Shirofune

What Shirofune does

Shirofune is a Tokyo-based SaaS company, founded in October 2014 by former CyberAgent advertising operations executives (Kikuchi Mitsunaga, Representative Director; Takehita Satoshi, Director; Maeda Toshiyuki, CTO), that develops an advertising operations automation platform serving Japanese advertisers and advertising agencies. The platform automates budget allocation, bid optimization, improvement-proposal generation, and cross-platform reporting across 11+ ad networks — Google Ads, Yahoo! Japan (LINE Yahoo), Meta, Amazon Ads, Amazon DSP, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, and ChatGPT Ads — and claims the No.1 domestic market share in Japan for ad operation automation tools with 13,000+ accounts under management. The proprietary core is an auto-bidding optimization algorithm refined over 10,000+ hours that is designed to work effectively with small data samples and zero learning periods, distinguishing it from data-volume-dependent statistical ML approaches.

The product surface has expanded beyond operations automation into adjacent layers: I'm Creative (an AI-powered creative analysis and improvement tool using computer vision and generative AI, co-developed with Tokyo University AI startup MAGICA), an LTV Operations module that connects CRM and transaction data to ad platforms (including Amazon Marketing Cloud data clean room integration), and a Change Analysis Report feature for performance diagnostics. Revenue is generated via two pricing tiers: a Self Plan charging 5% of monthly ad spend, and a Support Plan charging ¥100,000/month plus 5% of ad spend for guided onboarding toward 3-month in-house operationalization. Distribution combines product-led growth (2-month free trial, 3-minute signup) with direct enterprise sales, agency solution partnerships, a 20%-commission referral program, and an English-language international site (shirofune.io) backed by a U.S. subsidiary.

Customer base spans large listed-company advertisers (Recruit, Denso Create, Yamazen, Autobacs, Kansai Electric, SMBC Nikko Asset Management), national and regional advertising agencies (Dentsu Digital, Transcosmos, Septeni, ADK, Yomiuri Rengou Kousha, Hokkaido Shimbun, Kyuko), and SMBs that lack prior advertising expertise. Quantified customer outcomes include up to 92% monthly workload reduction, 54% operational work-hour reduction at Dentsu Digital, 130% YoY web ad sales growth at Yomiuri Rengou Kousha, and CPA improvements ranging 30–69.5% across cases. The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds and operates subsidiaries including ShirofuneX (local/SMB focus), ShirofunePlus, and Shirofune Inc. (U.S.).

Name

Shirofune

Legal name

株式会社Shirofune

Website

https://shirofune.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Shirofune is a Tokyo-based SaaS company founded in 2014 that automates digital advertising operations — including bid optimization, budget management, reporting, and creative analysis — across 11+ ad networks for Japanese advertisers, agencies, and SMBs, claiming the No.1 domestic market share with 13,000+ accounts managed.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Advertising automation software

NAICS

Media Buying Agencies (54183), Media Buying Agencies (541830), Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310), Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Computer Programming Services (7371)

akta.pro primary industry

Performance Marketing Automation & Bid Management Services (MPAAACAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Marketing Automation & Campaign Management CRM (HDAEAFAB)

Keywords

• Ad operations automation
• Digital advertising platform
• Campaign management software
• Marketing automation tools
• Creative analysis AI

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Self Plan - Ad Spend Percentage Fee: Self-service plan for advertisers and agencies who operate ads themselves. Fee is 5% of monthly advertising spend (excluding tax). No fixed minimum, billed based on actual ad spend volume.
2. Support Plan - Fixed + Variable Fee: For advertisers who need guided onboarding. Fixed support fee of ¥100,000/month (excluding tax) plus 5% of monthly ad spend. Includes dedicated support for internalization success within 3 months.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Shirofune is a SaaS advertising operations automation platform that automates bid management, budget allocation, improvement proposals, and reporting across 11+ ad networks (Google, Yahoo! Japan, Meta, Amazon, Amazon DSP, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, ChatGPT Ads). It uses a proprietary auto-bidding optimization algorithm refined over 10,000+ hours to deliver professional-grade advertising operations with as little as 10 minutes of daily oversight. The platform also includes the I'm Creative AI module for video/image ad creative analysis and an LTV operations module for SaaS and e-commerce advertisers.

Product overview

Shirofune is an advertising operation automation platform developed by advertising operation experts in Tokyo since 2014. The core Shirofune platform automates budget management, bid optimization, improvement proposals, and reporting across 11+ major ad networks (Google, Yahoo! Japan, Meta, Amazon, Amazon DSP, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, ChatGPT Ads). The platform is complemented by the AI creative improvement tool 'I'm Creative' which analyzes video/image creative performance and generates improvement proposals and composition images. Additional modules include the Support Plan for guided onboarding, the LTV Operations module for long-term value-based advertising, and the Full Company Introduction Plan for agency-wide deployment. The platform operates on two pricing tiers: the Self Plan (5% of monthly ad spend) for self-managed users, and the Support Plan (starting at ¥100,000/month) for guided users. Shirofune automates over 13,000 accounts globally and claims No. 1 domestic share in Japan.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• I'm Creative: AI-powered creative analysis and improvement tool that analyzes video and static ad creative performance, identifies factors driving performance differences, and automatically generates improvement proposals and composition suggestions.

Products and services

• Shirofune Advertising Automation Platform Flagship SaaS platform that automates budget management, bid optimization, improvement action proposals, and reporting across 11+ major ad networks (Google, Yahoo! Japan, Meta, Amazon, Amazon DSP, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Reddit, ChatGPT Ads) for advertisers and advertising agencies. Designed for professional-grade advertising operations achievable with as little as 10 minutes of daily oversight.
• I'm Creative (AI Creative Analysis Tool) AI-powered creative analysis module that categorizes video and static image ad elements into objects, text, and audio to identify winning performance patterns, and automatically generates text improvement proposals and composition images. Available as part of the Shirofune platform for advertisers prioritizing creative quality.
• Support Plan Premium support service for Shirofune users, including monthly meetings, on-demand chat support, hands-on guidance from advertising operation experts, and basic platform setup support. Designed for advertisers seeking guided in-house operationalization within 3 months.
• LTV Operations for Leads Module that connects CRM and transaction data with ad delivery data to calculate predicted LTV per campaign and automatically allocate budgets toward long-term customer value. Targets SaaS companies and businesses where lead acquisition does not directly translate to immediate revenue.
• Agency Full Company Deployment Plan Enterprise deployment program for advertising agencies rolling out Shirofune across their organization. Includes fixed-fee pricing options, integration support for existing in-house systems, and tools for stabilizing client service quality and improving organizational productivity.

Quantifiable outcome

• Monthly operational work reduced by up to 92% compared to traditional advertising operations
• +10 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration10 records

AI capability12 records

Feature14 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered platform expansion, core platform integration, core joint service partner, key co-development partner and core partner.

• ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI)platform expansionTechnology or Integration · 19 May 2026Shirofune completed API integration with ChatGPT Ads (OpenAI's advertising product displayed in ChatGPT's answer interface), releasing automation for budget adjustment, bid optimization, and report visualization for ChatGPT advertising.
• Reddit Adsplatform expansionTechnology or Integration · 27 January 2026Shirofune implemented automation for Reddit Ads, enabling budget management, bid optimization, performance analysis, and report creation for Reddit advertising within the Shirofune platform.
• Google P-max / Google Adscore platform integrationTechnology or Integration · 2 September 2025I'm Creative integrated with Google P-max to support per-asset performance data acquisition, enabling creative-level analysis and improvement recommendations for Google's AI-powered automated delivery campaigns.
• Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC) / Amazon Adscore platform integrationTechnology or Integration · 19 August 2025Shirofune integrated with Amazon Marketing Cloud (AMC), Amazon's data clean room, to enable LTV-maximizing bid optimization based on new customer acquisition cost, new customer ROAS, and predicted LTV for Amazon Ads operations. This is Shirofune's first integration with a major ad solution's data clean room.
• 株式会社リチカ (Ritchika)core joint service partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 June 2025Shirofune and Ritchika entered a business partnership to provide integrated 'operations × creative production' services. The partnership combines Ritchika's automated creative production with Shirofune's ad operations automation, enabling end-to-end digital marketing services. Claims up to 92% operational workload reduction and 63% cost reduction for joint customers.
• 株式会社MAGICAkey co-development partnerStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2025Shirofune co-developed the I'm Creative improvement proposal generation feature with MAGICA, a Tokyo University-launched startup specializing in image generation AI technology. MAGICA's image generation AI technology was combined with Shirofune's ad optimization technology to enable automated creative improvement proposal and composition design generation.
• Yahoo! Japan (LINEヤフー)core partnerTechnology or IntegrationShirofune is the only Yahoo! Japan API certified partner in Japan. This partnership enables deep integration with Yahoo! Japan advertising platform, providing automated operations across Yahoo! Japan ad campaigns.
• Google Adscore platform integrationTechnology or IntegrationLong-standing platform integration with Google Ads enabling cross-platform automated management, reporting, and optimization across Google's advertising ecosystem.
• Amazon Adscore platform integrationTechnology or IntegrationShirofune has released automated Amazon DSP operation features with no minimum spending or contract requirements. Also integrated with Amazon Marketing Cloud for LTV-based optimization.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• AdCreative.ai: AI-powered ad creative generation and scoring platform. Comparable to Shirofune's I'm Creative module for AI-driven creative analysis and improvement proposal generation.
• Hunch: Creative automation platform for producing and optimizing ad creatives at scale using AI. Overlaps with I'm Creative on the AI creative-analysis-and-improvement workflow.

Regional players

• FreakOut Holdings: Japan-headquartered digital advertising technology company operating DSPs and ad platforms across Asia-Pacific. Comparable as a domestic ad-tech peer in the same Japanese market where Shirofune holds No.1 share.
• Septeni Holdings: Japan-based digital advertising agency and ad-tech group with proprietary platforms for programmatic and social ad operations. Comparable as a Japanese competitor in the in-housing and automation space, and a listed Shirofune customer.

Broad incumbents

• Google Ads (Performance Max / Smart Bidding): Google's own AI-driven campaign automation (Performance Max, Smart Bidding) is the largest incumbent offering overlapping with Shirofune's auto-bidding, asset-level creative analysis, and cross-network optimization.

Direct peers

• Optmyzr: PPC and shopping-ads automation/bid-management platform with rule-engine optimization. Overlaps with Shirofune's auto-bidding and improvement-card features for paid search and retail media advertisers.
• StackAdapt: Programmatic native and display ad-operations platform with multi-channel campaign automation. Comparable to Shirofune on the automation and optimization layer, though focused on programmatic channels rather than walled-garden search/social.
• Skai (formerly Kenshoo): Enterprise omnichannel advertising platform for bid management, optimization, and planning across search, social, and retail media networks. Directly comparable product architecture and customer base to Shirofune at the global enterprise tier.
• Marin Software: Cross-channel paid search and social ad automation/bid-management SaaS. Closely comparable to Shirofune's core cross-platform bid optimization and reporting capabilities, though historically focused on Google and Meta rather than Japan-specific inventory.
• Smartly.io: Creative automation and cross-channel ad-operations platform combining dynamic creative optimization with bid/budget automation. Highly comparable to Shirofune's I'm Creative + automated bidding combination.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights8 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/shirofune_com
• Facebookfacebook.com/shirofune.official
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shirofune

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 Shirofune