the underlying technology partner rather than a competitor.

Broad incumbents

• BASE: BASE operates a leading Japanese EC platform hosting 1.7M shops. Zelkova is an official channel partner for EC site development but BASE also competes indirectly for SMB EC setup and management.
• GMO Internet Group: GMO Internet Group operates GMO MakeShop, a major Japanese EC platform serving 11,000+ stores with 274.9B yen annual transaction volume. Zelkova is a MakeShop channel partner but also competes for EC implementation work.
• Microsoft (Microsoft Translator): Microsoft Translator is a leading enterprise translation service integrated across Office, Teams, and Azure. Broad incumbent in AI translation that competes with T-4OO and Onyaku in enterprise and meeting workflows.
• Google (Google Cloud Translation): Google Cloud Translation is the dominant AI translation platform globally, against which T-4OO claims specialized-domain accuracy advantages. Broad incumbent in the same category with vastly larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

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 Zelkova