What Wadiz does

Wadiz Co., Ltd operates South Korea's largest reward-based crowdfunding marketplace, founded in 2012 and headquartered at Pangyo Techno Valley in Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do. The platform connects independent makers, startups, enterprise consumer brands, and Korean entertainment-IP holders with a community of 17M+ supporters who have collectively funded 83,000+ projects and over $1.06 billion in cumulative gross transaction value. Direct cross-border shipping is built in to 17+ countries including the US, Japan, China, the EU, and major Southeast Asian markets, making Wadiz both a domestic launch channel and a capital-light export pipeline for Korean SMEs. Enterprise customers such as Dreame, Winix, iFLYTEK, and Studio Dragon use Wadiz to soft-launch products ahead of broader retail distribution on Naver, Coupang, and Etland, while cultural-IP partners (BTS via RestingArea, EULYOO Publishing's Park Chan-wook screenplay collection) leverage the platform for limited-edition fan commerce.

The platform is built on an AI-enhanced marketplace architecture spanning web and native Android/iOS apps, with the WAi suite layering generative and analytical AI across the maker workflow: WAi Maker Agent delivers personalized project insights, daily to-dos, and chat-based Q&A; Story Agent drafts full project story pages from a short product brief; AI Translation localizes pages into Korean, Japanese, and other languages; automated Compliance Review checks pages against Korean advertising regulations; Wadiz Ads applies AI-based targeting across Instagram, Facebook, and Wadiz notifications; and an "AI Summary by WAi" Beta block auto-summarizes project pages. Supporting services include Maker School, Maker Center, the Super Maker program, themed event collections (Super Love, Summer Signal, MIGAM, Heung, Next), My Wishlist, and the B2B Wadiz Sourcing Club.

Wadiz's revenue model combines (i) a take-rate platform fee on successfully funded projects (with a 30% discount for first-time makers and all-or-nothing pledge economics, meaning supporters are only charged if the funding goal is met), (ii) advertising revenue from Wadiz Ads, (iii) marketplace/own-brand revenue from the in-house Wadiz Edition label, and (iv) B2B professional-services revenue from the Sourcing Club. The company reported FY2025 sales of 44.7 billion KRW, turned operating-profitable in H2 2025, and posted positive full-year 2025 EBITDA, prompting a planned IPO in 2026 under the leadership of founder/CEO Shin Hye-sung and CFO Cheol-woo Hwang.

Name

Wadiz

Legal name

wadiz Co., Ltd

Website

https://wadiz.kr

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Wadiz is South Korea's largest reward-based crowdfunding marketplace, connecting 116,000+ makers with 17M+ supporters, $1.06B+ in cumulative GTV, and direct shipping to 17+ countries for consumer, enterprise, and Korean entertainment-IP launches.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Reward-based Crowdfunding Marketplace

NAICS

Advertising Material Distribution Services (54187)

SIC

Services-Amusement & Recreation Services (7900)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B Marketplaces & Wholesale Platforms (BPAMAGAD)

Keywords

• Reward crowdfunding
• Crowdfunding marketplace
• AI project management
• K-beauty products
• Maker commerce

Headquarters

HQ city

Bundangdong

HQ country

South Korea

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform / Success Fee: Wadiz charges a 'wadiz fee' on funded projects (first-time makers get 30% off this fee); supporters are only charged if the funding goal is met, indicating an all-or-nothing reward-based crowdfunding take rate.
2. Advertising / Wadiz Ads: Wadiz Ads is a customized customer-marketing service that lets makers promote to Wadiz members through various ad products, layered on top of AI-based targeting on Instagram and Facebook.
3. Wadiz Edition / Owned Brand Products: Wadiz operates its own 'Wadiz Edition' private label (e.g., Pack Cleanser, Daily Spa Bliss) on the marketplace, generating direct product sales revenue alongside third-party maker projects.
4. Wadiz Sourcing Club (B2B): Exclusive B2B access program providing 'Korea's Freshest Products' to wholesale/retail buyers, functioning as a sourcing/curation service revenue line.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Wadiz operates South Korea's largest reward-based crowdfunding marketplace, connecting independent makers, startups, and brands (especially in K-beauty, K-fashion, K-food, K-tech, and Korean entertainment IP) with a global community of 17M+ supporters. The platform enables all-or-nothing project funding, AI-assisted storytelling and translation, integrated cross-border shipping to 17+ countries, and an in-house AI layer ("WAi") for maker workflow automation.

Product overview

Wadiz operates a single core crowdfunding platform (wadiz.kr) for reward-based funding, extended by an AI layer ("WAi") and a suite of maker tools. The core platform hosts the project catalog, search, wishlist, and payment/funding flow, and surfaces a wide array of categories (Tech, Fashion, Beauty, Home, Food, etc.) plus curated themed events such as "Summer Signal" and "Super Love Maker." Layered on top are maker-facing AI modules: the WAi Maker Agent (personalized daily insights and a chat assistant for makers), Story Agent (generative-AI project-story drafting inside Create-a-Project), AI Translation & Compliance Review (auto-localization plus automated regulatory checks), Wadiz Ads (AI-targeted distribution on Instagram/Facebook and Wadiz notifications), and a Beta "AI Summary by WAi" auto-summary block on project pages. Supporting services include Maker Center / Wadiz School / Ad Service, an in-house Wadiz Edition brand, B2B Sourcing Club, and native Android/iOS apps.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wadiz Edition: A Wadiz-owned product label under which the platform releases its own curated/co-branded crowdfunding products (e.g., Pack Cleanser, Daily Spa Bliss).
• WAi

Products and services

• Wadiz Crowdfunding Platform Self-serve reward-based crowdfunding marketplace where makers publish projects with reward tiers and backers pledge funds; charges are applied only if the funding goal is met, with integrated cross-border direct shipping to 17+ countries.
• WAi Maker Agent Standalone AI assistant for makers that ingests project performance data, generates daily to-do lists and "Boost Sales" actions, and provides a conversational Q&A for project setup, optimization, and retry strategy.
• Story Agent (WAi Story Generator) Generative-AI feature that takes a maker's short brief on product and audience and drafts the multi-paragraph project Story page used on the marketplace.
• Wadiz Ads Maker-facing paid marketing service that uses AI-based targeting to distribute project campaigns on Instagram, Facebook, and Wadiz-owned notification channels.
• Wadiz Sourcing Club (B2B) Business-to-business program that gives wholesale and retail buyers exclusive access to newly launched Korean products sourced from the Wadiz marketplace for distribution.
• Wadiz Mobile Apps (Android and iOS) Native Android and iOS applications that mirror the marketplace functionality for backers to discover, back, and track projects on mobile devices.
• Wadiz Edition (In-house Brand) Wadiz-owned private-label products funded on its own platform (e.g., Pack Cleanser, Daily Spa Bliss), sold directly to backers via the same crowdfunding flow as third-party maker projects.

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability10 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and flagship.

• Dreame TechnologyminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDreame Technology used Wadiz as its launch channel for the C10 water purifier in South Korea (preorders via Wadiz crowdfunding through May 6, 2026). After the crowdfunding period, Dreame expanded sales to its own website, Naver, Coupang, and offline retailer Etland. This is a maker-on-platform relationship rather than a formal alliance, but illustrates how enterprise brands use Wadiz for market entry.
• Kakao MakersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCo-listed by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project (KRW 4.2B budget, started March 20, 2026) as one of the private platforms that can provide follow-up market development support to successful consortia alongside Wadiz.
• Ministry of SMEs and Startups (Republic of Korea) / Creative Economy Innovation CenterminorOthersWadiz is referenced as a downstream commercialization channel for consortia funded by the Ministry's Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project (up to KRW 100M per consortium for prototype services like CAD, mock-ups, and mold making).
• Studio DragonflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor Korean drama studio launched 'Becoming a Kitchen Legend' official merchandise on Wadiz, reaching 3,669% funded. The project demonstrates Wadiz's role as the official fan-commerce channel for top-tier Korean entertainment IP.
• EULYOO PUBLISHINGflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublisher of Director Park Chan-wook's screenplay collection launched on Wadiz, including a 10%-discounted limited-edition box set autographed by Park Chan-wook; reached 6,305% funded. Highlights Wadiz's cultural-IP launch capability.
• RestingArea (BTS 10STAR merchandise)flagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerRestingArea launched the official BTS 10STAR Limited Set (Photo Book + CD + Eco Bag + Certificate) on Wadiz, ships globally to 15+ countries at $25.07 reward tier; project ranked #7 in Character Merchandise.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• GoFundMe: The largest personal-cause and charitable crowdfunding platform globally; broader incumbent in crowdfunding but with a meaningfully different model (donation-based, no reward fulfillment). Useful as a scale benchmark for category-level monetization.

Direct peers

• Indiegogo: Reward-based crowdfunding marketplace operating globally with flexible funding options and a strong consumer-electronics / gadget category presence. Competes with Wadiz for cross-border maker campaigns, particularly in tech and design.
• CAMPFIRE: Japanese reward-based crowdfunding platform owned by CyberAgent, with a similar maker-and-supporter marketplace structure and emphasis on consumer goods and creative projects. Second major Japanese peer alongside Makuake.
• Kickstarter: Global reward-based crowdfunding marketplace with the closest functional model to Wadiz: makers publish projects, backers pledge, and funds are released only if goals are met. Direct competitor for any Korean maker seeking international reach and for any international maker weighing platforms.
• Makuake: Japan's largest reward-based crowdfunding platform, with a near-identical model of curated maker projects, themed campaigns, and consumer-electronics / lifestyle focus. Acquired by KDDI in 2021 and the most relevant regional comparable for valuation and operations.
• Kakao Makers: Korean reward-based crowdfunding platform backed by Kakao; co-listed with Wadiz as a private commercialization channel in the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project. The most direct Korean head-to-head competitor.

Emerging players

• Crowdcube: European equity-based crowdfunding platform; while it uses a fundamentally different funding model (equity vs reward), it is relevant for benchmarking regulatory compliance, investor communications, and post-funding infrastructure that Wadiz may need as it IPOs.
• Patreon: Subscription-based creator-economy platform enabling ongoing backer support rather than one-off project funding. Conceptually adjacent to Wadiz's community-led model and useful as a benchmark for creator monetization and AI-assisted creator tooling.

Regional players

• Pozible: Australia and Asia-Pacific reward-based crowdfunding platform; comparable in size and category mix to Wadiz but operates in a different geography with a more creative-projects tilt. Useful APAC comparable.

Others

• BackerKit: Post-crowdfunding survey, fulfillment, and community management platform widely used by Kickstarter and Indiegogo creators. Functionally adjacent — Wadiz's Maker Center, Maker School, and post-funding logistics play a comparable enabling role for Wadiz makers.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Wadiz_funding
• Facebookfacebook.com/wadiz.funding
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wadiz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds8 records

Investors17 records

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

M&A

Investments28 records

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

Frequently asked questions about Wadiz