About SmartNews
SmartNews is a company based in San Francisco (United States) founded in 2012 by Ken Suzuki and Kaisei Hamamoto. SmartNews has raised $410.2 million across 8 funding rounds from investors including Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, MIXI and Dentsu. SmartNews offers products and services including SmartNews App. SmartNews operates in a competitive market with competitors including Toutiao, News Break, DailyHunt, VerSe and Yahoo Japan, among others.
- Headquarter San Francisco, United States
- Founders Ken Suzuki, Kaisei Hamamoto
- Stage Unicorn
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Sectors
Media & Entertainment
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Email
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Phone
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Website
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Social
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- Legal Name Smartnews, Inc.
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Annual Revenue
Not available
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Net Profit
Not available
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EBITDA
Not available
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Total Equity Funding
$410.2 M (USD)
in 8 rounds
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Latest Funding Round
$69.29 M (USD), Debt – Venture
Jan 09, 2024
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Investors
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
& 18 more
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Employee Count
Not available
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Products & Services of SmartNews
SmartNews offers a comprehensive portfolio of products and services, including SmartNews App.
Delivers curated news from trusted sources based on user preferences.
People of SmartNews
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Funding Insights of SmartNews
SmartNews has successfully raised a total of $410.2M across 8 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Debt – Venture round of $69.29 million completed in January 2024. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
Investors in SmartNews
SmartNews has secured backing from 19 investors, including institutional and venture fund investors. Prominent investors backing the company include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, MIXI and Dentsu.
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Tech companies are funded through venture capital by Princeville Capital.
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Venture capital fund focused on growth stage companies
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Private equity investment firm focused on growth stage companies
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Investor details for SmartNews
Investor domains, locations, round participation, and complete history require an active premium plan.
- Investor domains
- Investor locations
- Funding rounds
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Investments & Acquisitions by SmartNews
Investment portfolio details for SmartNews
Portfolio company identities, transaction dates, round details, and investment values require an active premium plan.
- Portfolio identities
- Transaction dates
- Round details
- Investment values
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Financial Statements - SmartNews
Detailed financials for SmartNews
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- Historical revenue
- Profit trends
- Statement rows
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Smartnews Comparisons
Peer comparison for SmartNews
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- Named peers
- Headcount comparison
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- Operating benchmarks
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Competitors of SmartNews
SmartNews operates in a dynamic and competitive business environment, facing competition from various established players and emerging companies in the market. The competitive landscape includes prominent companies such as Toutiao, News Break, DailyHunt, VerSe and Yahoo Japan, among others.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded year | HQ Location | Description |
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Personalized news aggregator app
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Multi-category news is aggregated online by News Break.
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Multi-category news is curated and delivered in multiple languages.
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Developer of a short-video platform and technology infrastructure
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Online media portal
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Detailed competitors of SmartNews
Competitor domains, locations, full profiles, and operating metrics require an active premium plan.
- Domains and locations
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Latest news on Smartnews
Complete news archive for SmartNews
Full article history, source details, and older brand coverage require an active premium plan.
- Full article archive
- Source and publication date
- Older coverage
- Brand-specific news history
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Frequently Asked Questions about SmartNews
SmartNews was founded in 2012 and raised its 1st funding round 1 year after it was founded.
SmartNews is headquartered in San Francisco, United States. It is registered at San Francisco, California, United States.
Kaisei Hamamoto is the current CEO of SmartNews. They have also founded this company.
SmartNews is a funded company, having raised a total of $410.2M across 8 funding rounds to date.
SmartNews was founded in 2012 in San Francisco, United States, as a technology company focused on news discovery. Machine learning algorithms are employed to analyze millions of articles, user behaviors, and social interactions, enabling the delivery of relevant stories on a global scale. Operations center on a mobile application available for Android and iOS platforms, supporting personalized content curation for users worldwide.
SmartNews's top competitors include DailyHunt, Toutiao and News Break.
SmartNews offers SmartNews App.
SmartNews has 19 investors. Key investors include Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, MIXI, Dentsu, Atomico, and Development Bank of Japan.
The valuation of SmartNews is $2B as of Sep 2021.