IRODORI.Inc

What IRODORI.Inc does

IRODORI Inc. is a Tokyo-based social venture founded in May 2022 by CEO Yatsu Takahiro that develops methodology-driven products connecting citizen participation, regional revitalization, and youth digital empowerment. The company's flagship offering is WagamamaLab, a smartphone app development program built on MIT App Inventor's block-based visual programming environment that teaches middle and high school students to surface individual community members' unspoken wishes ("wagamama") and convert them into functional apps addressing real local issues. Supporting products include Local Dialogue (a card-based policy co-creation workshop tool for municipalities), Persona Cards (an empathy-building card game priced at 20,000 JPY per starter set), the Wagamama Conference facilitation methodology, the Japan Wagamama Awards national competition, and the CCAF (Certified Computational Action Facilitator) certification launched in July 2026 at 500,000 JPY per participant. The company operates as the sole authorized Japanese partner of the MIT App Inventor Foundation and runs a remote-first organization of approximately five full-time staff supplemented by project fellows, part-time contractors, and community facilitators.

IRODORI generates revenue primarily through professional services across three customer segments: municipal governments (policy advisory, comprehensive planning, public-private coordination, Regional Revitalization Cooperation Squad recruitment and accompaniment), corporations (new business development consulting, DX human resource training, regional market entry), and educational institutions (WagamamaLab program delivery in middle and high schools). Supplementary revenue streams include CCAF certification fees, Persona Card physical product sales, corporate sponsorships of the Japan Wagamama Awards (e.g., Braze, Informatix, 90 Inc.), and international program licensing through partnerships in the Philippines and Hong Kong. Distribution is direct: municipal contracts via RFP and referral, school engagements via Boards of Education, and corporate sales via relationship-based consulting.

The company holds long-term municipal partnerships across 14+ Japanese prefectures (Okuizumo, Tsumagoi, Kashiwa, Tuyama, Shimoda, Hokota, among others), has produced statistically validated psychosocial improvements across six metrics (n=77, p<.001), and has won multiple awards at MIT events including Best Education Paper at the 2026 Global Education Summit and four awards at MIT Japan Venture Mentoring Program VMP25 in 2025. Notable enterprise clients include KAGOME, AKKODiS Consulting, NEC Platforms, NTT DX Partners, and Modis (Adecco Group). As of 2025, more than 2,000 students had participated in WagamamaLab programs nationally, and the company operated a community hub called Wagamama Machiya in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, plus a remote presence in London via CSO Kurosu Hitomi.

Name

IRODORI.Inc

Legal name

株式会社IRODORI

Website

https://irodori-group.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

IRODORI Inc. is a Tokyo-based social venture that designs civic engagement and youth digital-empowerment methodologies — including the WagamamaLab app development program, Local Dialogue workshop tool, and Japan Wagamama Awards — serving municipal governments, corporations, and educational institutions across Japan and select international markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Regional Revitalization Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Children’s & Youth Educational Entertainment (Edutainment) (EDAGALAK)

akta.pro secondary industry

Education Access & Quality (International Development) (BPAGABAE)

Keywords

• Regional revitalization consulting
• Youth education programs
• Community engagement workshops
• Policy advisory services
• Digital talent development

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Consulting & Policy-Making Advisory: Fees for services to municipal governments including policy-making support (comprehensive plans, welfare plans, DX promotion plans), public-private coordination, and local government coordinator services. Revenue is project-based, typically spanning several months to a year per engagement.
2. Corporate New Business Development Support: Fees from企业提供的新規事業開発支援 services including consulting, training, and accompaniment support for companies seeking to develop businesses addressing regional and social challenges. Includes DX human resource development support.
3. WagamamaLab Education Program Delivery: Fees for delivering WagamamaLab inquiry learning programs to middle schools, high schools, and municipal youth programs. Includes workshop facilitation, curriculum delivery, and mentor support for student app development projects.
4. Regional Revitalization & Company-Government Linkage Programs: Fees for managing 'Corporate Relationship Population' creation programs that connect companies with municipalities for collaborative regional revitalization projects. Includes recruitment, coordination, and accompaniment of participating companies.
5. Product Sales (Persona Cards): Sale of physical and digital products including Persona Cards starter sets (20,000 JPY + shipping) and inquiry learning textbooks. Additional card sets sold separately.
6. Corporate Sponsorships & Grants: Sponsorship revenue from corporate sponsors supporting the Japan Wagamama Awards (e.g., T-shirt sponsors at 150,000 JPY per sponsor). Additional grants from partner organizations supporting youth international exchange and education programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

IRODORI Inc. provides consulting, education programs, and facilitation tools that drive regional revitalization and youth digital empowerment in Japan. The company delivers policy-making support to municipal governments, new business development consulting to corporations, and the WagamamaLab inquiry-learning program to schools, supported by proprietary methodologies (Local Dialogue cards, Persona Cards, Computational Action framework) co-developed with the MIT App Inventor Foundation.

Product overview

IRODORI.Inc operates as a multi-product platform organization focused on community revitalization and youth empowerment through technology and dialogue. The core portfolio centers on WagamamaLab — a smartphone app development program using MIT App Inventor that enables students and community members to solve real-world problems starting from identifying 'the one person's' (たったひとり) unspoken wish — supported by its international competition platform (Japan Wagamama Awards), certified facilitator training (CCAF), and complementary tools including Persona Card (a card game for empathy-based problem identification), Wagamama Conference (a facilitation methodology), and STEAM learning textbooks. Adjacent to WagamamaLab, IRODORI provides civic engagement tools: Local Dialogue (a card-based policy co-creation workshop tool with a facilitator certification track), a regional diagnostic system (BP Diagnosis), and Wagamama Radio (a podcast). On the enterprise and government services side, IRODORI offers a Corporate Regional Population Creation Program (官民連携による企業版関係人口創出), new business development consulting, administrative policy planning support, and Regional Revitalization Cooperation Squad recruitment and accompaniment services. A community hub called Wagamama Machiya further connects urban and rural stakeholders. The company also operates international expansion through the WagamamaLab Overseas Collaboration Program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Japan Wagamama Awards: National contest for teenagers to develop apps that address local social issues using technology, with winners presenting at MIT App Inventor Global Education Summit.
• ワガママLab (WagamamaLab)
• Local Dialogue (ローカル・ダイアログ)
• Local Dialogue
• Persona Card (ペルソナカード)
• Wagamama Radio (ワガママラジオ)
• ワガママ町家 (Wagamama Machiya)

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 statistically significant psychological outcomes (agency, social connection, self-efficacy, resilience, other-orientation, peer trust) improved from program start to first app submission among WagamamaLab participants (n=77, p<.001)
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Gunma Prefecture Tsumagoi VillagecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 November 2024Enterprise-Government Relationship Population project with 6 challenge themes including elderly support, DX mobility, sustainable cabbage agriculture, and tourism. IRODORI coordinates the full program lifecycle from challenge identification to PoC.
• Shimoda City / AKKODiS Consulting / IRODORIcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2024Tripartite comprehensive partnership for DX human resource development in Shimoda City, Shizuoka Prefecture. IRODORI handles regional talent development and team-building frameworks while AKKODiS provides DX technical expertise.
• Shimane Prefecture Okuizumo TowncoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Long-term partnership for Enterprise-Government Relationship Population Creation Project. IRODORI serves as innovation manager, coordinating corporate recruitment, municipal-government liaison, and accompaniment. FY2025 PoC projects selected for agricultural DX and matchmaking support.
• Tuyama City (岡山県津山市)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 May 2023Comprehensive partnership agreement for industrial activation and relationship population creation, signed with Tuyama City, Tuyama Chamber of Commerce, NTT West, Adecco, AKKODiS, and Saka Partners. IRODORI provides the Local Dialogue tool and public-civic coordination methodology. Duration: 2023-05-22 to 2026-03-31.
• MIT App Inventor FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Official global partnership for delivering WagamamaLab and Japan Wagamama Awards programs. IRODORI is the only authorized program partner in Japan. Jointly developed CCAF (Certified Computational Action Facilitator) certification program. Students from Japan Wagamama Awards present at MIT's annual Global Education Summit.
• Modis Inc. ( Adecco Group)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 December 2022Partnership with Modis Inc. (technology solutions subsidiary of Adecco Group) for delivering Hokota WagamamaLab digital human resource training program. Modis provides technology training expertise and connects to municipal DX initiatives.
• AKKODiS Consulting Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term strategic partner for regional DX and corporate-government linkage projects. Multiple joint initiatives including partnerships with Tuyama City, Shimoda City, and others. Also venue sponsor for Japan Wagamama Awards final presentations.
• KAGOME Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCorporate client for new business development support, exploring local food tourism and regional revitalization projects.
• Hokuriku SDGs General Research Institute (北陸SDGs総合研究所)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partner for WagamamaLab programs in Ishikawa Prefecture, specifically supporting Hakui High School's post-earthquake recovery programs and student MIT participation.
• Iloilo City Community College (Philippines)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational education partnership delivering WagamamaLab program to 30 Filipino university students. Students developed accessibility, caregiving, and cultural preservation apps. Iloilo City is exploring UNESCO Creative Cities (gastronomy) linkage.
• West Visayas State University Lambunao Campus (Philippines)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational education partnership for delivering WagamamaLab program. WVSU-LC is considering formal integration of WagamamaLab into its official curriculum.
• Young Founders School (Hong Kong)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for hosting Hong Kong high school students as interns in WagamamaLab programs. Conducted 3-week internship with online sessions and Discord-based support.
• Kashiwa City Social Welfare Council (千葉県柏市社会福祉協議会)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative program 'Kashiwa WagamamaLab' for community participation support and social welfare. Jointly published 'Kashiwa WagamamaLab Observation Diary' concept book. Council staff trained in Wagamama meeting facilitation.
• Tokyo University of Education (東京学芸大学)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership with Professor Kaneko Yoshihiro (Director, Education Incubation Center) as advisor and judge for Japan Wagamama Awards. Professor serves as board member of STEAM Japan.
• Takasaki City University of Economics (高崎経済大学)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for regional policy research and WagamamaLab program delivery. Professor Wakabayashi Takahisa (CCAF graduate, Associate Professor) serves as project fellow.
• Furusato Shimane Teijuen Foundation (ふるさと島根定住財団)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term regional partner for Shimane Prefecture initiatives, including enterprise-government relationship population programs and civic engagement methodologies.
• Robert Rasmussen & Associates Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerT-shirt sponsor for Japan Wagamama Awards 2025. Japan's leading LEGO Serious Play practitioner, certified by the original Danish developer. Provides facilitation training to IRODORI staff and WagamamaLab facilitators.
• Onaga CP Tax Accountant Office / NPO MIT Japan Venture ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMIT alumni organization with 25+ years of history in Japan, operating the annual Venture Mentoring Program (VMP). IRODORI participated in VMP25, winning 4 awards. Onaga CP Tax Office and the NPO co-sponsored IRODORI's MIT Summit participation.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Progate Inc. Japan's leading online programming education platform serving beginners and professionals. Broader incumbent in the same coding-for-beginners space as WagamamaLab but delivered online-to-consumer rather than through in-school programs.

Emerging players

• Goblin Inc. Japanese edtech startup focused on inquiry-based learning programs for schools, including learning design consulting and curriculum delivery. Competes for the same integrated study / inquiry learning budget hours that WagamamaLab targets.
• CoderDojo Japan: Volunteer-led youth coding club network operating across Japan affiliated with the global CoderDojo movement. Comparable volunteer-driven, community-based model for teaching children coding, though less structured than WagamamaLab's curriculum and MIT integration.

Direct peers

• Code for Japan: Nonprofit civic technology organization that matches technologists with municipal governments to solve local problems using technology - the same civic-tech-meets-municipal-government wedge IRODORI exploits through its Regional Population Creation Program.
• Social Design Center: Japanese social venture builder funding and supporting regional revitalization and social issue startups. Operates the same multi-stakeholder public-civic-corporate model across Japanese municipalities as IRODORI's Enterprise-Government Relationship Population Creation Program.
• Life is Tech, Inc. Japan's largest youth programming education company running school-based IT bootcamps and STEAM programs serving middle and high school students nationwide. Direct competitor in the in-school tech education procurement channel IRODORI targets with WagamamaLab.
• NPO ETIC. Long-established nonprofit developing social entrepreneurs and youth leaders in Japan. Comparable in mission emphasis on youth empowerment, regional revitalization, and public-private collaboration, though ETIC focuses on entrepreneurship pipelines rather than technology/coding education.
• kaettara Inc. Founded by IRODORI co-founder Nagai Ayaka in 2017, kaettara operated in the same regional revitalization and women's DX space in Oyama City, Tochigi Prefecture, before being succeeded by IRODORI. Highly comparable: same founder DNA, same municipal consulting playbook, same gender-and-regional mission.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wagamamalab
• Instagraminstagram.com/wagamamalab
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/irodori-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about IRODORI.Inc