What HYTEK does

HYTEK Inc. is a Tokyo-based private creative production studio, founded in September 2021 by co-CEOs Takaya Mitsunaga (Creative Director) and Hommaru Michido (Technical Producer), both former Hakuhodo and advertising-agency R&D professionals. Operating as a 'tech entertainment label,' the company produces cross-border, language-agnostic entertainment content by integrating partner-supplied emerging technologies — including projection mapping, sensors, LED systems, AI-based content recognition, audio-triggered synchronization (via Evixar's Another Track), thermal imaging, and AR markers — into music videos, TV title sequences, branded content, interactive installations, and large-scale public art projects. Its portfolio spans products such as Thermo Selfie (a temperature-check photo-card device), Yell Selfie (a cheer-activated photo installation co-developed with Hakuhodo I-Studio), KINTSUGI TUGIKI, NATURE CROSSING, BERLIN WALL TOKYO, and the Record Music Video format (Japanese patent application filed).

HYTEK's revenue is generated primarily through project-based creative production fees billed to enterprise clients, supplemented by licensing and deployment income from proprietary interactive products placed at events, festivals, and venues. All engagements are custom-quoted with no public pricing, acquired through founder relationships, industry event presence (SXSW, Spikes Asia), and earned media from award recognition. The company serves a horizontally diverse enterprise client base across broadcasting (NHK, Space Shower TV), music and entertainment (BMSG, AKB48, yahyel), consumer goods (Pocari Sweat USA), digital platforms (TikTok Japan, Billboard Japan), aviation and cultural institutions (Narita International Airport), and real estate (Tokyu Land Corporation). It also operates recurring co-production partnerships with technology and creative firms including Hakuhodo I-Studio, mplusplus, Evixar, Mitsubishi Chemical, Company Spring, and Placeholder Inc.

The studio is headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, with a small named team and publicly posted intern/part-time roles. HYTEK has accumulated 10+ domestic and international awards since founding — including SXSW, Webby Awards (Best of Japan Company), ADFEST Silver, FRAME Awards 2025 Gold, ADAA Excellence Award, and Japan Media Arts Festival selections — alongside industry positioning milestones such as co-CEO Takaya Mitsunaga's Spikes Asia 2025 jury appointment and Forbes JAPAN NEXT100 inclusion. The company is registered with ¥53,995,605 in stated capital, has not disclosed external funding rounds, and operates as an independent entity with corporate contact routed through the Hakuhodo DY Holdings group email domain.

Name

HYTEK

Legal name

株式会社HYTEK

Website

https://hytek.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

HYTEK is a Tokyo-based tech entertainment label founded in 2021 that produces award-winning interactive installations, music videos, and cross-border nonverbal content for enterprise clients in broadcasting, music, consumer goods, and cultural institutions, using partner-supplied emerging technologies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Creative Production Services

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events (7113)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Event & Experiential Brand Coverage (Recaps, Sizzle Reels) (MPADAEAF)

Keywords

• Creative production services
• Interactive installations
• Experiential marketing
• Music video production
• Media art

Headquarters

HQ city

Tokyo

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Creative Production Services (Project-based): HYTEK's primary revenue stream is project-based creative production. The company is engaged by clients to produce music videos, branded content, TV title sequences, AR/installation experiences, and event productions. Engagements are acquired through founder networks and industry reputation, billed per project. Clients include broadcasters (NHK, Space Shower TV), music labels and artist management companies (BMSG, AKB48), consumer brands (Pocari Sweat USA), airports (Narita International Airport), and platforms (TikTok Japan, Billboard Japan).
2. Product Licensing / White-label (e.g., Thermo Selfie): Proprietary interactive products such as Thermo Selfie and Yell Selfie are offered as licensed or deployed experiences to event venues, festivals, wedding halls, and commercial facilities. Revenue is generated through deployment fees, licensing deals, or co-production arrangements with venue operators and brands.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

HYTEK is a tech entertainment label that co-creates technology-driven entertainment content with partner companies. It produces project-based creative work spanning music videos, branded content, TV title sequences, AR and large-scale installation experiences, and event productions for brands, broadcasters, music labels, and cultural institutions. It also develops and licenses deployable interactive products such as Thermo Selfie (a contactless temperature and photo station) and Yell Selfie (a megaphone-triggered cheers-to-photocard installation) for venues and events.

Product overview

HYTEK is a tech entertainment label that creates and produces entertainment experiences, interactive installations, media content, and technology-driven products. The portfolio includes standalone interactive devices (Thermo Selfie, Yell Selfie), immersive physical installations (NATURE CROSSING, 40,000 SKY COLORS, BERLIN WALL TOKYO), music and video content production (music videos, station IDs, commercials), and experimental technology projects (NAKED AI, CONTENTS SYNC TOY). The company operates as a creative production label working with partner companies to develop content across entertainment, art, and technology domains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Creative Production Services (Project-based) Project-based creative production for global brands, broadcasters, music labels, cultural institutions, and platforms; delivers music videos, branded content, TV title sequences, AR experiences, station IDs, and event productions. Custom-scoped and custom-quoted per engagement; clients include NHK, AKB48, BMSG, Space Shower TV, Pocari Sweat USA, TikTok Japan, Billboard Japan, and Narita International Airport.
• Thermo Selfie / サーモセルフィー Contactless temperature-measurement experience device that simultaneously photographs the subject and prints a customizable photo ID card on site, combining health screening with a personalized souvenir / admission pass. Deployed at events, festivals, and commercial facilities. Nominated for The Webby Award (Public Service and Activism) and shortlisted for the LEXUS DESIGN AWARD; exhibited at b8ta Tokyo Shinjuku Marui.
• Yell Selfie / エールセルフィー Megaphone-based interactive installation co-developed with Hakuhodo I-Studio that detects peak cheer volume to trigger a camera shutter, prints a photo card on the spot, and aggregates cheering moments into a collective visual display on venue screens. Developed for event entertainment and venue activation.
• CONTENTS SYNC TOY Toy system using audio-triggered synchronization (built on Evixar's Another Track acoustic communication technology) to synchronize physical toys with on-screen content — enabling children to interact with media without network pairing or Bluetooth. Toys respond to specific sounds embedded in video content, creating participatory viewing experiences.
• NATURE CROSSING Immersive interactive installation using 13 projectors for 4K visuals with motion-sensing floor technology; responds to visitor movement to change displayed environments, creating the sensation of traveling to distant locations. First installment features Palau marine environment; produced for HARAJUKU QWS in partnership with Tokyu Land Corporation.
• 40,000 SKY COLORS project / Sora-noren (空のれん) Large-scale spatial airport art project featuring approximately 100 curtains dyed in airport staff members' personal 'memories of sky colors,' displayed at Narita International Airport. Visitors experience the staff's sky-gazing moments by looking up at the curtains and passing through them. Produced in collaboration with Narita International Airport.
• HIKARU KINTSUGI / KINTSUGI TUGIKI (金継ぎツギキ) Hand-responsive interactive tree installation where placing a hand near the tree's base triggers golden light traversing its joints, accompanied by music. Built using wood from Ishikawa and Tokyo to symbolize kintsugi repair. Developed for the HIKARU KINTSUGI illumination project; won Gold at FRAME Awards 2025 (Netherlands) and was shortlisted for the Japan Space Design Award 2025.
• Acrylic Megaphone Project Upcycling initiative co-developed with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Company Spring that transforms discarded acrylic boards into functional megaphones. The first product was launched via CAMPFIRE crowdfunding in August 2023 and exhibited at the micro FOOD & IDEA MARKET; the project raises awareness about acrylic waste while creating functional products.
• NARITA ART RUNWAY 2025 Narita International Airport's first art competition, produced and curated by HYTEK, themed 'Carry Case'; received 179 submissions from young Japanese artists with 4 selected works (Grand Prize and Honorable Mentions) exhibited at Narita Airport Terminal 2. The annual competition aims to support young Japanese artists' international breakthrough.
• RECORD MUSIC VIDEO (記録音楽動画) Music video format combining gallery exhibition with film, in which a vinyl record plays music while a camera simultaneously records the rotating record surface to create a visual of the music. Japan patent application filed. Won ADFEST 2022 Silver (Mobile Lotus), Asia Digital Art Award 2021 Entertainment Excellence Award, Japan Media Arts Festival 2021/2022 Review Committee Recommended, WIRED Creative Hack Award Sony Prize, and SXSW 2023 Innovation Award Finalist (Audio category, top 5 worldwide). Features artists Shin Sakiura and BASI.
• BERLIN WALL (Tokyo + Online) Two-format Berlin Wall project: BERLIN WALL TOKYO is an offline solo exhibition recreating the Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery) at 3m height with 8K projection scrolling video, held November 9-14, 2021 in Omotesando, Tokyo; BERLIN WALL ONLINE is an Instagram-based project digitizing the entire Berlin Wall (East Side Gallery) into approximately 1,000 panoramic images posted by hand — the world's longest Instagram grid artwork, for which Takaya Mitsunaga was selected as a Pick up Artist at DESIGNART Tokyo U30.
• DIGITAL LEGAL WALL PROJECT Digital graffiti installation built with Placeholder Inc.'s 'SPRAY PAINTING' technology, using projection mapping to enable mural art creation in virtual space without ink and allowing archiving of works. Piloted at the Narita Airport Carry Art Exhibition; initiated January 6, 2023.

Quantifiable outcome

• Awarded 10+ domestic and international awards within first year (2021–2022), including SXSW, Webby Awards, 文化庁メディア芸術祭, Asia Digital Art Award, ACC, AD FEST.
• +4 more outcomes

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

AI capability6 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (三菱ケミカル株式会社)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2023HYTEK partnered with Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation and Company Spring on the 'Acrylic Megaphone Project' — an upcycling initiative that transformed discarded acrylic boards into megaphones. The first product was launched via CAMPFIRE crowdfunding in August 2023. The project aimed to raise awareness about acrylic waste while creating functional products.
• Company Spring (株式会社スプリング)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 August 2023Partnered with Mitsubishi Chemical and HYTEK on the Acrylic Megaphone Project to develop and manufacture upcycled megaphone products from discarded acrylic boards.
• Hakuhodo I-Studio (博報堂アイ・スタジオ)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJointly developed the 'Yell Selfie' interactive installation with Hakuhodo I-Studio. HYTEK provided creative direction and planning; Hakuhodo I-Studio served as production partner. The product is positioned as a joint development between the two Hakuhodo DY Holdings group entities.
• Evixar Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationPartnered with Evixar to develop 'CONTENTS SYNC TOY,' using Evixar's 'Another Track' audio synchronization technology to enable toys to respond to sounds in video content without Bluetooth pairing. The system allows any broadcast media content to trigger toy responses automatically.
• mplusplus Co., Ltd.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner across multiple projects: 'IMMERSIVE ONLINE LIVE SYSTEM' (stage technology connecting home and stage), 'Opening For The Brighter Future' (WAVING LED RIBBON performance), and 'America's Got Talent 2022' support (TOP40/semi-finalist). HYTEK collaborated on technology demonstrations and live entertainment productions involving mplusplus's proprietary LED and stage technology.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• PARTY: Tokyo-based creative agency producing award-winning branded content, music videos, and tech-driven experiences for Japanese and global clients. Directly comparable to HYTEK in scope (creative + technology) and target client base (broadcasters, brands, cultural institutions).
• BUDDHA Inc. Tokyo video production and creative company that has directly co-produced HYTEK projects (REJECT e-sports, DJ Pikachu). Comparable in producing branded video content, music videos, and technology-driven entertainment for Japanese and global clients.
• NAKED Inc. Tokyo creative studio producing immersive art installations, projection mapping, and experiential events for cultural institutions, brands, and venues in Japan and internationally. Comparable scope of installation-led branded experiences.
• WOW Inc. Tokyo visual design and technology studio specializing in motion graphics, interactive installations, and brand experiences. Closely comparable in combining visual design, interactive technology, and entertainment-oriented output for enterprise clients.
• Rhizomatiks: Tokyo-based creative studio famous for combining technology (projection mapping, sensors, AR) with live entertainment and brand experiences. Closely matches HYTEK's 'tech entertainment' positioning and has worked with global brands, musicians, and cultural institutions.
• 1-10, Inc. (now 10 inc.): Tokyo-based creative agency producing innovative branded content and cross-platform campaigns. Comparable in producing award-winning creative work for major Japanese brands and entertainment companies, with similar focus on integrated storytelling.

Broad incumbents

• teamLab: Established digital art collective operating immersive museum-scale installations worldwide. Comparable technology stack and exhibition-led business model, but at significantly larger scale and more focused on permanent/visitor-experience installations versus HYTEK's project-based branded work.
• Hakuhodo: Japan's #2 advertising agency group, founding employer of HYTEK's co-CEOs and structural partner via Hakuhodo I-Studio. Comparable in serving the same enterprise client base (broadcasters, brands, cultural institutions) but at vastly larger scale and as a full-service incumbent rather than a boutique label.

Emerging players

• BAKERU Inc. Tokyo creative production studio producing music videos, branded content, and short-form entertainment for Japanese artists and brands. Comparable in producing music-driven visual content for enterprise and entertainment clients in Japan.
• WOW (Ponomaru Design) / KAYAC Inc. Tokyo creative technology company building interactive experiences, branded content, and entertainment properties. Comparable in combining creative production with technology development and producing experiential work for Japanese enterprise clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/HYTEK_JP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCLPvzns65NyC1Ae3KhXrfJw
• Facebookfacebook.com/hytek.jp
• Instagraminstagram.com/hytek_jp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 HYTEK