Smart Education

About Smart Education

Smart Education, Ltd. operates within Japan's EdTech sector, focusing on digital learning solutions for early childhood education. The company was established on June 7, 2011. It was founded by Daigo Ikeya, who currently serves as the Representative Director, along with Nakata Ken, Kawahara Shojiro, Kusakabe Yusuke, and Tanikawa Hiroyuki. Ikeya, a graduate of Meiji University's Graduate School of Science and Engineering, previously worked as a systems engineer at Hewlett-Packard Japan before moving to the CyberAgent group, where he held executive and subsidiary presidential roles. His motivation to start Smart Education stemmed from observing that early childhood education methods had not changed significantly in 40 years and seeing an opportunity to apply his ICT expertise to modernize the field.

The company's business model is bifurcated, addressing both business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) markets. The primary revenue stream comes from its B2B offerings for preschools, kindergartens, and childcare centers. A core product is "KitS," an ICT educational curriculum designed to foster creativity and non-cognitive skills through interactive, tool-based activities like drawing and music creation, rather than traditional drill-based learning. This program has been adopted by approximately 1,500 facilities as of late 2024. Another key B2B product is "Ouchi-en," a secure video distribution service developed in two weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic to help childcare facilities maintain contact with families. This service, along with the "Ouchi-en Mimamo" in-facility camera system, supports保育 visibility and operational efficiency. The company also offers "ASOBIO," a service that creates nature-rich garden environments for preschools.

On the B2C side, Smart Education develops and sells educational applications for infants and toddlers, accessible on smartphones and tablets. A central philosophy for these apps is to encourage joint participation between parents and children. The apps, such as the popular "Oyakode Rhythm Ehon," are developed with a focus on high-quality, authentic content, using professional musicians and real instrument sounds. The revenue model for consumer apps is typically freemium, where users can download and try a portion of the content for free and then opt for a monthly subscription to access the full range of features. The company's applications have achieved over 40 million cumulative downloads and have received multiple Best App awards from Google. Smart Education has also expanded its reach globally, with apps available in over 122 countries and a presence in China, Thailand, Vietnam, and Indonesia through its "KitS" program.