Startup
SSmartNews
スマートニュース株式会社
#4 in the Japan Top 100 Startups
| Founded / HQ | 2012 · Tokyo |
|---|---|
| Equity raised to date | ¥44.3B “累計資金調達額は443億円” Company-stated cumulative · as of 2021-09 · SmartNews Stale: last disclosed cumulative is from Sep 2021. ¥10B SMBC venture debt (Jan 2024) excluded. IPO reportedly pushed to Dec 2026 (Japan Times, 15 Oct 2026). |
| Last round | 2021-09 · Series F · ¥25.1B 251億円 |
| Latest public valuation | ¥210Bcompany-disclosed 時価総額は2,100億円以上 · 2021-09 · SmartNews |
| Key investors | Princeville Capital, Woodline Partners, ACA Investments, JIC VGI |
| Unicorn | Yes |
| Website | about.smartnews.com |
From Japanese sources
Findings from Japanese-language filings, government records, trade press, interviews and job posts, with our English analysis. Items tagged Japanese-only had no English coverage when we checked quickly. Most insightful first.
| 2026-06-16 | Trade pressJapanese-onlyThree years after layoffs, SmartNews's US business turns profitable スマートニュース､リストラから3年を経てアメリカ事業がついに黒字化 Toyo Keizai reports the US business reached its first quarterly profit and stayed in the black for the full year. It credits high-CPM demand via DSP/SSP links, first-party and video ads, and merged Japan–US engineering. This is the key fact behind the reported plan to list on the TSE. Source: Toyo Keizai |
|---|---|
| 2026-03-25 | IPO signalSmartNews targets an October TSE listing (Bloomberg, sources) ニュースアプリのスマートニュース、10月の東証上場目指す－関係者 Bloomberg reported that SmartNews is preparing a TSE listing for October 2026. Commenters note the earlier ¥10B venture debt as a sign that the US business was still in investment mode. Watch for a TSE approval notice. Source: Bloomberg Japanese (via NewsPicks) |
Overview
SmartNews runs a free news-aggregation app in Japan and the US that uses machine learning to pick and rank articles from thousands of publishers. It makes money mainly from advertising (brand, performance, location and self-serve ads) shared with media partners, plus SmartNews+, a paid bundle of premium publisher content, and coupon and points programs. It has tied up with Docomo, KADOKAWA and UUUM and is pushing AI summaries and new AI-built products like the Wanderland map app. Its last equity round was the ¥25.1B Series F in 2021 at a valuation above ¥210B; a ¥10B SMBC venture-debt facility in 2024 is excluded from our equity totals.
Built from: Newsroom · Series F release
Company timeline
Founded
| Date | 2012-06-15· SmartNews |
|---|---|
| Founders | Ken Suzuki, Kaisei Hamamoto |
| Origin | Co-founded by Ken Suzuki and Kaisei Hamamoto; the SmartNews app launched in December 2012. |
Funding
| Date | Round | Amount | Lead / key investors | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019-11-19 | Series E | ¥10B 総額100億円 | Company release (PR TIMES) | |
| 2021-09-16 | Series F | ¥25.1B (cumulative ¥44.3B), valuation > ¥210B 251億円の資金調達を実施し、時価総額は2,100億円以上へ | SmartNews | |
| 2021-09-16 | Series F | ¥25.1B; valuation >¥210B 251億円…時価総額は2,100億円以上 | Company release (PR TIMES) | |
| 2024-01-09 | Venture debt (excluded) | ¥10B from SMBC ベンチャーデットとして100億円の資金調達 | SMBC | SmartNews |
| 2024-01-09 | Venture debt (excluded) | ¥10B from SMBC ベンチャーデットとして100億円 | Company release (PR TIMES) |
Key hires & board
| 2023-10-30 | C-levelBoard changes and new CTO appointment· SmartNews |
|---|---|
| 2024-10-01 | C-levelNew CFO appointed· SmartNews |
| 2024-11-18 | VPShin Murakami (ex-LinkedIn Japan, Yahoo Japan) joins to lead product· SmartNews |
| 2025-03-28 | BoardNew board structure· SmartNews |
| 2026-04-02 | BoardNew outside director appointed· SmartNews |
Milestones
| 2023-06-09 | AwardPrime Minister's Award, Japan Startup Awards 2023· SmartNews |
|---|---|
| 2023-11-14 | PartnershipBusiness alliance with NTT Docomo· SmartNews |
| 2023-12-12 | ProductLaunches SmartNews+ paid subscription· SmartNews |
| 2025-07-10 | ProductSelf-serve advertising launched· SmartNews |
| 2025-07-24 | ProductGenerative-AI news summaries, a first for a Japanese news app· SmartNews |
| 2026-07-02 | OrganisationAI Transformation Division set up· SmartNews |
| 2026-08-10 | ProductLaunches AI map app Wanderland on iOS· SmartNews |
| 2026-08-19 | ProductSmartNews launches Top Slot ads at the top of the app· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-27 | PartnershipSmartNews expands UUUM partnership, turning creator YouTube videos into AI-written articles· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-27 | PartnershipExpanded UUUM tie-up: AI turns creators’ YouTube videos into articles· SmartNews |
| 2026-10-08 | RegulatoryJ.League club channels pass 1M subscribers· SmartNews |
| 2026-10-08 | RegulatorySmartNews passes 1M channel subscribers across all 60 J.League clubs· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-09 | ProductSmartNews newsletter: top 20 athletes on SmartNews for Sports Day· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-15 | CorporateSmartNews opens SOUNDTAG, a site letting visually impaired users pick news by sound· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-15 | ProductSmartNews holds launch event for SOUNDTAG on International White Cane Day· PR TIMES |
News
| 2026-10-15 | SOUNDTAG: a site letting visually impaired users choose news by sound スマートニュース、視覚障がいのある方が"音"でニュースを選べる体験サイト「SOUNDTAG」を期間限定公開· SmartNews |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-15 | SmartNews holds launch event for SOUNDTAG on International White Cane Day スマートニュース、「国際白杖の日」に“音”でニュースを選べる「SOUNDTAG」の発表会を開催· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-15 | SmartNews opens SOUNDTAG, a site letting visually impaired users pick news by sound スマートニュース、視覚障がいのある方が"音"でニュースを選べる体験サイト「SOUNDTAG」を期間限定公開· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-09 | SmartNews newsletter: top 20 athletes on SmartNews for Sports Day 【スマートニュースニュースレター】10月12日は「スポーツの日」、SmartNewsで注目を集めたスポーツ選手TOP20を発表· PR TIMES |
| 2026-10-08 | J.League club channels pass 1M subscribers 明治安田Ｊリーグ全60クラブのチャンネル登録ユーザー数が100万人を突破· SmartNews |
| 2026-10-08 | SmartNews passes 1M channel subscribers across all 60 J.League clubs スマートニュース、明治安田Ｊリーグ全60クラブのチャンネル登録ユーザー数が100万人を突破· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-30 | SmartNews Ads runs year-end self-serve ad campaign from 1 October スマートニュース、SmartNews Ads「セルフサーブ型広告」で日頃の感謝を込めた年末還元キャンペーンを10月1日より実施· PR TIMES |
| 2026-09-09 | Taiwan government youth programme visits SmartNews 台湾政府主導の青少年育成プロジェクトがスマートニュースを訪問しました· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-27 | Expanded UUUM tie-up: AI turns creators’ YouTube videos into articles スマートニュース、UUUMとの提携を拡大· SmartNews |
| 2026-08-27 | SmartNews AI campaign nominated for Kyoto Anime Monozukuri Award 2026 「スマニューAI計画」が「京都アニものづくりアワード2026」にノミネート！『攻殻機動隊 S.A.C.』と展開した広告や体験型クイズコンテンツ· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-27 | SmartNews expands UUUM partnership, turning creator YouTube videos into AI-written articles スマートニュース、UUUMとの提携を拡大 クリエイターのYouTube動画をAIで記事化する取り組みを本格展開· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-19 | SmartNews launches Top Slot ads at the top of the app スマートニュース、運用型広告でアプリのトップ面最上段に配信する新機能「トップスロット広告」を提供開始· PR TIMES |
| 2026-08-10 | Launches AI map app Wanderland for iOS 地図アプリ「Wanderland（ワンダーランド）」iOS版· SmartNews |
| 2026-07-02 | New AI Transformation Division 会社運営をAI前提に変革する新組織「AI Transformation Division」を設立· SmartNews |
| 2026-06-18 | Becomes a J.League supporting company スマートニュース、Ｊリーグとサポーティングカンパニー契約を締結· SmartNews |
| 2026-04-02 | New outside director 社外取締役の就任に関するお知らせ· SmartNews |
| 2025-12-24 | Basic agreement on alliance with UUUM スマートニュース、UUUMと業務提携に向け基本合意を締結· SmartNews |
| 2025-12-10 | Business alliance with KADOKAWA for manga discovery スマートニュース、KADOKAWAと業務提携· SmartNews |
| 2024-01-09 | ¥10B venture debt from SMBC 三井住友銀行から、ベンチャーデットとして100億円の資金調達· SmartNews |
| 2021-09-16 | ¥25.1B Series F at a valuation above ¥210B 251億円の資金調達を実施し、時価総額は2,100億円以上へ· SmartNews |
Founder profiles: Ken Suzuki, Kaisei Hamamoto
Funding rounds in 2026
No 2026 rounds in our database yet. Earlier funding is summarised above from the cited source.