What COLBO Co. does

COLBO Co., Ltd. (株式会社コルボ), founded December 10, 1993 and headquartered in Tokyo, is a Japanese healthcare-focused communications agency providing integrated in-house creative production services to pharmaceutical and medical-device companies. The company operates five core service lines — medical writing, graphic design, video production/3DCG, space design (exhibition booths), and web production — and delivers all production internally rather than subcontracting. Its customer base consists primarily of Japanese enterprise pharmaceutical and medical-device firms, including Chugai Pharmaceutical, GSK, Otsuka, Eisai, Kissei, Astellas Amgen, Alexion, Nobel Pharma, Olympus, and Kowa. With approximately 40 employees, COLBO competes on healthcare-specialized quality control (in-house proofreading team with pharmaceutical code expertise) and on cross-media coordination, enabling clients to consolidate multi-channel promotional campaigns with a single vendor.

The business model is B2B professional services on a project-quotation basis — no public pricing tiers, subscription products, or recurring-revenue contracts are disclosed. Client acquisition runs through two dedicated direct sales divisions (Sales Communication Division for new client acquisition and project management; Sales Relation Division for ongoing client relationships) plus website inquiry forms; there is no self-serve, marketplace, or reseller channel. Marketing channels are limited to the corporate website, Facebook and Instagram pages, and academic conference participation. The company has earned an ISO/IEC 27001:2022 ISMS certification (JQA-IM2179, September 26, 2025) and an EcoVadis Bronze sustainability rating.

Since January 1, 2020, COLBO has been a wholly-owned subsidiary of MedPeer Inc. (TSE: 7045), a publicly listed physician community platform with roughly 120,000 registered doctors (approximately one in three Japanese physicians). Registered capital is ¥90 million. The company relocated to expanded offices in Ginza Shochiku Square (Chuo-ku, Tokyo) in July 2024 to accommodate business expansion, and marked its 30th anniversary in 2023 with a brand refresh and renewed corporate statement. All operations are domestic Japan; there is no public evidence of international expansion, recurring-revenue offerings, AI/ML product capabilities, or external funding rounds.

Name

COLBO Co.

Legal name

株式会社コルボ

Website

https://colbo.co.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Short description

COLBO Co., Ltd. (founded 1993, Tokyo) is a Japanese healthcare-focused creative agency providing integrated medical writing, graphic design, video/3DCG, space design, and web production for pharmaceutical and medical-device companies, operating as a wholly-owned subsidiary of MedPeer Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Communications Services

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

Medical Writing & Regulatory Submission Support CROs (HLAGAAAG)

Keywords

• Healthcare communications agency
• Medical writing services
• Pharmaceutical creative services
• Medical device marketing
• Healthcare content production

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, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Healthcare promotion creative services: Project-based creative service fees for pharmaceutical and medical device companies. Services include medical writing, graphic design, video/3DCG production, space design (exhibition booths), and web production. Revenue is generated on a project-by-project basis with no recurring subscription model described. Clients include pharmaceutical companies, medical device manufacturers, and healthcare institutions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

COLBO Co. is a Tokyo-based communications agency specializing in healthcare creative services for the pharmaceutical, medical device, and life sciences industries. The company delivers integrated communications solutions spanning medical writing, graphic design, video/3DCG production, space design (e.g., exhibit booths and office environments), and web design for healthcare clients. It operates as a project-based creative services provider rather than a product vendor.

Product overview

COLBO Co. is a healthcare sales promotion company offering integrated in-house production services across five core disciplines: Medical Writing, Graphic Design, Video Production/3DCG, Space Design, and Web Design. The company specializes in pharmaceutical and medical device marketing communications, providing comprehensive creative services from planning through production. Their integrated production system allows single-package delivery of multi-media content, reducing production time and costs while ensuring quality. Services include strategic medical communication, visual design, video/3DCG content, exhibition booth design, and website development with CMS and e-learning capabilities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Writing
• Graphic Design
• Video / 3DCG Production Video and 3D computer graphics production for healthcare clients, supporting product explainers, mechanism-of-action visualizations, medical education, and promotional video content.
• Space Design Physical space and environment design services for healthcare clients, including exhibition booths, conference setups, event spaces, and office interiors tailored to pharma and life science contexts.
• Web Design Web design and digital site production services for healthcare brands, including corporate websites, product sites, and digital campaign landing pages for pharmaceutical and medical device clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• Top 50% globally in EcoVadis sustainability assessment
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers23 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• McCann Health Japan: Global healthcare-focused creative and communications network. McCann Health Japan serves Japanese pharmaceutical clients with similar medical communications, brand promotion, and disease awareness work — directly comparable to COLBO's core offering.
• Ogilvy Health Japan: Health-focused arm of Ogilvy serving pharma and consumer health clients globally. Ogilvy Health Japan delivers integrated brand communications and creative promotion work for pharmaceutical companies, overlapping directly with COLBO's medical writing and design services.
• Publicis Health Japan: Healthcare-focused network within Publicis Groupe offering creative, medical, and digital communications to pharma clients. Operates with similar full-service healthcare creative production model to COLBO.
• Nucleus Global: Global medical communications agency group specializing in medical affairs, scientific communications, and healthcare brand promotion. Comparable to COLBO's medical writing and integrated creative production for pharma clients.
• EXTENDER Inc. Japanese healthcare-focused marketing and sales support company providing MR training, detailing tools, and pharma promotion services. Domestic competitor to COLBO targeting similar pharmaceutical clients.
• CMI Media Group: Healthcare-focused media and communications agency providing strategic planning, creative, and content services to pharma clients. Comparable integrated healthcare creative agency model to COLBO.

Broad incumbents

• Hakuhodo Inc. Japan's second-largest advertising agency with a dedicated healthcare practice. While much broader than COLBO, Hakuhodo's health division competes for the same pharmaceutical marketing budgets with integrated creative services.
• Dentsu Inc. Japan's largest advertising conglomerate with significant healthcare/pharma practice. Operates as a broad incumbent offering integrated communications, digital, and creative services to pharmaceutical clients across multiple markets.
• Syneos Health Communications: Broader clinical and commercial services organization with dedicated communications division. Overlaps with COLBO in pharma promotion and medical communications but operates at much larger scale with broader service portfolio.

Regional players

• Fishawack Health: Global medical communications and consulting agency serving pharma with medical writing, scientific content, and creative services. Comparable offering to COLBO but primarily serves US/European clients, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/colbo.co.jp
• Instagraminstagram.com/colbo.co.jp

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 COLBO Co.