Metaps
- Company typePublic
- Founded2007
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
Metaps firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Metaps
- Legal name
- Metaps Holdings, Inc.
- Website
- https://metaps.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 2007
- Operating status
- Acquired
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Metaps industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Mobile App Monetization Platform
- NAICS
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (5182), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (516210), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Finance Services (6199), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure (FSAGABAE)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Metaverse Commerce & Monetization (virtual goods storefronts, payments, ads) (FSAPAGAK)
Keywords
Where Metaps is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices9 records
Markets served
Metaps business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- App Monetization Services: Revenue from app monetization platform services including user acquisition, analytics, and monetization solutions for app developers worldwide
- Advertising Network (DirectAd): Zero-commission ad network generating revenue through advertiser relationships while allowing developers to keep all ad revenue
- Payment Services (SPIKE): Online payment solution platform providing payment processing services for e-commerce businesses
- Blockchain/Cryptocurrency Services: Crypto exchange (CoinRoom/UpXide), digital asset trading platform (TEMX), cryptocurrency cards, and ICO platform services through subsidiaries
- Digital Marketing Services: One-stop digital marketing support services through Metaps One subsidiary utilizing data and proprietary effectiveness measurement systems
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Zero-commission ad network model |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | SPIKE payment platform for e-commerce |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels6 records
Metaps product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Metaps Holdings operates a portfolio of technology businesses centered on mobile app monetization, digital marketing, and fintech/payments. Its core platform provides AI-driven app monetization, user acquisition, and analytics for app developers globally, complemented by an online payment service (SPIKE), a zero-commission native ad network (DirectAd), a multi-channel analytics dashboard (Metaps Analytics), and blockchain-based financial services. The holding company currently organizes its businesses around DX support (Micronity, Metaps One, Payment for) and finance operations.
Product overview
Metaps Holdings operates a multi-brand portfolio of technology businesses spanning digital marketing, payments, fintech, blockchain, and content. The portfolio is organized around four primary portfolio companies: Micronity (business succession for software companies), Metaps One (AI-powered digital marketing), Payment for (payment software services), and Plott (YouTube IP content). The original 'metaps' platform provides AI-driven app monetization and analytics, while subsidiaries and affiliates operate SPIKE (online payments), Timebank (time marketplace), SmartPlus (O2O mobile payments), UpXide (blockchain exchange), and various cryptocurrency/blockchain services including PlusCoin, ADA CRYPTO CARD, and TEMX digital asset trading.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Micronity: Business succession platform specializing in software companies, combining software expertise, community trust, and business know-how to create new value through co-creation across group companies.
- Metaps One
- Payment for
- Plott
Products and services
- metaps Platform A data-driven app monetization platform enabling app developers to maximize revenue through data analysis and AI-powered ad delivery optimization. The platform connects apps downloaded over 1.2 billion times, reaching 100 million+ users.
- DirectAd Zero-commission smartphone ad network with native advertising platform, allowing developers to integrate ads into app UI. Provides 100% fill rate and 500M+ total downloads across network apps.
- Metaps Analytics Analytics platform that consolidates TV, internet, and smartphone advertising data with Google Analytics API into a single real-time dashboard. Enables correlation analysis between TV commercial broadcasts and app downloads, ROI calculation, and multi-channel marketing performance measurement.
- SPIKE Zero-commission online payment service and all-encompassing financial service platform for individuals and small e-commerce businesses. After acquiring PAYDESIGN, annual gross merchandise volume reached JPY 100 billion.
- Timebank A real-time marketplace for trading 'time' issued by experts (engineers, managers, athletes, singers). Users can buy, use, sell, and hold time units, with prices determined by online influencer scores, expertise, and credit. Supports blockchain-based time exchanges.
- Micronity A business succession platform specializing in software companies, combining time-honored software expertise, community trust, and business know-how to create new value through co-creation across group companies.
- Metaps One Provides a one-stop digital marketing support service utilizing data based on proprietary effectiveness measurement systems and AI systems.
- Payment for As a Payment Software Service Provider (PSSP), offers unique solutions by combining payment functionalities with a variety of software aimed at improving business efficiency.
- Plott Engaged in producing and distributing IP content on YouTube; its original content 'Teiko Penguin' has more than 1.1 million channel subscribers and over 37 million views per month.
- M Wallet Digital wallet app for electronic payments, developed in partnership with Mizuho Financial Group, Mizuho Bank, and WiL. Features e-money credited directly from bank accounts, member store marketing via payment data analysis, and smartphone-optimized payment services.
- Metaps Cloud Centralized SaaS management service enabling centralized management of SaaS applications, part of the DX support business. The business was transferred in October 2023 as part of corporate restructuring.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1 billion app downloads achieved through metaps platform
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Metaps
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Metaps technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability5 records
Feature5 records
Metaps partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
17 partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.
- DIGITAL HEARTS HOLDINGS Co., LtdminorTransfer of Metaps Entertainment Limited (Greater China marketing operations) to DIGITAL HEARTS HOLDINGS. Includes 7 subsidiaries in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other areas.
- EMURGO (Cardano)flagshipJoint launch of world's first ADA CRYPTO CARD in South Korea. Technical integration of ADA cryptocurrency on Metaps Plus platform enabling users to spend ADA at 30,000+ offline merchants including Emart24 convenience stores.
- Korea Mobile Game AssociationminorBusiness partnership to promote Korea's game and blockchain industry. Building triangle business model of blockchain, games, and mobile coupons.
- Korea Blockchain Contents AssociationminorPartnership to promote blockchain content industry and ecosystem development in Korea with 100+ member companies.
- ZQC (Kuaidao Group)coreBusiness agreement with China's only government joint venture franchise company. SmartPlus to integrate payment functions for Chinese franchises. Partnership for Korean-Chinese exchange and mobile coupon market expansion.
- Origin ProtocolcoreBlockchain technology partnership to apply Origin Protocol decentralized marketplace to ERC721 game character exchange for P2P transactions in Korea.
- Lotte Members (L.pay)minorSmartPlus partnership with L.pay easy payment service. Customers able to charge through L.pay and use SmartPlus platform at stores.
- PetCraftminorTGE MOU for Token Generation Event. PetCraft to issue cryptocurrency for game characters with blockchain item exchange through Metaps Plus platform.
- QUOINE / QRYPTOScorePlusCoin (PLC) listed on QRYPTOS exchange. Metaps Plus' first Korean ICO token available for trading on QUOINE platform.
- Avex Inc.flagshipJoint venture 'mee Inc.' (60% Metaps, 40% Avex) to create new artist/musician support business utilizing Timebank. Avex artists registered on Timebank platform with co-promotion collaboration.
- Tagpic Inc.coreCapital and business tie-up with Japan's largest Instagram influencer network (3,600+ influencers, 790M+ followers reach). Collaboration with Timebank for influencer scoring and time-value research.
- SEGA NetworksflagshipFirst marketing partner for SEGA Networks' global game publishing framework 'goPlay'. Supporting smart device games to expand globally across South Asia, Southeast Asia, Russia and other global markets.
- Hakuhodo Inc.coreTotal marketing partnership targeting app developers. Joint development of TV commercial analytics for app developers to calculate performance correlation between TV broadcasts and app downloads/activity.
- Space ShiftminorJoint research on microsatellite and big data analysis system to understand changes taking place on Earth. Fusion of IT and space technology for remote sensing applications.
- Kakao CorporationcoreBusiness partnership agreement for Korean market. Kakao as Korea's No.1 mobile messaging app developer partnering with Metaps for app monetization.
- LINE CorporationflagshipGlobal sales partnership. LINE has 150M+ users in 22 months; Metaps has 120M+ downloads from partner apps. Android developers supported for monetization and promotion.
- AppotacoreCollaboration with Vietnam's largest mobile app market. Appota adopts Metaps SDK as official monetization engine for their platform.
Scale indicators9 records
Recent moves11 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Metaps competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Digital Garage: Tokyo-based holding company operating payments (Veritrans), marketing, and crypto-asset businesses. Highly comparable to Metaps Holdings in combining a payment-processing franchise with digital marketing and crypto exposure, and competing in the same Japanese fintech and ad-tech customer base.
- GMO Payment Gateway: Japan's leading online payment processing and financial services platform, serving e-commerce merchants and recurring-billing businesses. Directly comparable to Metaps' SPIKE and Payment for platforms given overlap in payment-processing customers and zero/low-commission merchant models.
- FreakOut Holdings: Tokyo-headquartered digital advertising technology company offering programmatic buying, DSP/SSP, and AI-driven ad optimization. Closely comparable to Metaps' app-monetization and DirectAd platform in targeting mobile developers with data-driven ad-tech solutions.
- Hakuhodo: Japan's second-largest advertising agency and a long-standing joint-development partner of Metaps for TV-to-app marketing analytics. Overlapping customer base (app developers and major brand advertisers) and shared investment in data-driven marketing make it a meaningful peer despite its larger agency footprint.
Broad incumbents
- ironSource (Unity): Global app-monetization and marketing platform for mobile developers, acquired by Unity Software. Comparable to Metaps' DirectAd and metaps platform in serving app developers with monetization, user-acquisition, and analytics tools — but at much larger global scale.
- AppLovin: U.S.-listed mobile ad-tech and app-monetization platform serving global developers. Competes head-to-head with the metaps platform for developer mindshare in ad mediation and user acquisition, and sets the pricing/feature baseline that smaller platforms like Metaps must match.
- CyberAgent: Major Japanese internet conglomerate with leading digital advertising (CyberAgent, ABEMA) and game businesses (Cygames). Overlaps with Metaps in mobile-app marketing, internet advertising, and gaming-related monetization services across the Japanese market.
- DeNA: Japanese mobile-internet and gaming company with significant mobile-game and ad-tech operations. Comparable to Metaps in mobile-app monetization expertise and historical Japan/Korea market presence; DeNA's former VP for China (Fei Lou) later joined Metaps, underscoring the talent and market overlap.
Regional players
- bitFlyer: Japan's largest cryptocurrency exchange by transaction volume. Comparable to Metaps' UpXide subsidiary as a Japanese-regulated crypto exchange competing for trading volume and liquidity, and offering a benchmark for compliance investment required in this category.
- Coincheck (Monex Group): Japan-based cryptocurrency exchange owned by Monex Group, providing spot trading and crypto card products similar to Metaps' ADA CRYPTO CARD. Direct overlap in Japanese crypto-retail customer acquisition and crypto-spend use cases.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Metaps social profiles
Digital presenceMetaps compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance5 records
Metaps financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Metaps leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Metaps subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries16 records
Metaps funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors17 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Metaps M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A8 records
Investments3 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Metaps
What does Metaps do?
Metaps Holdings operates a portfolio of technology businesses centered on mobile app monetization, digital marketing, and fintech/payments. Its core platform provides AI-driven app monetization, user acquisition, and analytics for app developers globally, complemented by an online payment service (SPIKE), a zero-commission native ad network (DirectAd), a multi-channel analytics dashboard (Metaps Analytics), and blockchain-based financial services. The holding company currently organizes its businesses around DX support (Micronity, Metaps One, Payment for) and finance operations.
Is Metaps a public or private company?
Metaps is a public company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently acquired.
When was Metaps founded?
Metaps was founded in 2007. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Metaps based?
Metaps is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Metaps make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. App Monetization Services are the primary driver. The others are advertising Network (DirectAd), payment Services (SPIKE), blockchain/Cryptocurrency Services and digital Marketing Services.
Who are Metaps's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Digital Garage, GMO Payment Gateway, FreakOut Holdings and Hakuhodo. Broad incumbents are ironSource (Unity), AppLovin, CyberAgent and DeNA. Regional players are bitFlyer and Coincheck (Monex Group).
Does Metaps have an API?
No public API is recorded for Metaps.
What industry is Metaps in?
Metaps's product category is Mobile App Monetization Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAGABAE, Merchant-of-Record (MoR) & Payment Facilitation (PayFac) Infrastructure, with a secondary code of FSAPAGAK, Metaverse Commerce & Monetization (virtual goods storefronts, payments, ads). Its NAICS code is 5182 and its SIC code is 6199.