XICA, provider of Japan's No. 1 TV commercial effectiveness analysis tool "Magellan," raises a total of 12.1 billion yen

In addition, we will renew our corporate brand and promote digital transformation in the advertising industry, aiming to become the de facto standard in the industry.

XICA Inc. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Yoshiaki Hirao; hereinafter, XICA) has completed a total of 3 billion yen in funding, with DNX Ventures, Japan Coinvest No. 12.1 Investment Limited Partnership operated by Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment Co., Ltd., NTT Docomo Ventures, Inc., and Salesforce Ventures, the investment arm of Salesforce.com, as underwriters. This brings the total amount of funding raised to 21.6 billion yen. In addition, we have revamped our corporate brand in order to aim for even higher goals as a company in line with our business growth.

XICA's "XICA Magellan" is an advertising effectiveness analysis tool that helps companies optimize their marketing investments by comprehensively analyzing and visualizing the effectiveness of all advertising measures, including offline advertising such as TV commercials, which are generally considered difficult to measure their effect on business results such as sales. Thanks to our customers, we have a track record of introducing the tool to over 100 companies, mainly major domestic companies, and it is highly regarded as Japan's No. 1 MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling)*1 tool and No. 1 TV commercial effectiveness analysis tool*2.

With this funding, XICA will strengthen its development and business divisions and develop new businesses in order to make the solutions it provides the de facto standard in the MMM field.

*1: MMM (Marketing Mix Modeling) is a method of using statistical analysis to quantitatively measure the effects of various marketing initiatives on business results such as sales, and to optimize and simulate marketing investments.

*2: Survey period: October 2019-10, 16 / Survey overview: Image survey of 18 marketing mix modeling tools and on-off integrated analysis tools / Survey method: Online survey / Survey participants: 10-22 years old, male and female, nationwide, marketing occupation, working for listed companies, working for TV commercial companies / Survey commissioned by: Shoppers Eye Co., Ltd.

List of underwriters for this third-party allotment (in no particular order):

<New underwriters>

Japan Co-Invest Limited Partnership (Series B)

<Existing underwriters>

DNX Ventures

NTT Docomo Ventures, Inc.

Salesforce Ventures

Comments on Funding

Comment from Yoshiaki Hirao, CEO of XICA Corporation

We are pleased to announce that existing investors who have been with us so far, DNX Ventures, NTT Docomo Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, and new investor Japan Coinvest No. 3 Investment Limited Partnership, have invested a total of 12.1 billion yen. We are very pleased that our growth so far has been recognized, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude for the expectations for our future growth. We are also deeply grateful to our customers who use Magellan on a daily basis and to our colleagues who have supported our growth so far.

The funds invested in this round will be used to strengthen our products and business in order to make Magellan, which is already No. 1 in Japan, the de facto standard in the integrated analysis market. We have also taken this opportunity to revamp our corporate brand in order to work together as a company to achieve the loftier goal of making XICA's solutions the de facto standard in the market.

As the spread of COVID-19 has forced the entire industry to embrace digital transformation, we will lead the industry by defining the "ideal state" of advertising effectiveness analysis.

Comment from Akira Kurabayashi, Managing Partner at DNX Ventures

XICA provides major advertisers with "Magellan," a solution that uses marketing mix modeling to accurately measure advertising effectiveness and calculate optimal advertising budget allocation, and has achieved significant growth by promoting the digitalization of marketing in the industry. XICA will continue to evolve by using the funds acquired from this large-scale procurement to develop new functions and new businesses. We look forward to the company leading the digitalization of marketing in Japan and bringing about further innovation.

Comment from David Seu, Director of Japan Coinvest No. 3 Investment Limited Partnership/Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Investment Co., Ltd.

In the post-COVID new normal era, the expansion of marketing activities and effectiveness measurement through DX are fields that will continue to grow, and I am confident that XICA's innovative methods will greatly contribute to the revival of the Japanese economy.

Comment from Takayuki Inagawa, President and CEO of NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc.

For companies, data utilization and advanced marketing are becoming increasingly important initiatives. Magellan, which supports decision-making based on data science, is not just an analytical tool but a powerful partner that promotes corporate transformation. We are very pleased to continue to work with market-leading XICA as part of the NTT Group.

Comment from Masaru Asada, Executive Officer and Head of Japan for Salesforce Ventures, Salesforce.com Inc.

"We are pleased to continue to support XICA through this additional investment. Magellan, which makes it possible to measure the effectiveness of TV commercials and offline advertising, which have previously been difficult to visualize, we believe will become an increasingly important tool in the new lifestyle and business environment, and we expect it to continue to provide high value to XICA's customers."

Renewal of corporate brand

In addition, with the growth of the Magellan business, we have revamped our vision, mission and corporate logo as we aim to become the de facto standard in the MMM field, a goal that is even higher than before.

A New Vision

Creating a fair world where talent flourishes

New Missions

Democratize data analytics and democratize marketing due diligence

New corporate logo

Background of the corporate brand renewal

Until now, XICA has optimized the marketing strategies of advertiser companies by providing analytical solutions that properly evaluate advertisements, and in the process, has proven the effect that advertising media has on the business results of the companies. In the future, by making Magellan the de facto standard in the MMM field, we hope to enable advertiser companies to deliver the products and services they create to more consumers, and for companies that provide advertising media to be able to invest more in content that increases the value of advertising media.

Therefore, we have revamped our corporate brand and incorporated our desire to create a world where the value created by companies that create products, services, and content is maximized through our business into our vision of "creating a world where talent development is maximized." To achieve this vision, XICA will continue to do what it has done since its founding: provide a system that allows anyone to use advanced analytical methods that were previously only available to a select few experts. For this reason, we have set our mission as "democratizing data analysis and marketing due diligence."

The new corporate logo represents XICA's identity of "talent blossoming," and the logotype, composed of coordinate axes and graphs, is designed to evoke XICA's core capabilities of "data" and "analysis."

*The names and logos of XICA and XICA Magellan are registered trademarks or trademarks of XICA Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries. *All other company and product names mentioned are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies.

About XICA Magellan　 http://xica.net/magellan/

It is an advertising effectiveness analysis tool that supports companies' overall optimal marketing activities by comprehensively analyzing the effectiveness of a wide variety of advertisements such as internet advertisements, TV commercials, and transportation advertisements, and calculating the optimal allocation plan for advertising budgets. As the No. 1 MMM tool in Japan, it has been introduced to over 100 companies, mainly major domestic companies that advertise on TV commercials, and has earned a high reputation, with 100% of the top 10 companies in Japan in terms of advertising expenditure using Magellan for advertising analysis.  

About XICA Corporation　http://xica.net/

With the mission of "democratizing data analysis and marketing due diligence," XICA is an IT product development company that has been growing rapidly since its founding in 2012 in the field of planning, developing, and providing statistical analysis systems. Since its founding, the company has targeted business people who are "professionals in the field" rather than "analysis professionals," and the operability and intuitiveness of its products, which have been honed based on its unique strategy, have been highly praised.