What 17LIVE does

17LIVE Group Limited is a publicly listed (SGX) Asian live streaming and virtual entertainment platform headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, with regional headquarters in Tokyo and Hong Kong. The company operates a multi-product ecosystem built on real-time video and audio streaming technology: the core 17LIVE platform connects individual streamers and viewers across Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong; Wave provides anonymous voice-based social networking; HandsUP and OrderPally provide social live commerce SaaS for enterprise customers; and proprietary V-Liver IPs (BUSHILIVE, GanGun Girls, and recently acquired production companies mikai and N Craft) anchor a growing virtual streamer content business. The platform serves both individual content creators (streamers, V-Livers) seeking monetization through virtual gifting, and enterprise customers seeking integrated live commerce tools, with 50 million-plus users globally and approximately 745 employees.

The company monetizes primarily through transaction fees on virtual gifting — where audiences purchase and send digital gifts during streams and streamers share in the revenue — supplemented by subscription and enterprise live commerce revenue. Technology stack includes real-time video/audio streaming, virtual character interaction, and recently introduced AI-powered features: AI Assistant (launched November 2024) for real-time topic suggestions during livestreams, and V-Create Mode enabling avatar-based virtual streaming. The company holds ISO 27001 and ISO 27017 certifications (2023-2025) covering information security and cloud service controls. 17LIVE Group Limited became the first de-SPAC listing in Singapore in December 2023 via business combination with Vertex Technology Acquisition Corporation Ltd.

The platform operates with a community-led, horizontal GTM motion distributed primarily through Apple App Store and Google Play, targeting mobile-first consumers across East and Southeast Asia. Customer concentration is low by construction — the business model relies on a long tail of individual streamers and gifting viewers rather than enterprise anchor contracts. Strategic priorities articulated under the 2024 "Forward Strategy" emphasize platform enhancement, AI feature development, revenue diversification into live commerce, and M&A-driven expansion of the V-Liver IP portfolio.

Name

17LIVE

Legal name

17LIVE Inc.

Website

https://tw.17.live

Company type

Public

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

17LIVE Group Limited is an Asia-focused live streaming and virtual entertainment platform serving 50M+ users across Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with revenue from virtual gifting, audio social (Wave), live commerce (HandsUP/OrderPally), and proprietary V-Liver IPs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Live Streaming Platform

NAICS

Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Distribution (7822)

akta.pro primary industry

Generalist Live Streaming Platforms (Multi-Category) (MPACACAA)

Keywords

• Live streaming platform
• Virtual gifting monetization
• Social live commerce
• Virtual streamer IP
• Video content creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Taipei

HQ country

Taiwan

HQ region

Asia

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Virtual Gifting & Monetization: The platform enables live-streamers to monetize through virtual gifting features where audiences purchase and send digital gifts during streams. Fans can engage through various tools and streamers receive a share of the gift value.
2. V-Liver Live Streaming: Revenue from virtual character live streaming services including virtual IP content creation and V-Liver talent management through owned IPs like BUSHILIVE and GanGun Girls.
3. Live Commerce - OrderPally & HandsUP: Social live commerce platform providing integrated systems for businesses to conduct live commerce, including the OrderPally all-in-one social live commerce system.
4. Social Audio - Wave: Voice-based social platform offering anonymous voice community and live audio streaming where users can interact without showing their faces.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

17LIVE operates a live streaming platform that connects streamers and V-Livers (virtual characters) with audiences across Asia, primarily Japan and Taiwan, enabling real-time entertainment, social interaction and monetization through virtual gifting. The company also offers social live commerce solutions (HandsUP and OrderPally) for corporate customers and proprietary virtual streamer IP productions (BUSHILIVE, GanGun Girls).

Product overview

17LIVE operates a multi-product live streaming and virtual entertainment ecosystem. The core offering is the 17LIVE live streaming platform (the top pure-play live streaming platform in Japan and Taiwan), supplemented by the audio social platform Wave, live commerce solutions HandsUP and OrderPally, and proprietary virtual streamer IPs including BUSHILIVE and GanGun Girls. The company also offers AI-powered features including an AI Assistant for real-time topic suggestions and V-Create Mode for avatar-based virtual streaming. In 2024, 17LIVE introduced its 'Forward Strategy' focusing on platform enhancement, revenue diversification, and strategic partnerships to create a sustainable live streaming and virtual entertainment ecosystem.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wave: Audio live streaming platform / voice social networking app allowing anonymous voice interactions
• HandsUP
• OrderPally
• BUSHILIVE
• GanGun Girls

Products and services

• 17LIVE One of Asia's leading live streaming platforms featuring livestreamers and V-Livers, connecting millions of users through real-time entertainment, virtual gifting and fan engagement tools.
• Wave Audio live streaming and voice-based social platform allowing users to interact through voice without showing their faces, functioning as an anonymous voice community.
• HandsUP Live commerce solution that helps businesses tackle challenges and supports them with live streaming e-commerce capabilities.
• OrderPally All-in-one social live commerce system that provides integrated features needed for social live e-commerce operations.
• BUSHILIVE The first V-Liver intellectual property launched in July 2023, enabling real-time interaction between users and virtual characters for immersive virtual streaming experiences.
• GanGun Girls One of the Group's unique V-Liver IP groups supporting the expansion into the high-potential virtual IP market segment.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 50 million users worldwide
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature7 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• BIGO Live: BIGO Live is one of 17LIVE's closest direct competitors, operating a global live streaming platform with virtual gifting monetization and a strong footprint in Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other Asian markets. It targets the same streamers and viewer segments with the same gift-based revenue model, making it the most apples-to-apples comparable for 17LIVE.
• SHOWROOM (DeNA): SHOWROOM is a Japan-headquartered live streaming platform operated by DeNA that focuses on Japanese idol, music, and virtual streamer content with virtual gifting monetization. It competes head-to-head with 17LIVE in Japan—one of 17LIVE's two core markets—and shares the same generalist live streaming + gifting model.
• Pococha (DeNA): Pococha is another DeNA-operated live streaming app competing directly with 17LIVE in the Japanese market, focused on casual streamer-audience interaction with virtual gifting. It is a like-for-like competitor in 17LIVE's largest market by revenue and user base.

Emerging players

• Mirrativ: Mirrativ is a Japan-focused mobile live streaming app that emphasizes casual, low-friction streaming from smartphones. It is an emerging player that overlaps directly with 17LIVE's Japanese casual-streaming segment and competes for the same mobile-first creator base.
• Hololive / Cover Corporation: Cover Corporation operates Hololive, one of the world's most successful VTuber and virtual IP agencies, and a direct comparator for 17LIVE's V-Liver IP portfolio (BUSHILIVE, GanGun Girls). It competes for the same VTuber talent pool, audience attention, and brand collaboration pipeline, particularly in Japan and across Asia.
• REALITY (Wright Flyer Studios): REALITY is a Japan-based live streaming platform that allows users to stream as virtual avatars (VTuber-style) and is one of the most direct competitors to 17LIVE's V-Liver and V-Create Mode offerings. It overlaps meaningfully with 17LIVE's virtual streamer IP strategy and Japanese user base.

Broad incumbents

• YouTube Live (Google/Alphabet): YouTube Live is the live streaming arm of YouTube, embedded in the world's largest video platform with monetization via Super Chat and channel memberships. As a broad incumbent, it competes with 17LIVE for creator time, viewer attention, and live commerce experimentation, particularly in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
• Twitch (Amazon): Twitch is the dominant global live streaming incumbent owned by Amazon, primarily gaming-oriented but with expanding Just Chatting and creative categories. While more skewed to gaming than 17LIVE, it competes for general live streaming mindshare, creator attention, and sponsorship dollars, and represents the scale benchmark 17LIVE is judged against.
• TikTok Live (ByteDance): TikTok Live is ByteDance's live streaming and gifting layer inside TikTok, with massive scale and algorithmic distribution across Asia. It is a broad incumbent that competes for both streamer talent and viewer attention across all of 17LIVE's core markets, with structural advantages in discovery and short-form cross-promotion.

Regional players

• AfreecaTV: AfreecaTV is a South Korea-headquartered live streaming platform and one of the pioneers of the virtual gifting (star balloon) model. While 17LIVE does not currently operate meaningfully in Korea, AfreecaTV is a structural regional peer whose gifting mechanics and Asian-market playbook closely mirror 17LIVE's.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/17liveus
• Instagraminstagram.com/17liveus
• Xx.com/17LIVEus

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds10 records

Investors24 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A3 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about 17LIVE