MAD Square
MAD Square (Charis) is a South Korea–based, Cosmax-owned influencer marketing platform that helps Korean beauty, skincare, and consumer brands launch and scale on TikTok, Shopee, and Lazada across Southeast Asia, leveraging a proprietary influencer analysis engine and local teams in Indonesia and the Philippines.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2014
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What MAD Square does
MAD Square (매드스퀘어 주식회사 / Madsquare Co., LTD.), operating under the brand name Charis (카리스), is a South Korea–based Southeast Asia–focused influencer marketing platform and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cosmax ( 코스맥스), a global cosmetics ODM. Founded in 2014 and headquartered in Pangyo, Seongnam, the company positions itself as Korea's first dedicated Southeast Asia marketing specialist agency, helping Korean brands — primarily in beauty, skincare, and consumer goods — execute market entry and ongoing campaigns across Indonesia, the Philippines, and other Southeast Asian markets.
The company's core offering bundles four service modules — Brand Seeding, Power Influencer matching, Shopping Mall Reviews, and a Long-term BMS Solution — delivered through its Charis platform (charisad.com), which supports real-time project registration, transparent quoting, and live campaign status tracking. The underlying technology is the proprietary Influencer Analysis Engine, which scores and verifies influencer activity data to match brands with authentic local creators. Operations include on-the-ground branch teams in Indonesia and the Philippines and the only Korean-operated local live studio in Southeast Asia for TikTok and Shopee live commerce collaborations.
MAD Square generates revenue through professional services fees (campaign execution, brand consulting) and managed services for end-to-end Shopee and TikTok Shop operations, including marketplace entry, store management, and fulfillment. Pricing is quote-based per project and not publicly disclosed, with the platform enabling self-serve real-time quote requests alongside enterprise field sales. Customer base skews heavily toward Korean cosmetics brands (COSRX, Skin1004, Some By Mi, Klairs, Laneige, VT Cosmetics, Toriden, Dalba, among others), supplemented by food/beverage clients (Samyang, Woongjin Food). The company claims 742+ brands served over 10 years, 4.8 million content pieces published, and a 98% client renewal rate — evidence of strong retention within its narrow vertical focus.
MAD Square firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- MAD Square
- Legal name
- 매드스퀘어 주식회사 (Madsquare Co., LTD.)
- Website
- https://madsquare.net
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2014
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- MAD Square (Charis) is a South Korea–based, Cosmax-owned influencer marketing platform that helps Korean beauty, skincare, and consumer brands launch and scale on TikTok, Shopee, and Lazada across Southeast Asia, leveraging a proprietary influencer analysis engine and local teams in Indonesia and the Philippines.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
MAD Square industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Influencer Marketing Services
- NAICS
- Advertising Agencies (541810)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive) (BPAFAEAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Channel/Partner Sales Support (Reseller Enablement, Deal Reg) (BPAAADAH)
Keywords
Where MAD Square is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
MAD Square business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Influencer Marketing Services: Professional services for influencer marketing campaigns including brand seeding, power influencer matching, shopping mall reviews, and long-term BMS solutions for brands expanding to Southeast Asia.
- E-commerce Operations Management: Full-service Shopee and TikTok Shop operations including local marketplace entry, management, and fulfillment services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Quote-based custom projects |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels3 records
MAD Square product offering
Product offeringCore offering
MAD Square, operating under its Charis (카리스) brand, is a Southeast Asia-focused influencer marketing platform that helps Korean brands enter and scale in markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines. It delivers end-to-end services including brand seeding, data-driven influencer matching, localized e-commerce reviews, and long-term BMS consulting, alongside full-service Shopee and TikTok Shop operations management. As a subsidiary of Cosmax, it leverages 10 years of accumulated content data (4.8M pieces) to serve 742+ brands through both field sales and a self-serve online platform.
Product overview
MAD Square operates Charis (카리스), a Southeast Asian influencer marketing platform that provides a one-stop success solution covering branding, marketing, and sales. The platform is structured around four core service modules: Brand Seeding for initial brand awareness, Power Influencer for data-driven influencer matching, Shopping Mall Reviews for conversion optimization, and a Long-term BMS Solution for comprehensive ongoing consulting. As a subsidiary of global cosmetic ODM company Cosmax, the platform leverages 10 years of accumulated experience and 4.8 million content pieces to serve over 742 brands across Southeast Asian markets including Indonesia and Philippines.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand Seeding (브랜드 시딩)
- Power Influencer (파워 인플루언서)
- Shopping Mall Reviews (쇼핑몰 리뷰)
- Long-term BMS Solution (중장기 BMS솔루션)
Quantifiable outcome
- 98% client renewal rate demonstrates high satisfaction and proven results
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use MAD Square
Customer profileNamed customers15 records
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
MAD Square technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
MAD Square partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- COSMAX (코스맥스)coreCOSMAX is the parent company of Charis/MAD Square. As a world-leading cosmetic ODM company, COSMAX provides Charis with cosmetic industry expertise and specialized marketing knowledge. Charis operates as a subsidiary within the COSMAX family, enabling specialized beauty marketing services.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
MAD Square competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Spring Asia (formerly AirAsia-backed Spring): Singapore-based influencer marketing agency focused on SEA, offering creator partnerships, branded content, and social commerce support for brands entering Southeast Asia. Directly comparable to MAD Square's SEA influencer marketing and e-commerce enablement model for Korean-origin brands.
- Gushcloud International: Singapore-headquartered talent and influencer agency with regional operations across SEA, including Indonesia and the Philippines. Competes for the same brand budgets seeking authentic influencer-led entry into SEA social commerce channels (TikTok, Shopee, Lazada).
- CARRO: SEA-based influencer marketing and creator commerce platform connecting brands with vetted creators across Southeast Asia. Operates a similar tech-enabled matchmaking-plus-services model targeting brand marketers in the region.
- Vamp: Singapore-based influencer marketing platform and agency serving brand clients across Asia-Pacific with creator discovery, campaign management, and e-commerce integration. Directly comparable in influencer-led brand scaling across SEA markets.
- Aspire (formerly AspireIQ): Global influencer marketing platform that combines creator marketplace tooling with managed services for brands. Competes in the same SaaS-plus-agency category, particularly for cross-border brand expansions.
- Whalar Group: Global creator marketing agency with Asia-Pacific presence, providing influencer strategy, talent management, and commerce activations. Comparable as a creator-economy services peer pursuing brand budgets.
Emerging players
- Influencer.com (formerly HYPR): Influencer marketing platform serving brand marketers globally with discovery, analytics, and campaign execution. Competitor in the data-driven influencer marketing category, though not primarily SEA-specialized.
Broad incumbents
- Dentsu International: Global advertising and marketing services holding company with significant APAC operations and influencer marketing practices. Competes at the enterprise level for K-beauty and CPG accounts expanding into SEA.
- GroupM (WPP): World's largest media investment group under WPP, with full-service media buying, influencer, and commerce capabilities across SEA. A broad incumbent peer for K-beauty and CPG brands seeking integrated SEA market entry services.
- Mobvista (汇量科技): APAC-focused mobile ad-tech and marketing services group with emphasis on SEA markets and social commerce monetization. Compares as a broader incumbent supporting brand acquisition and ad operations across the same platforms (TikTok, Shopee, Lazada) that MAD Square's managed services depend on.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat7 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
MAD Square social profiles
Digital presenceMAD Square financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
MAD Square leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
MAD Square funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors2 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
MAD Square 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 MAD Square
What does MAD Square do?
MAD Square, operating under its Charis (카리스) brand, is a Southeast Asia-focused influencer marketing platform that helps Korean brands enter and scale in markets such as Indonesia and the Philippines. It delivers end-to-end services including brand seeding, data-driven influencer matching, localized e-commerce reviews, and long-term BMS consulting, alongside full-service Shopee and TikTok Shop operations management. As a subsidiary of Cosmax, it leverages 10 years of accumulated content data (4.8M pieces) to serve 742+ brands through both field sales and a self-serve online platform.
Is MAD Square a public or private company?
MAD Square is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was MAD Square founded?
MAD Square was founded in 2014. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is MAD Square based?
MAD Square is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does MAD Square make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Influencer Marketing Services are the primary driver. The others are E-commerce Operations Management.
Who are MAD Square's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Spring Asia (formerly AirAsia-backed Spring), Gushcloud International, CARRO, Vamp, Aspire (formerly AspireIQ) and Whalar Group. Influencer.com (formerly HYPR) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Dentsu International, GroupM (WPP) and Mobvista (汇量科技).
Does MAD Square have an API?
No public API is recorded for MAD Square.
What industry is MAD Square in?
MAD Square's product category is Influencer Marketing Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAFAEAJ, Brand Consulting, Audits & Research (Brand Health, Equity, Competitive), with a secondary code of BPAAADAH, Channel/Partner Sales Support (Reseller Enablement, Deal Reg). Its NAICS code is 541810 and its SIC code is 7311.