Who Owns SmartNews?
Updated onUse this page to find the SmartNews owner and explore the full ownership hierarchy. See the owner of SmartNews, the parent company, holding structures, and ultimate controllers.
SmartNews
News discovery and aggregation app that uses machine learning to surface trending and relevant stories from thousands of publishers worldwide.
Starts at $0
SmartNews appears to be independent with no parent company.
SmartNews
News discovery and aggregation app that uses machine learning to surface trending and relevant stories from thousands of publishers worldwide.
Starts at $0
SmartNews appears to be independent with no parent company.
Major Shareholders
SmartNews
Major Shareholders
| Name | Type | Ownership | As of |
|---|---|---|---|
Princeville Capital Lead/new investor in SmartNews' Series F (Sept 15, 2021); exact stake not publicly disclosed. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/15/news-aggregator-smartnews-raises-230-million-valuing-its-business-at-2-billion/?utm_source=openai)) | Institutional | - | Sep 2021 |
Woodline Partners Participated as a new investor in the Series F round that valued SmartNews at ~$2B; exact stake not publicly disclosed. ([techcrunch.com](https://techcrunch.com/2021/09/15/news-aggregator-smartnews-raises-230-million-valuing-its-business-at-2-billion/?utm_source=openai)) | Institutional | - | Sep 2021 |
Japan Post Capital (Japan Post Investment Corporation) Lead investor in SmartNews' Series E (closed Nov 2019) and continued as a material institutional backer thereafter; ownership percentage not publicly disclosed. ([business.smartnews.com](https://business.smartnews.com/blog/smartnews-finalizes-usd92-million-series-e-round?utm_source=openai)) | Institutional | - | Nov 2019 |
SMBC Venture Capital / Development Bank of Japan (early institutional backers) Named among SmartNews’ earlier strategic/institutional investors (mentioned in multiple funding rounds and company materials); individual stakes undisclosed. ([about.smartnews.com](https://about.smartnews.com/en/news/2440.html?utm_source=openai)) | Institutional | - | Aug 2016 |
Founders / Founder Leadership (Ken Suzuki; Kaisei Hamamoto — CEO) Founders and executive leadership are significant direct owners in most private startups, though precise founder holdings for SmartNews are not publicly disclosed. ([about.smartnews.com](https://about.smartnews.com/en/about/company.html?utm_source=openai)) | Founder | - | - |
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