RIDI
RIDI Corporation is a Seoul-headquartered Korean content platform operating RIDI (domestic webtoons, web novels, manga, e-books), Manta (global webtoon subscription in 175+ countries), and Kanta (short drama streaming in Japan), serving global consumers with a hybrid subscription and transaction model.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What RIDI does
RIDI Corporation is a Seoul-headquartered, privately held Korean content platform founded in November 2009 that operates a multi-format digital reading and entertainment business anchored on three flagship platforms. The core domestic platform, RIDI, offers webtoons, manga, web novels, and e-books to Korean consumers through mobile apps, the ridibooks.com web platform, and the RIDI PAPER e-reader hardware line, monetized via per-title transactions, the RIDI Select all-you-can-read subscription, and RIDIcash gift vouchers distributed through KakaoTalk Gifticon, Naver Plus Store, and 11th Street. The company extends this portfolio globally through Manta, a webtoon and web novel subscription service launched in November 2020 that now serves 175+ countries with a hybrid subscription-plus-transaction model (and added manga in April 2026), and Kanta, a vertical short drama streaming platform launched in Japan in April 2025, supported by a Tokyo regional office in Roppongi.
Underlying these platforms is a proprietary technology stack: a server-driven UI system called RiGrid (GraphQL-based, separating business logic from UI data for rapid front-end iteration), an MLOps pipeline on AWS SageMaker featuring BERT4Rec sequential recommendation models served via TensorRT/Triton with a dedicated Feature Store, a transactional outbox messaging pattern on Kafka for inter-service reliability, and AI-driven operational tooling including Slack-based anomaly detection and LLM-powered finance-ops bots. The content value chain is vertically integrated — RIDI develops original web novels, adapts them into webtoons and manga, produces short dramas through Kanta, and extends into animation via its Studio Shelter investment, creating a cross-format IP cycle (web novel → webtoon → manga → short drama → animation) that the company describes as the core of its long-term moat.
RIDI's customer base is consumer-only (no disclosed B2B contracts), with 19M+ cumulative Manta downloads and global reach demonstrated by the #1 Google Play manga ranking across 31 countries and the November 2024 New York Times bestseller status of 'Under the Oak Tree' (Penguin Random House English edition). Following a KRW 120 billion (~USD 99M) funding round led by GIC in February 2022, RIDI reached a KRW 1.6 trillion (~USD 1.3B) valuation, becoming Korea's first content platform unicorn; revenue reached KRW 251.6 billion in 2025 with 50 consecutive quarters of growth. Leadership is stable under founder and CEO Bae Gi-sik (배기식), and the company continues to expand internationally with new products, channel partnerships such as the April 2026 KEB Hana Bank MOU, and ecosystem investments.
RIDI firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RIDI
- Legal name
- 리디주식회사 RIDI Corporation
- Website
- https://ridicorp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- RIDI Corporation is a Seoul-headquartered Korean content platform operating RIDI (domestic webtoons, web novels, manga, e-books), Manta (global webtoon subscription in 175+ countries), and Kanta (short drama streaming in Japan), serving global consumers with a hybrid subscription and transaction model.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RIDI industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital Content Platform
- NAICS
- Book Publishers (513130), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Periodical Publishers (513120)
- SIC
- Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)
- akta.pro primary industry
- E-book Subscription & Bundling Services (MPAJAMAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution (CRAOALAE), Subscriber Identity, Entitlements & Access (SSO, IAM, Paywall) (MPAHAJAB)
Keywords
Where RIDI is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
RIDI business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Manta Subscription: Global webtoon subscription service combining subscription and single-transaction payment (hybrid model) serving 175+ countries with 19M+ cumulative downloads
- RIDI Platform Transactions: Webtoons, web novels, manga, and e-books sold through individual transaction purchases and rentals on RIDI platform
- RIDI Select Membership: All-you-can-read subscription service for general books launched in 2018
- Kanta Premium Content: Short drama streaming service with premium content access
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Manta subscription plans for global webtoon platform |
| Subscription | Monthly | RIDI Select flat-rate subscription for general books |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | RIDI Cash gift vouchers for content gifting |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels7 records
Marketing channels6 records
RIDI product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RIDI Corporation operates a portfolio of digital content platforms delivering webtoons, web novels, manga, and e-books to Korean consumers via its RIDI platform, and to global audiences via Manta (webtoon/web novel subscription in 175+ countries) and Kanta (short drama streaming launched in Japan in 2025). The company also sells the RIDI PAPER e-reader device, operates the RIDI Select all-you-can-read subscription, the Dirito free serialization platform, and distributes RIDIcash gift vouchers through third-party channels.
Product overview
RIDI Corporation is a Korean content platform company operating a multi-platform portfolio across digital reading and entertainment. The core domestic platform (RIDI) provides webtoons, web novels, manga, and e-books alongside the RIDI PAPER e-reader device. Two global platforms extend the portfolio internationally: Manta (webtoon/web novel subscription, 175+ countries, now expanded with manga) and Kanta (short drama streaming, launched Japan 2025). The company also offers subscription (RIDI Select), free serialization (Dirito), and gift voucher (RIDIcash) products, plus an internal localization tool (prodifi). The platforms are linked through a cross-content strategy where web novels, webtoons, and manga IPs are developed together, enabling IP cross-pollination and multi-format expansion.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- RIDI: Korean content platform offering webtoons, manga, web novels, and ebooks
- Manta
- Kanta
- RIDI PAPER
- RIDI Select (리디셀렉트)
- Dirito (디리토)
Products and services
- RIDI (Domestic Content Platform) Korean content platform offering webtoons, web novels, manga, and e-books to domestic consumers in Korea; the company's primary flagship platform supporting individual purchases, rentals, and subscriptions.
- Manta (Global Webtoon Platform) Global webtoon and web novel subscription platform serving 175+ countries, offering multilingual content (Korean, English, Spanish, Japanese) under a hybrid subscription and single-payment model. Expanded in 2026 to include manga, becoming an all-in-one story platform.
- Kanta (Global Short Drama Platform) Global short drama streaming service delivering immersive, high-quality vertical short dramas; launched first in Japan in April 2025 with premium content access.
- RIDI PAPER (E-book Reader Device) RIDI's proprietary e-book reader hardware device with multiple generations (1st gen 2015, Pro 2017, 3rd gen 2019, RIDI PAPER 4 in 2022) featuring high-resolution displays and reading-optimized interfaces.
- RIDI Select (Subscription Service) All-you-can-read monthly subscription plan for general books and e-books, allowing unlimited access to enrolled general book titles for individual consumers.
- Dirito (Free Serialization Platform) Free web novel serialization platform launched in August 2021, enabling creators to publish web novels without upfront costs and readers to access serialized content.
- RIDIcash (Digital Gift Vouchers) Digital gift certificate/cash voucher product redeemable across RIDI content categories (webtoons, manga, web novels, e-books), available in KRW 10,000/30,000/50,000 denominations and distributed via KakaoTalk Gifticon, Naver Plus Store, and 11th Street.
- prodifi (Webtoon Localization Tool) Webtoon localization tool released in 2025 to streamline content translation and adaptation for global markets, supporting RIDI's international expansion across Manta and other platforms.
Companies that use RIDI
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
RIDI technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- Yes
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability8 records
Feature4 records
RIDI partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered major and minor.
- KEB Hana BankmajorMOU for financial-content cooperation: Hana Bank mobile app 'Hana 1Q' will feature RIDI space, joint promotions with IP goods, expanding customer touchpoints through digital finance platform
- Penguin Random HousemajorExported English publishing rights for 'Sangnali Tree Below' webtoon and web novel to world's largest publisher
- Studio ShelterminorStrategic investment in animation production company
Scale indicators11 records
Recent moves9 records
Expansion highlights7 records
RIDI competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Naver Webtoon (WEBTOON Entertainment): Naver's global webtoon subsidiary operating the WEBTOON platform across 60+ countries; the most direct competitor to RIDI's Manta and a Korea-domestic webtoon rival. Both target English-speaking and Spanish-speaking readers globally with serialized comics and web novels.
- Kakao Entertainment (Kakao Page, Piccoma): Korea's largest digital content platform with webtoons, web novels, and short-form video (Piccoma leads Japan's mobile manga market). Competes with RIDI in Korean webtoons/web novels and increasingly in Japan via Piccoma vs Kanta.
- Tappytoon: Global webtoon and web-novel platform translating Korean titles into English, Spanish, and other languages; comparable to Manta in genre mix (isekai, romance, fantasy) and target demographic of English-language readers.
- Tapas Media: US-based webtoon and web-novel platform serving English readers with serialized comics; a comparable subscription-and-coin hybrid model and similar cross-format (webcomics + novels) offering to RIDI's Manta.
- Lezhin Comics: Korean webtoon platform with a mature paid-per-episode and subscription model and strong presence in Japan and North America; competes with RIDI for premium Korean webtoon readers globally.
- Piccoma: Japan's #1 mobile manga app operated by Kakao; the most direct head-to-head for RIDI's short-form drama and Japanese-market webtoon ambitions via Kanta.
Broad incumbents
- Wattpad (Wattpad Webtoon Studios / Naver): Global web-novel and community reading platform now part of Naver's webtoon business; comparable to RIDI on serialized web novels and IP-incubation angle, with significantly larger English-language user base.
- Crunchyroll: Sony-owned anime and manga streaming platform with a large paid subscriber base; overlaps with RIDI on manga reading and increasingly on short-drama/anime-to-original content cycles.
Emerging players
- GoodNovel: Global web-novel reading platform with freemium and coin-based monetization; competes with RIDI's web-novel arm and Manta's web-novel subscription in English-speaking and emerging markets.
- Comikey: English-language manga and webtoon platform focusing on simultaneous releases and creator-friendly terms; an emerging direct competitor to Manta for licensed-English manga and indie webtoons.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RIDI social profiles
Digital presenceRIDI financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RIDI leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
RIDI subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
RIDI funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors15 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RIDI M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RIDI
What does RIDI do?
RIDI Corporation operates a portfolio of digital content platforms delivering webtoons, web novels, manga, and e-books to Korean consumers via its RIDI platform, and to global audiences via Manta (webtoon/web novel subscription in 175+ countries) and Kanta (short drama streaming launched in Japan in 2025). The company also sells the RIDI PAPER e-reader device, operates the RIDI Select all-you-can-read subscription, the Dirito free serialization platform, and distributes RIDIcash gift vouchers through third-party channels.
Is RIDI a public or private company?
RIDI is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was RIDI founded?
RIDI was founded in 2009. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is RIDI based?
RIDI is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does RIDI make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Manta Subscription is the primary driver. The others are RIDI Platform Transactions, RIDI Select Membership and kanta Premium Content.
Who are RIDI's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Naver Webtoon (WEBTOON Entertainment), Kakao Entertainment (Kakao Page, Piccoma), Tappytoon, Tapas Media, Lezhin Comics and Piccoma. Broad incumbents are Wattpad (Wattpad Webtoon Studios / Naver) and Crunchyroll. Emerging players are GoodNovel and Comikey.
Does RIDI have an API?
Yes. RIDI uses GraphQL as its API interface (BFF pattern) for the RiGrid project, which manages UI layout and data binding between frontend and backend. The GraphQL schema defines standard interfaces for Grid and Cell structures (e.g., BookListCell, GridCell) and includes backward-compatibility strategies for schema evolution. API documentation and specific endpoint/portal URLs are not explicitly provided.
What industry is RIDI in?
RIDI's product category is Digital Content Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAJAMAB, E-book Subscription & Bundling Services, with a secondary code of CRAOALAE, E-books, Digital Content & Licensing Distribution. Its NAICS code is 513130 and its SIC code is 7822.