NAVICUS

What NAVICUS does

NAVICUS (株式会社NAVICUS) is a Tokyo-based SNS strategy consulting firm founded in July 2018 by Takeuchi Kazuya, supporting consumer brands, gaming/entertainment companies, and Japanese local governments with social media strategy design, account operations, and community building across seven platforms — X, LINE, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Discord. The company operates a dedicated gaming vertical team called 'Doux' (ドュ) with former pro gamers and alumni of Ateam Entertainment, Akatsuki Games, and DeNA, plus a regional-government practice serving prefectures, cities, and wards. NAVICUS's proprietary assets include the 'Media Master' six-platform expert certification system evaluated on achievement, trust, and reproducibility, a five-stage BtoBtoC fan-development framework, and an internal automation pipeline combining Google Apps Script, the ChatGPT API, and Slack that compresses weekly SNS reporting from 1–2 hours to under 10 minutes.

The firm operates as a professional services and managed-services agency. Revenue is generated through bespoke SNS strategy consulting, full or partial SNS account management, web advertising operations, offline event production, and increasingly productized packaged services. Select packages are publicly priced — the SNS Collaboration Campaign service starts at ¥500,000 per campaign, the Local Government SNS Manual is ¥10,000 (tax excluded), and an 11-hour SNS Marketing Seminar is ¥396,000, eligible for up to 75% subsidy under Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare Human Resources Development Subsidy. Go-to-market is event-led and community-driven, anchored by speaking slots at CEDEC, GAME FUTURE SUMMIT, and MarkeZine Day, a regular webinar series, and the 'SNS Talk Lab' community event.

NAVICUS became a subsidiary of PR TIMES Group (TSE Prime: 3922) in December 2023, gaining institutional backing and access to the parent's press-release client ecosystem. As of Q2 FY2025 reporting, revenue was ¥157 million with operating profit of ¥30 million (operating margin above 15%), recovering from a Q3 FY2024 trough of ¥101 million revenue and a ¥20 million operating loss — three consecutive quarters of growth and two consecutive quarters of operating profit. The firm has supported over 300 companies since 2018 and currently manages a cumulative client follower base exceeding 106.2 million across supported SNS accounts as of May 2025.

Name

NAVICUS

Legal name

株式会社NAVICUS

Website

https://navicus.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Short description

NAVICUS is a Tokyo-based SNS strategy consulting firm founded in 2018 that designs social media strategy, runs account operations, and builds fan communities across seven platforms for over 300 consumer brands, gaming/entertainment companies, and Japanese local governments.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo (Akihabara)

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. SNS Strategy Consulting and Advisory: Core revenue stream: strategic SNS consulting, campaign planning, internal trainer development, and account analysis for enterprise and government clients. NAVICUS provides bespoke strategy design aligned to client business objectives, delivered through project-based engagements and retainer arrangements.
2. SNS Account Operations and Management (Delegated): Full or partial SNS account management for corporate and government clients. Includes content creation, posting, community engagement, and reporting. Typically billed on project or retainer basis.
3. Web Advertising Operations: SNS and web advertising campaign execution, planning, and management. Often bundled with SNS strategy engagements.
4. Offline Events and Fan Events: Planning and production of offline events, live broadcast programs, and experiential marketing campaigns. Often part of integrated community strategies.
5. SNS Collaboration Campaign Service: A structured service for cross-brand X and Instagram follow-and-repost campaigns. NAVICUS designs, executes, and provides post-campaign advisory for brand collaboration campaigns. Base price starts at JPY 500,000 per campaign.
6. Local Government SNS Manual (SaaS-like Product): Subscription or one-time license for the 'Local Government SNS Manual', covering daily operations, AI-assisted content creation, and disaster response. Regular price JPY 10,000 (tax excluded).
7. Instagram Recruitment Support Service: Branded recruitment SNS services including company charm diagnostics, Instagram strategy, content creation, and performance analysis targeting job seekers. Part of a structured 4P-based service package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

NAVICUS is a Japanese SNS strategy and community marketing agency that designs, executes, and manages social media and community programs for consumer brands, gaming and entertainment companies, and local government clients. Its core offerings are bespoke SNS strategy consulting, full or partial account operations across X, LINE, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Discord, and adjacent supporting services including community building, recruitment-focused Instagram programs, and local-government SNS manuals. The company supplements its services with packaged offerings such as a standardized SNS Collaboration Campaign service and a localized Local Government SNS Manual knowledge product.

Product overview

NAVICUS is an SNS strategy and community marketing agency that offers a portfolio of specialized services centered on SNS strategy design. The core offering is SNS Marketing (supporting X, LINE, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Discord), complemented by Community Support, Game & Entertainment Support (via the 'Doux' team), Local Promotion for government clients, and SNS Recruitment services. Add-on services include NAVICUS Plus for advanced consulting, plus dedicated packaged offerings such as the Instagram Recruitment Support Service, the Local Government SNS Manual (covering operations, AI tools, and disaster response), and the SNS Collaboration Campaign for cross-brand campaigns. The company positions itself as a 'fan-making' specialist, building brand communities through strategic social media management across consumer, entertainment, and government sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ドゥ (Doux): ゲーム業界向けのコミュニティ支援・ゲームコンサルティングチーム。ゲーム事業会社様のファンコミュニティ作りをSNSを通じてご支援。
• NAVICUS Plus
• SNSコラボキャンペーン
• Instagram採用支援サービス
• 自治体向けSNSマニュアル
• メディアマスター制度

Products and services

• SNS Marketing Core consulting and account-operations service supporting SNS account strategy development, content planning and creation, posting, and performance reporting across X, LINE, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, and Discord; targeted at consumer brands, retailers, and large enterprises.
• Community Support Community building and management support service that helps brands cultivate loyal fan communities beyond social media platforms, including community strategy design, engagement tactics, and offline event planning.
• Game & Entertainment Support Specialized SNS and community marketing support for game and entertainment companies, delivered by the dedicated 'Doux' (ドュ) team, covering Discord, Reddit, Steam, YouTube community, campaign execution, and influencer marketing for gaming clients.
• Local Promotion SNS strategy support for local governments and regional entities, including government SNS account advisory, resident engagement, regional branding, and tourism promotion via social media.
• SNS Recruitment Instagram-based recruitment support service that helps companies attract talent through social media, including company-appeal diagnosis, Instagram strategy design, content production, and performance analysis for hiring purposes.
• NAVICUS Plus Additional consulting and advisory services complementing the core SNS marketing offering, covering advanced strategy, internal training, and specialized support for clients with complex needs.
• Instagram Recruitment Support Service Dedicated Instagram-based recruitment marketing service for companies seeking to attract job candidates, including a 4P-based charm diagnosis, Instagram strategy design, content production, and effect measurement delivered through a packaged offering with dedicated LP and contact form.
• Local Government SNS Manual Practical SNS operations manual for local government PR/communications staff, covering AI-assisted post creation, strategy design, SNS advertising basics, and disaster/emergency response; distributed as PDF/PowerPoint materials with explanatory videos at ¥10,000 (tax excluded) per license, disaster edition free through March 31, 2026.
• SNS Collaboration Campaign Cross-company collaborative campaign service on X and Instagram, partnering NAVICUS clients with complementary brands for joint follower-and-repost campaigns to efficiently expand reach and acquire new followers; basic fee JPY 500,000 (tax excluded) per campaign including planning, creative production, winner management, and post-campaign advisory.

Named customers28 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

AI capability4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• Waseda Information Bureau (、早大情報局)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026NAVICUS entered a formal partnership with Waseda Information Bureau (a Waseda student information media) to run 4 annual practical marketing events for students. The partnership began March 2026 with approximately 30 students participating in the first event. CEO Takeuchi is a Waseda University alumnus.
• Nagasaki Women's Junior College (長崎女子短期大学)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026CEO Takeuchi teaches a 15-session 'SNS Theory' course at Nagasaki Women's Junior College starting September 2025. Topics include SNS history, media literacy, purchasing behavior, job hunting, and AI era outlook.
• Vantan Game Academy (バンタンゲームアカデミー)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2026NAVICUS CEO Takeuchi delivered a special career lecture at Vantan Game Academy Career College (February 15, 2026) on community building, career formation in the entertainment industry, and SNS self-branding for aspiring game creators.
• Meta Japan (Facebook Japan)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2026NAVICUS CEO Takeuchi Kazuya was invited to speak at the Meta Japan Facebook Japan-hosted symposium 'Thinking About Information Literacy in an Uncertain Era' (February 17, 2026). This was an official Meta Japan-organized event on corporate digital resilience and fan community strategy.
• Yamanashi Gakuin UniversityminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026Takeuchi Kazuya (also YNIB Director) delivers self-branding lectures at Yamanashi Gakuin University for the 5th consecutive term in the 2026 academic year. The active learning program uses dialogue with entrepreneurs to help students articulate their values and career goals.
• Habikino City, Osaka Prefecture (羽曳野市)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025Co-hosted a webinar with PR TIMES and Habikino City (November 21, 2025) focused on city PR best practices, SNS strategy, and press release integration for regional brand building.
• Deloitte Tohmatsu — Atotsugi Jump ProgramminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2025CEO Takeuchi delivered a 4th consecutive SNS utilization workshop (November 4, 2025) for the Atotsugi Jump Monodzukuri Course, an acceleration program for family business successors in Fukuoka Prefecture operated by Deloitte Tohmatsu.
• Reddit Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2025NAVICUS announced (November 2025) the launch of Reddit enterprise utilization advisory services for game/entertainment companies, starting December 2025. Reddit has 1B+ MAU globally, 110M DAU, and 45% of users in the US. This is a new service area leveraging NAVICUS's community expertise for Reddit's Subreddit ecosystem.
• Chofu City, Tokyo (調布市)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2025NAVICUS delivered an Instagram training seminar for Chofu City municipal staff (October 8, 2025) covering platform strategy, photo/video content creation, hashtag usage, and risk management. Includes follow-up online consultations across departments.
• Suginami Ward, Tokyo (杉並区)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 August 2025NAVICUS provides ongoing advisory support for Suginami Ward's official LINE and X accounts starting 2025. Services include content improvement, campaign planning support, risk management advisory, and ongoing coaching through regular online meetings. A client since 2024 when ward staff attended a NAVICUS-PR TIMES seminar.
• Discord Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025NAVICUS co-presented at CEDEC 2025 (July 2025) with Discord VP Ross LaJeunesse on 'Creating Game Communities that Make Players Want to Return'. This was an official CEDEC session. Discord has 200M+ MAU globally and 800K MAU in Japan. NAVICUS is the primary Japanese agency partner for Discord-based game community strategy.
• Hida City, Gifu Prefecture (飛騨市)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Co-hosted a webinar with PR TIMES and Hida City on 'Breaking Free from Aimless PR' (July 29, 2025). NAVICUS contributed SNS strategy expertise while Hida City shared practical examples of resident-centered PR transformation. Part of ongoing regional promotion support.
• TVer Inc.flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025NAVICUS and TVer co-hosted a webinar 'TVer x NAVICUS: The Secret to SNS that Moves Fans' (July 30, 2025) on fan-driven SNS strategy. NAVICUS supports TVer's official SNS accounts. TVer has 85M cumulative app downloads and 41.2M monthly unique browsers (as of 2025).
• Suzuki Kikaku Co., Ltd. (株式会社鈴木企画)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2025NAVICUS co-presented a webinar with Suzuki Kikaku (July 30, 2025) on vertical video strategy. Suzuki Kikaku has produced 1,000+ video productions and specializes in vertical video content. The joint session covered user perspective, benefit design, and algorithm optimization.
• DeNA Co., Ltd. (逆転オセロニア)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025NAVICUS co-presented a session with DeNA's 'Reverse Othellonia' game producer at GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2025 (June 4, 2025). Topics included co-creation community strategy, trust-building with fans, and event ROI measurement using user ID tracking across 3.7M+ downloads.
• Dozle Inc. (YouTube: 2.3M subscribers)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 June 2025NAVICUS co-presented with Dozle Inc. (YouTube channel with 2.3M subscribers) at GAME FUTURE SUMMIT 2025 on 'Advertising Beyond the Buzz: Creating Community Enthusiasm'. Dozle's weekly planning meetings are live-streamed for viewer co-creation, a unique community co-creation model.
• Ethical Spirits Co., Ltd.minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2025NAVICUS co-hosted a webinar with Ethical Spirits (May 27, 2025) on共感-driven SNS strategy and effective fan acquisition, using Ethical Spirits' case study as the primary example.
• Soul Thinks Inc. (ソウルシンクス)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2025NAVICUS and Soul Thinks co-hosted a webinar on recruitment-focused Instagram strategy (January 23, 2025). Soul Thinks specializes in short-form video content for recruitment. Satisfaction rate of 91.4% from 35 attendees.
• CyberAgent Legit (pro dance team)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 November 2024NAVICUS became a sponsor of CyberAgent Legit, CyberAgent's professional dance team, from November 2024. This is a brand-building and community engagement sponsorship.
• Japan Hotel School (日本ホテルスクール)minorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 April 2024NAVICUS designs and delivers the full 'Hotel SNS Communication Department' curriculum at Japan Hotel School (launched April 2024, 2-year program). NAVICUS creates course materials, writes textbooks, and teaches classes covering digital communication basics, SNS strategy, content creation, and crisis management.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sprout Social: US-listed social media management SaaS platform providing publishing, analytics, and engagement tools for brands. Comparable as an end-to-end SNS strategy-execution platform, though NAVICUS is services-led rather than product-led.
• Hootsuite: Global social media management platform for enterprise SNS publishing, monitoring, and analytics. Comparable as a multi-channel SNS management platform targeting enterprise and mid-market customers, though geographically outside Japan.
• Khoros: Enterprise community management and digital care platform supporting branded communities, social customer service, and engagement analytics. Directly comparable to NAVICUS's community-support and gaming-community practice, though at a much larger enterprise scale.
• Tribal Media House (トライバルメディアハウス): Japanese SNS marketing agency focused on consumer brands with an influencer-marketing platform and social campaign execution services. Competes in the same Japan SNS-marketing agency segment as NAVICUS.
• Allied Architects (アライドアーキテクツ): Tokyo-listed (TSE Growth) SNS marketing platform company in Japan that provides SNS advertising, influencer marketing, and customer-success automation for brands. Directly comparable as a Japan-focused SNS marketing agency with proprietary SaaS-style offerings serving similar consumer-brand clients.
• Hotto Link (ホットリンク): Japanese SNS data analytics and marketing company that combines social listening, influencer marketing, and SNS campaign execution. Closely mirrors NAVICUS's mix of strategic consulting + data-driven SNS campaign execution for enterprise clients.

Broad incumbents

• CyberAgent (サイバーエージェント): Major Japanese digital media conglomerate with AbemaTV, internet advertising (including SNS), and gaming businesses. Operates as a broad incumbent in SNS-adjacent marketing; NAVICUS's specialized SNS-strategy focus differentiates it.
• Hakuhodo (博報堂): Japan's second-largest advertising agency with deep digital and content marketing capabilities. Targets the same enterprise brand clients as NAVICUS but as a broad full-service agency rather than a SNS-only specialist.
• Septeni (セプテーニ): Large Japanese digital marketing agency offering SNS advertising, programmatic, and creative services. Overlaps with NAVICUS in SNS campaign execution but operates as a broad-incumbent agency with significantly larger scale.
• Dentsu (電通): Global advertising agency with significant Japan operations offering full-spectrum marketing, media, and digital services. Competes for large enterprise SNS budgets but as a broad incumbent rather than a specialized SNS consultancy.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/navicus_jp
• Facebookfacebook.com/navicus.inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries1 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 NAVICUS