Yalwa
Yalwa was a privately held online business directory for local service providers and small businesses, operating on a freemium listing model. The platform was closed in 2024, with users redirected to Locanto's classifieds marketplace.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2006
- HeadquartersWiesbaden, Germany
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Yalwa does
Yalwa was a privately held online business directory platform that enabled small local businesses, freelancers, and service providers to advertise to nearby consumers. The platform allowed users to create listings for local services spanning categories such as cleaning, repairs, legal, financial, and other professional services, and served consumers searching for trustworthy local providers. Revenue was generated primarily through premium listing features offered on a recurring monthly basis alongside a free base tier, following a freemium model. The underlying technology stack was a conventional web-based directory; no proprietary AI, patents, or differentiated technical components are disclosed in the source material.
In 2024, the Yalwa Business Directory was closed and all users were redirected to Locanto, a classifieds platform operating across multiple geographic markets with categories spanning Services, Jobs, Real Estate, Vehicles, Personals, and Classes. The consolidation effectively ended Yalwa's standalone operations, absorbing its advertiser base and traffic into Locanto's broader free classifieds marketplace. Locanto operates on a freemium model with optional Premium and VIP account upgrades for enhanced visibility, and lists in the United States alone number in the tens of thousands per category.
As of the available data, Yalwa is no longer operational as an independent entity. There is no disclosed headcount, funding history, ownership structure, or financial performance. The platform's closure signals that the directory model could not sustain sufficient listing liquidity or monetization against competing local search and marketplace alternatives.
Yalwa firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Yalwa
- Website
- https://yalwa.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2006
- Operating status
- Closed
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Yalwa was a privately held online business directory for local service providers and small businesses, operating on a freemium listing model. The platform was closed in 2024, with users redirected to Locanto's classifieds marketplace.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Yalwa industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Local Business Directory
- NAICS
- Web Search Portals, Libraries, Archives, and Other Information Services (5192)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Business Services (7380)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Local Search & Business Directories (BPAMAAAE)
Keywords
Where Yalwa is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Wiesbaden
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Yalwa business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Business Directory: Yalwa operated as a business directory for local service providers and businesses. Revenue was generated through business listings and premium features for enhanced visibility.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Monthly | Free basic listing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Yalwa product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Yalwa operated an online business directory platform that allowed local businesses, freelancers, and service providers to list their services and enabled consumers to discover local service providers across categories such as cleaning, repairs, legal, financial, and professional services. Revenue was generated through free business listings supplemented by premium upgrades for enhanced visibility. The Yalwa Business Directory has been closed, with users redirected to Locanto's classifieds platform for ongoing advertising.
Product overview
Locanto is a free classifieds platform that allows users to post and browse advertisements across multiple service categories. The platform operates as a single unified marketplace with location-based browsing, supporting categories such as Services, Jobs, Real Estate, Vehicles, and Classes. Users can post free ads and optionally upgrade to Premium or VIP accounts for enhanced visibility. Note: Yalwa Business Directory has been closed and merged into the Locanto platform.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Locanto Free Classifieds Platform
Companies that use Yalwa
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Yalwa technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Yalwa partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- LocantocoreYalwa Business Directory has been closed and merged with Locanto. Users are being redirected to Locanto's classifieds platform to post free ads for their businesses. This appears to be a consolidation of two classifieds/directory platforms under the Locanto brand.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights1 record
Yalwa competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- OLX: Global horizontal classifieds marketplace operating across multiple geographies with a similar freemium listing model, serving local buyers and sellers of services, jobs, real estate, and vehicles.
- Thumbtack: Two-sided marketplace connecting consumers with local service professionals (cleaning, repairs, etc.) — a directly comparable local-services discovery model to Yalwa's.
- Locanto: Locanto is the classifieds platform that absorbed Yalwa in 2024. It operates the same freemium-plus-premium model across multiple geographies and categories, making it the closest 1:1 comparable to Yalwa's original offering.
- Angi (formerly Angie's List): Marketplace for finding and hiring local home and professional service providers; comparable to Yalwa's local-services discovery focus with a paid-lead monetization model.
- Manta: Small-business directory serving SMB discovery and advertising needs; a near-direct functional analog to Yalwa's local business directory offering.
Broad incumbents
- Yelp: Major local business discovery and reviews platform serving the same SMB-listing + consumer-discovery use case Yalwa addressed, with broader reviews and advertising monetization.
- Facebook Marketplace: Meta-owned local listings and classifieds surface embedded in the world's largest social network; competes directly with Yalwa for local goods, services, and SMB visibility.
- Yellow Pages: Long-standing local business directory transitioning online; serves the same SMB-listing and consumer-discovery use case Yalwa targeted.
- Craigslist: The dominant global classifieds and local-services listings platform. Directly comparable to Yalwa's local directory / classifieds use cases, but at vastly greater scale.
Emerging players
- Nextdoor: Neighborhood-level local services and recommendations platform; overlaps with Yalwa's local-services discovery use case but anchored in residential neighborhoods rather than a horizontal directory.
Market position
Strengths2 records
Weaknesses3 records
Competitive moat1 record
Key risks4 records
Key highlights3 records
Customer concentration
Yalwa social profiles
Digital presenceYalwa financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Yalwa leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Yalwa funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Yalwa 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 Yalwa
What does Yalwa do?
Yalwa operated an online business directory platform that allowed local businesses, freelancers, and service providers to list their services and enabled consumers to discover local service providers across categories such as cleaning, repairs, legal, financial, and professional services. Revenue was generated through free business listings supplemented by premium upgrades for enhanced visibility. The Yalwa Business Directory has been closed, with users redirected to Locanto's classifieds platform for ongoing advertising.
Is Yalwa a public or private company?
Yalwa is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently closed.
When was Yalwa founded?
Yalwa was founded in 2006. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Yalwa based?
Yalwa is headquartered in Wiesbaden, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Yalwa make money?
One revenue line is on record: business Directory.
Who are Yalwa's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are OLX, Thumbtack, Locanto, Angi (formerly Angie's List) and Manta. Broad incumbents are Yelp, Facebook Marketplace, Yellow Pages and Craigslist. Nextdoor is listed as an emerging player.
Does Yalwa have an API?
No public API is recorded for Yalwa.
What industry is Yalwa in?
Yalwa's product category is Online Local Business Directory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAMAAAE, Local Search & Business Directories. Its NAICS code is 5192 and its SIC code is 7380.