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SmartNews
SmartNews, Inc. is a company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, focused on delivering quality information to people. It has global business operations and office locations worldwide.
Subscribe to see SmartNews’s full profile → the full roster, investors in every round, weekly hiring history and every corporate event
SmartNews at a glance
SmartNews is a media, news tech company headquartered in Japan. It has raised at least $358M across the 5 funding rounds on record, 3 of them with a disclosed amount. Its most recent funding round closed in May 2026. Xcout tracks 36 named people at SmartNews, including Kaisei Hamamoto (Chief Executive Officer). Xcout recorded 43 job postings from SmartNews in the last 90 days.
SmartNews leadership
- Kaisei HamamotoChief Executive Officer
- Kaisei HamamotoCo-Founder and CEO
- Ken SuzukiCo-Founder and Executive Chair of the Board
- Atsushi KuroiwaExecutive Officer
- Cads OakleyExecutive Officer
- Chao SongExecutive Officer
30 more named people on record for SmartNews, with roles, board committees and tenure — see the full roster →
SmartNews funding rounds
At least $358M raised across the 5 rounds on record (3 with a disclosed amount). Every round on record:
| Date | Round | Amount | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEC Form D filing | Undisclosed | — | |
| SEC Form D filing | Undisclosed | — | |
| Series F | $230M | 8 named | |
| Series E | $92M | 7 named | |
| Series B | $36M | 2 named |
Who invested in each round, lead investors, valuations and the co-investor graph — open the full funding history →
Hiring at SmartNews
Xcout recorded 43 job postings from SmartNews in the last 90 days, from a hiring record Xcout has kept since May 2026.
The weekly hiring trend, the roles and locations behind it — see SmartNews's hiring signals →
Investors
SmartNews competitors
A few of SmartNews's closest competitors — see the full list of competitors and alternatives →
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Informed360 LLC provides an AI-driven, sentiment-aware news filtering platform that delivers unbiased global and Indian news coverage. The company serves individuals and organizations seeking filtered and sentiment-analyzed news content.
NetAdvance Inc. operates JapanKnowledge, an online database and digital library service that provides subscribers with cross-searchable access to dozens of encyclopedias, dictionaries, historical series, and reference works. The service caters to individuals ranging from enthusiasts to professionals such as educators, translators, researchers, and writers.
Nikkei Business Publications is a Japanese publishing and media company providing specialized information on business, technology, and lifestyle.
Way2News operates a hyperlocal short news application in India that provides real-time news across multiple local, national, and international categories in eight different languages. The app serves mobile users by delivering personalized short news updates, magazines, polls, and localized stories spanning hundreds of districts.
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Funding rounds, acquisitions, new executives, launches and expansions, each with a two-line summary and a link to the source. One short email a day, only when there is news.
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More on SmartNews in Xcout Intel
- 36 named people with titles, LinkedIn and board committees
- 5 funding rounds with the investors in each, and who they co-invest with
- Weekly hiring history and the mix of roles behind it
- The full competitor set, tracking, exports and API access