kakaomakers
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersJeju (제주시), South Korea
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
kakaomakers firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- kakaomakers
- Legal name
- (주)카카오
- Website
- https://makers.kakao.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
kakaomakers industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Marketplace
- NAICS
- All Other Miscellaneous Retailers (45999)
- SIC
- Retail-Catalog & Mail-Order Houses (5961)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Mass-Market Multi-category (1P/3P) Marketplaces (CRAFAAAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Specialty & Artisanal Online Food Marketplaces (AFAIAMAG)
Keywords
Where kakaomakers is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Jeju (제주시)
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
kakaomakers business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Personnel
Revenue model
- Marketplace Transaction Commission: Kakao Makers operates as a curated marketplace where individual sellers and brands list products for sale. The platform facilitates transactions between sellers and buyers, taking a commission on sales. Some products are explicitly flagged as '중개 판매' (intermediated sales) where (주)카카오는 is described as a '통신판매중개자' (communication sales intermediary), noting that (주)카카오 bears no direct responsibility for the transaction.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Individual product pricing — single SKU per listing with options (size, color, quantity packs) |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Travel/hospitality packages — single booking with optional add-ons |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Beauty promotion (뷰티 빅세일) — seasonal campaign with bundled deals and 1+1 offers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
kakaomakers product offering
Product offeringCore offering
kakaomakers is a curated online marketplace platform that aggregates product offerings from small manufacturers, SMEs, farmers, and local producers for Korean consumers, spanning categories such as food, beauty, living, tech, fashion, and travel. The platform enables third-party sellers to reach consumers through a single storefront with integrated payment, logistics, and promotional mechanics, including pre-order and limited-edition campaigns.
Product overview
Kakao Makers (카카오메이커스) is a curated e-commerce marketplace platform operated by Kakao that connects consumers with small Korean businesses and manufacturers. The platform operates across multiple product verticals including food (Hanwoo beef, seafood, seasonal produce, traditional Korean foods), beauty (skincare, haircare, makeup), living/household goods, tech/appliances, fashion, and travel packages. The platform features specialized programs like '새가버치' (Daily Upcycle) for paper pack recycling and 'ECO SEED' for social/environmental contributions. Product offerings range from individual items like wireless fans, drainage solutions, and undershorts to curated promotional campaigns like the Beauty Big Sale and seasonal food promotions. The platform emphasizes supporting small businesses through programs labeled '#중소기업판로지원' and regional economic activation '#지역경제활성화'.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- kakaomakers Marketplace Platform Curated online marketplace where third-party Korean sellers (small manufacturers, farmers, local producers, SMEs) list and sell products across food, beauty, living, tech, fashion, and travel categories to individual Korean consumers, with integrated KakaoPay checkout, KakaoTalk sharing, and promotional campaign mechanics including pre-orders and limited editions.
- 새가버치 (Daily Upcycle) Program Sustainability-focused program on the kakaomakers platform that promotes upcycling, recycling, and reuse, featuring product lines designed around circular-economy principles. Targets environmentally conscious Korean consumers.
Quantifiable outcome
- Some products on Kakao Makers record high order volumes (e.g., Hongik Sanghoe 쭈꾸미볶음 with 60,662 cumulative orders; Korea's economy Gaettegi 한우 삼계탕 with 1,095 current orders; various products with 500–2,000+ orders during active campaigns)
Companies that use kakaomakers
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
kakaomakers technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
kakaomakers partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Ministry of SMEs and Startups (중소벤처기업부)minorThe Ministry of SMEs and Startups launched the 'Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot Project' (총 예산 42억 원) to support collaboration between startups and small manufacturers. Kakao Makers is listed as one of two private follow-up market development platforms (alongside Wadiz) for successful consortia teams that complete the voucher-funded prototype development phase. This provides Kakao Makers with a pipeline of new Korean-made products and reinforces its SME support positioning.
- 매일유업 (Daily Milk)minor매일유업 (Daily Milk) co-sponsors the '새가버치' (Daily Upcycle) program on Kakao Makers, which collects used paper packs from consumers for recycling. 매일유업 supports the program by sponsoring rewards and visibility, while Kakao Makers operates the platform and logistics. This is Kakao Makers' most visible brand partnership, running since 2021.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
kakaomakers competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- 11st (11번가): 11st is one of Korea's leading multi-category online marketplaces, originally backed by SK Telecom. It competes with Kakao Makers across broad categories including food, beauty, living, and tech, though without the curation/impact-driven differentiation.
- Tmon: Tmon is a Korean deal/discount-driven marketplace known for limited-time promotional events. It competes with Kakao Makers' campaign-heavy promotional model (e.g., Beauty Big Sale, seasonal food promotions) at greater scale.
- Kurly (Market Kurly): Kurly is a Korean curated grocery/food delivery platform with a focus on quality and direct-from-producer sourcing. It overlaps with Kakao Makers' food vertical (Hanwoo beef, seasonal produce, local fisheries products) and serves a similar health-conscious, premium Korean consumer segment.
- Coupang: Coupang is the dominant Korean e-commerce platform with rocket delivery logistics, broad multi-category inventory, and massive marketing budgets. It overlaps with Kakao Makers in food, beauty, living, and tech categories, but competes on scale and delivery speed rather than curation or SME support.
- Naver Smartstore: Naver Smartstore is Naver's third-party marketplace integrated with Korea's dominant search engine. It is a direct marketplace competitor serving Korean SMBs and consumers across multi-category goods, competing for the same Kakao Makers sellers and buyers via different parent ecosystem (Naver).
- Gmarket / Auction (eBay Korea): Gmarket (now under Emart/Shinsegae) is a legacy Korean online marketplace with broad multi-category coverage. It overlaps with Kakao Makers across general merchandise, fashion, and lifestyle, though it is more transactional and less curation-driven.
- SSG.com: SSG.com is a major Korean e-commerce platform backed by Shinsegae Group, offering multi-category retail with strong curated/premium positioning. It overlaps with Kakao Makers in food, beauty, and lifestyle categories, particularly around domestic premium Korean brands.
Direct peers
- Etsy: Etsy is a global curated marketplace for handmade, artisan, and small-business products. It is a strong analog to Kakao Makers in its curation-driven, SME-supporting marketplace model focused on differentiated/mission-driven products rather than mass-market commodity goods.
- Wadiz: Wadiz is Korea's leading crowdfunding/curated marketplace platform. It is the only platform named alongside Kakao Makers as an official follow-up market development channel for the Ministry of SMEs and Startups' Regional Manufacturing Innovation Voucher Pilot, making it the closest comparable — a curated SME/creator marketplace serving Korean domestic consumers.
Regional players
- Storybook (스토리북) / The Snack: Storybook (and similar 'Korean subscription/discovery commerce' players such as The Snack and Kurly's Snack) represent a category of curated discovery commerce for Korean artisan/SME products. They overlap with Kakao Makers' curation and SME-support model, often via subscription boxes or limited-edition drops rather than open marketplace.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
kakaomakers financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
kakaomakers leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
kakaomakers funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
kakaomakers M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about kakaomakers
What does kakaomakers do?
kakaomakers is a curated online marketplace platform that aggregates product offerings from small manufacturers, SMEs, farmers, and local producers for Korean consumers, spanning categories such as food, beauty, living, tech, fashion, and travel. The platform enables third-party sellers to reach consumers through a single storefront with integrated payment, logistics, and promotional mechanics, including pre-order and limited-edition campaigns.
Is kakaomakers a public or private company?
kakaomakers is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was kakaomakers founded?
kakaomakers was founded in 2021.
Where is kakaomakers based?
kakaomakers is headquartered in Jeju (제주시), South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does kakaomakers make money?
One revenue line is on record: marketplace Transaction Commission.
Who are kakaomakers's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are 11st (11번가), Tmon, Kurly (Market Kurly), Coupang, Naver Smartstore, Gmarket / Auction (eBay Korea) and SSG.com. Direct peers are Etsy and Wadiz. Storybook (스토리북) / The Snack is listed as a regional player.
Does kakaomakers have an API?
No public API is recorded for kakaomakers.
What industry is kakaomakers in?
kakaomakers's product category is Online Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAFAAAA, Mass-Market Multi-category (1P/3P) Marketplaces, with a secondary code of AFAIAMAG, Specialty & Artisanal Online Food Marketplaces. Its NAICS code is 45999 and its SIC code is 5961.