SmartNews offers a curated, machine-learning driven news aggregation app designed to show timely, relevant stories without overwhelming users. The platform mixes algorithmic ranking with editorial curation to reduce misinformation and surface diverse perspectives. SmartNews focuses on speed, relevance, and a clean reading experience across mobile devices, and it partners directly with publishers for content licensing and monetization. The company also invests in local markets (Japan, U.S., other regions), balancing global reach with locally trained models and editorial partnerships.
What Is SmartNews and What Does It Do?
SmartNews, founded in 2012 by Ken Suzuki and Kaisei Hamamoto (co-founder / leadership), is a San Francisco-based (United States) internet-first media and news-discovery company that uses machine learning and editorial signals to surface important stories across regions; it employs 501–1,000 people. SmartNews aggregates publisher content, applies ranking models and human oversight to deliver concise news feeds and topical channels, and offers publishers distribution and monetization options while prioritizing speed and reliability in story selection.
How Much Funding Has SmartNews Raised?
1. Venture Debt
- Amount Raised: $69.3M
- Date: January 2024
- Lead Investors: Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (corporate lender)
- Motivation: Working capital, international expansion and product investment.
2. Series F
- Amount Raised: $230M
- Date: September 2021
- Lead Investors: Princeville Capital, JIC Venture Growth Investments, ACA Investments, Yamauchi-No.10 (participants)
- Motivation: Scale global operations and product development.
Total Funding Raised: $410 Million
Current Valuation: $2 Billion (as of Sep 2021)
Latest Funding Date: January 2024
Key Investors
1. Princeville Capital
- Details: Growth investor focused on media and technology.
- Investment Focus Areas: Media platforms, scale-stage tech.
- Notable Investments: SmartNews and other media/tech ventures.
2. Yamauchi-No.10 Fund
- Details: Corporate/strategic investor supporting Japanese digital scaleups.
- Investment Focus Areas: Consumer internet, media, and platform businesses.
- Notable Investments: Japan-market focused digital companies.
3. Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (debt partner)
- Details: Corporate lender providing venture debt to support growth capital.
- Investment Focus Areas: Growth financing for tech companies.
Where Is SmartNews’s Headquarters?
SmartNews is headquartered in San Francisco, United States, with significant operations and product teams in Japan.
What’s Next for SmartNews?
SmartNews will continue improving localized recommendation models, expand video and publisher monetization offerings, and deepen partnerships with newsrooms to balance scale with high-quality, trustworthy content delivery.
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