SmartNews
SmartNews runs an AI-driven news discovery app that reaches consumers in Japan and the US, and it earns money by selling advertising and partnering with publishers.
SmartNews, Inc. operates a mobile news app. It uses machine learning to curate stories from more than 3,000 publisher partners. It makes money mainly from native and video ads, revenue-sharing and licensing deals with publishers (including the SmartView First program), and a premium subscription called SmartNews+. The company was founded in Tokyo in 2012 and has been downloaded more than 50 million times. It raised a $230M Series F in September 2021 at a $2B valuation, and took $69.3M in venture debt in January 2024. Total funding is reported at roughly $410–477M, depending on the source. Third-party sources put its headcount at about 500 in 2026.
