Essen

What Essen does

Essen Co., Ltd. (株式会社Essen) is a Japanese private technology company founded on August 18, 2021 and headquartered in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. The company operates WithDrive, an AI-driven vehicle advertising platform that matches advertisers seeking to place ads on passenger vehicles with drivers willing to display ad stickers on their cars. Drivers earn advertising revenue based on mileage and campaign participation, while advertisers gain access to a mobile out-of-home advertising channel with measurable effectiveness.

The platform's underlying technology combines AI, big data analytics, and behavioral economics to collect and analyze mobility data — including vehicle location, driving patterns, and ad response — and to deliver conversion measurement and effectiveness visualization for advertisers. The stated use of funds across multiple rounds has emphasized data-centric AI development, UI/UX improvements, and the building of new business models leveraging the mobility dataset beyond vehicle wrapping advertising.

Commercially, Essen runs a two-sided marketplace: it generates revenue via commissions on advertising transactions and shares a portion with drivers as transaction fees. Distribution is hybrid: drivers self-register via the WithDrive mobile app (self-serve/PLG motion), while the company plans to add enterprise sales capacity for advertiser acquisition following its 2024 funding round. The company has secured venture backing from East Ventures, GMO Ad Marketing, Global Brain, Shinhan Venture Investment, Spurcle, and Vector, and is recognized as a Kawasaki SDGs Gold Partner.

Name

Essen

Legal name

株式会社Essen

Website

https://corp.essen-japan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Essen Co., Ltd. is a Japan-based technology company that operates WithDrive, an AI-driven marketplace connecting advertisers with drivers willing to display ads on their vehicles, using mobility data and behavioral economics to measure advertising effectiveness.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mobile Advertising Platform

NAICS

Passenger Car Rental (532111), Taxi and Limousine Service (4853)

SIC

Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510), Miscellaneous Transportation Equipment (3790)

akta.pro primary industry

E-Hailing Taxi Aggregators (Licensed Taxi Dispatch Platforms) (THADADAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Micro-Mobility & Two-/Three-Wheeler Fleet Leasing/Subscription (E-bikes, E-scooters, E-motorcycles) (TLABAHAI)

Keywords

• Vehicle advertising platform
• Mobility data analytics
• AI advertising technology
• Out-of-home advertising
• Behavioral economics AI

Headquarters

HQ city

Kawasaki

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Vehicle Advertising Platform Commission: Platform connects advertisers with drivers; takes commission from advertising transactions. Drivers earn revenue by placing ads on their vehicles.
2. Advertising Revenue Share: Drivers display ad stickers on their vehicles and earn advertising income from the platform.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Essen operates WithDrive, an AI-based vehicle advertising platform that matches advertisers wanting to place ads on passenger vehicles with drivers willing to display ad stickers on their cars. Drivers earn advertising revenue by simply driving their registered vehicles, while the platform collects mobility data (location, distance, driving behavior) and applies data-centric AI and behavioral economics to visualize and optimize advertising effectiveness for advertisers.

Product overview

Essen is a mobility data platform that offers a single core product: WithDrive. WithDrive is an AI-based vehicle advertising platform that matches advertisers seeking to place ads on passenger vehicles with drivers who want to monetize their car surfaces. The platform leverages mobility data and AI to visualize advertising effectiveness, enabling precise targeting and conversion measurement for advertisers while providing income opportunities for drivers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WithDrive: AI-based vehicle advertising platform that connects advertisers wanting to display ads on passenger vehicles with drivers willing to display ads on their cars. Drivers earn advertising revenue by placing ad stickers on their vehicles and driving.

Products and services

• WithDrive WithDrive is an AI-based vehicle advertising platform that connects companies wanting to place advertisements on passenger vehicles with drivers willing to display ad stickers on their cars. Drivers earn advertising revenue by registering their vehicle and driving with the ad displayed; the platform collects mobility data (location, driving behavior, mileage) and uses data-centric AI and behavioral economics to visualize and optimize advertising effectiveness for advertisers.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• GMOアドマーケティング株式会社 (GMO Ad Marketing Co., Ltd.)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 March 2023Capital and business partnership signed March 22, 2023 to strengthen marketing support through vehicle wrapping advertising. CEO: Kentaro Watabe.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Wrapify: US-based car-wrap advertising platform that pays everyday drivers to wrap their personal vehicles in advertiser branding. Closest direct functional analog to WithDrive, operating the same two-sided model of recruiting drivers and selling wrapped inventory to advertisers.
• Carvertise: US carvertising platform that matches brands with private vehicle owners willing to display advertising wraps. Comparable to WithDrive in core mechanic, target driver demographic, and advertiser go-to-market.
• Nickelytics: Operates an out-of-home advertising network that includes wrapped personal vehicles, rideshare vehicles, and scooters. Directly comparable in product scope and SMB-to-enterprise advertiser base.
• Firefly: Digital car-top advertising network on rideshare and taxi vehicles, monetizing mobility with measurable ad impressions. Comparable in the mobility-OOH category and the use of digital screens/impressions for attribution.

Regional players

• StickerRide: European (Dutch) car-sticker advertising marketplace paying private drivers to display brand stickers. Same unit-economic model as WithDrive but operating in Europe, making it a regional rather than direct competitor.

Broad incumbents

• OUTFRONT Media: Large US-based out-of-home advertising company operating transit, billboard, and mobile advertising. Represents the established OOH incumbent that WithDrive would compete against for advertiser budgets in the broader mobility/OOH category.
• JCDecaux: Global leader in street furniture and transit advertising, including large vehicle and mobility-adjacent inventory. Relevant incumbent benchmarking what a scaled, international mobility-OOH platform looks like.
• Lamar Advertising: Major US outdoor advertising operator with a digital OOH portfolio extending into transit and mobile formats. Comparable as a broad OOH incumbent that could credibly enter the car-wrap / mobility-data space.

Emerging players

• Vistar Media: Programmatic digital-out-of-home (DOOH) ad platform that brings audience measurement and attribution to OOH inventory. Thematically aligned with Essen's positioning of data-centric, measurable mobility advertising.
• Place Exchange: Supply-side platform for programmatic OOH, including transit and mobile inventory. Comparable in the sense of layering data and measurement onto OOH supply, the same wedge WithDrive uses.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors4 records

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Essen