About Kakao
Kakao is a publicly listed company based in Jeju-si (South Korea) founded in 2010 by Kim Beom-soo. Multi-category messaging and advertising applications are offered online. The company has 4,030 employees. Kakao has completed 14 acquisitions, including Iseeyou, JOH & Company and Kiwi Media Company. Its website kakaocorp.com draws about 1.5 million monthly visits. Kakao offers products and services including Communication Services and Shopping Services. Its focus areas include Consumer, Mobile App Studios, Horizontal and Mobile. Its legal entity is Kakao Corp.
Company details
Kakao was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Jeju-si, South Korea. Operations are conducted in the global mobile and internet sectors, with solutions provided across messaging, news, advertising, gaming, e-commerce, and music. Human resources, technology, content, and mobile traffic are utilized to serve international markets.
- Headquarters Jeju-si, South Korea
- Employees 4,030
- Founders Kim Beom-soo
- Stage Public
- SectorsTechnology
- Website category Computers Electronics and Technology
- Emailโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโข
- Phoneโขโขโขโข โขโขโขโข
- Website kakaocorp.com/page
- Social LinkedIn X Facebook Instagram YouTube
- Legal Name Kakao Corp.
Products & Services of Kakao
Kakao offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including Communication Services and Shopping Services.
Platforms for messaging and social connectivity services
Tools for online shopping and business transactions
Apps and channels of Kakao
Kakao publishes 2 mobile apps with over 10M+ downloads; its YouTube channel 카카오 has 131K subscribers and 30 videos.
Videos from Kakao
The most watched videos on Kakao's YouTube channel, 카카오 (131K subscribers). Click a video to play it here.
More on 카카오.
Funding Insights of Kakao
- Total Rounds 8
- First Round $19.08M
(Aug 2011)
- Investors Count 10
All 8 funding rounds of Kakao with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2021 | Post-IPO | โ | โ | โ | |
| Jan 2021 | Post-IPO | โ | โ | ||
| Jan 2018 | $1B | Post-IPO | โ | โ | โ |
| Jun 2017 | $437.13M | Post-IPO | โ | โ | |
| Dec 2016 | $107M | Post-IPO | โ | โ | |
| Mar 2014 | $10M | Post-IPO | โ | โ | |
| May 2012 | $63M | Post-IPO | โ | โ | |
| Aug 2011 | $19.08M | Post-IPO | โ | โ |
10 investors in total: 10 institutional.
Investors in Kakao
Kakao has secured backing from 10 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Tencent, WeMade Entertainment and BlackRock.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Fund of funds focused on pre-seed and seed-stage companies | 1992 | tpg.com | Fort Worth, United States | |
Sovereign wealth is managed and private equity investments are facilitated. | gic.com.sg | Singapore, Singapore | ||
Tech-focused seed, early, and mid-stage VC investments are made globally. | dcm.com | Menlo Park, United States | ||
Early-stage tech and life-sciences firms are funded across the US. | maverickventures.com | San Francisco, United States | ||
Investments in tech startups are provided by CyberAgent Capital. | cyberagentcapital.com | Tokyo, Japan | ||
Investment holding firm established in Seoul in 2003. | 2003 | koreainvestment.com | Seoul, South Korea | |
Diversified investment management firm and private fund focused on debt, equity, and secondary market investments in multiple sectors | 1988 | blackrock.com | New York, United States | |
Diversified operations in retail, property, hospitality, and services are conducted. | 1984 | berjaya.com | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
Value-added internet, mobile, and telecom services are provided in China. | 1998 | tencent.com | Shenzhen, China | |
MMORPGs and related games are developed by WeMade Entertainment. | 2000 | wemade.com | Seoul, South Korea |
Investor details for Kakao
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
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People of Kakao
102 people are tracked at Kakao (22 in leadership, 10 in board & advisors, 70 in team); the tracked headcount is 4,030.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
Kim Beom-soo | Co-Founder & Chairman | Leadership |
Shina Chung | CEO | Leadership |
Joon Yeon Hwang | Head Of Kakao Business Domain And Map Domain | Leadership |
Jeong Hwan Shin | CTO | Leadership |
Heyryung Choi | Chief Financial Officer | Leadership |
Lena Eunhea Kim | 카카오 성과리더 (vp, Head Of Corp. Business Development) | Leadership |
Seong Kang | Chief Legal Officer | Leadership |
Jongwhan Shin | CFO Head of Finance, Corporate Alignment Council | Leadership |
Sukyung Cho | Head of Legal Support Team, Corporate Alignment Council | Leadership |
Changmin Lee ( | Head Of Maps BD & Partnerships | Leadership |
Tim Hwang | Vice President | Leadership |
Woosung Lee | Vice President, Corporate Strategy | Leadership |
Junhee Park | General Manager | Leadership |
Chanteag Kwon | Bigdata Platform Team Leader/director | Leadership |
Byungkwon P. | Lead Of Kakao Business Tech, Vp. | Leadership |
Hoyoung Yun | Director | Leadership |
Jaeyoong Lee | Deputy General Manager | Leadership |
Chase Yun | VP Of IP Business | Leadership |
Minkyun Shin | Senior Vice President | Leadership |
Sungjoon Jun | Head Of Commerce / 성과리더 | Leadership |
82 more people are available in the full profile.
Complete people profiles for Kakao
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
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IPO & Listings of Kakao
Kakao is a publicly listed company on the KRX with ticker symbol 035720 in South Korea, operating in the Technology services sector. As a publicly traded entity, the company provides investors with opportunities to participate in its growth story through equity ownership. The listing enables access to capital markets, enhances corporate visibility, and provides liquidity for shareholders while maintaining transparency through regulatory compliance and regular financial disclosures.
- IPO date15 Oct 2010
- Listed onKRX: 035720
- Listed entityKakao Corp.
- Exchange sectorTechnology services
- ISINKR7035720002
- Share price31,700.00 KRW (+1.28% on the day) · 2026-10-14
- Market capitalisation13,789,239,453,125.00 KRW
- Price to earnings34.2
- EPS (diluted, trailing year)927.87 KRW
- Dividend yield0.24%
- Volume (last session)1,295,210
Financials of Kakao
| Year | Revenue | Net income | EBITDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 8,100.00B KRW | 463.72B KRW | 1,550.00B KRW |
| 2024 | 7,860.00B KRW | 55.28B KRW | 1,310.00B KRW |
| 2023 | 7,560.00B KRW | -1,010.00B KRW | 1,190.00B KRW |
| 2022 | 6,800.00B KRW | 1,360.00B KRW | 1,140.00B KRW |
| 2021 | 6,140.00B KRW | 1,390.00B KRW | 956.07B KRW |
Detailed financial statements for Kakao
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
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Investments & Acquisitions by Kakao
Kakao has strategically engaged in corporate development activities, having acquired 14 companies. Notable acquisitions include Iseeyou, JOH & Company and Kiwi Media Company.
| Company Name | Description | Domain | Location | Founded | Acquired | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Provider of football club services | seongnamfc.com | Seongnam-si, South Korea | 2003 | Sep 2022 | โขโขโขโข | |
Cryptocurrency trading assistance is offered via an online platform. | sebc.co.jp | Osaka, Japan | 2017 | Apr 2022 | โขโขโขโข | |
Film production and translation services are offered in South Korea. | kiwimediaco.com | Seoul, South Korea | 2017 | Oct 2021 | โขโขโขโข | |
Multi-category fashion products are offered through an app-based platform. | croquis.com | Seoul, South Korea | 2002 | Apr 2021 | โขโขโขโข | |
Game publisher and webtoon service provider in south-east Asia region | neobazar.net | Seongnam-si, South Korea | 2015 | Dec 2018 | $12.2M | |
Blogs on multiple topics are published by JOH & Company. | johcompany.com | Seoul, South Korea | 2010 | Mar 2018 | $27.24M | |
App-based parking space booking platform | parkingsq.com | Seoul, South Korea | 2013 | Mar 2016 | โขโขโขโข | |
Parking spaces are discovered and reserved via an online platform. | parkhere.co.kr | Seoul, South Korea | 2013 | Feb 2016 | โขโขโขโข | |
Music streaming, production, and distribution are managed in South Korea. | iloen.com | Seoul, South Korea | 1978 | Jan 2016 | $1.6B | |
Limited information is available on core activities. | locnall.com | Seoul, South Korea | 2011 | Jun 2015 | โขโขโขโข |
Complete acquisition details for Kakao
Acquired stakes, deal sources and the complete acquisition history require an active premium plan.
- Acquired stakes
- Deal sources
- Complete history
- Exports
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Kakao
14 dated milestones of Kakao across 12 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Kakao is founded.
- IPO Lists on the stock exchange (IPO).
- Funding First funding round of $19.1M.
- Acquisition Acquires LOC&ALL.
- Acquisition Acquires LOEN Entertainment.
- Acquisition Acquires Park Here.
- Acquisition Acquires Parking Square.
- Acquisition Acquires JOH & Company.
- Acquisition Acquires Neobazar.
- Acquisition Acquires croquis.com.
- Funding Latest funding round, Post-IPO,.
- Acquisition Acquires Kiwi Media Company.
- Acquisition Acquires Sakura Exchange Bitcoin.
- Acquisition Acquires Seongnam Football Club.
Web traffic of Kakao
The website of Kakao (kakaocorp.com) receives about 1.5M visits a month and ranks #41,864 among all websites worldwide, #5,101 in Computers Electronics and Technology.
- Monthly visits1.5M
▲ 2% vs previous month
- Unique visitors591.1K
per month
- Global rank#41,864
among all websites
- Category rank#5,101
Computers Electronics and Technology · Computers Electronics and Technology
- Bounce rate42%
- Pages per visit2.7
- Average visit2 min 27 sec
- DevicesDesktop 68% ยท Mobile 32%
Websites whose visitors overlap most with Kakao. Affinity shows how closely the audiences match.
| Website | Domain | Audience affinity | Monthly visits | Global rank | Profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
careers.kakao.com | careers.kakao.com | 100% | #219,293 | โ | |
| figma.com | 99% | 84.7M | #221 | View details | |
| altools.co.kr | 96% | #127,877 | View details | ||
| hancom.com | 95% | 1.9M | #25,698 | View details | |
news.hada.io | news.hada.io | 95% | #33,278 | โ | |
| โขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโข | โขโขโขโขโขโข.com | โขโข% | โข.โขM | #โขโขโขโขโข | โ |
| โขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโข | โขโขโขโขโขโข.com | โขโข% | โข.โขM | #โขโขโขโขโข | โ |
| โขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโขโข | โขโขโขโขโขโข.com | โขโข% | โข.โขM | #โขโขโขโขโข | โ |
All 40 similar websites and full traffic analytics for Kakao
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Related news about Kakao
Complete news archive for Kakao
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Frequently Asked Questions about Kakao
Kakao was founded in 2010 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
Kakao is headquartered in Jeju-si, South Korea. It is registered at Jeju-si, Jeju-do, South Korea.
Kakao has 4,030 employees.
Annual revenue of Kakao is $5.61B as on Dec 31, 2025.
Kakao was founded in 2010 and is headquartered in Jeju-si, South Korea. Operations are conducted in the global mobile and internet sectors, with solutions provided across messaging, news, advertising, gaming, e-commerce, and music. Human resources, technology, content, and mobile traffic are utilized to serve international markets.
Kakao offers Communication Services and Shopping Services.
Yes, Kakao is publicly traded on KRX under the ticker symbol 035720.
Kakao has made 14 acquisitions, including Iseeyou, JOH & Company, and Kiwi Media Company.
Kakao has 10 investors. Key investors include Tencent, WeMade Entertainment, BlackRock, TPG, and Korea Investment Holdings.
Kakao operates through Kakao Corp..
Yes. Kakao publishes KakaoTalk and 1 more app, with over 10 million downloads.
The website of Kakao receives about 1.5 million visits a month and ranks #41,864 among all websites worldwide.