What Anglers does

Anglers (アングラーズ) operates a Japanese online fishing information platform centered on user-submitted catch reports, fishing spot data, and gear reviews. The core platform at anglers.jp aggregates what the company describes as 60 million catch records (referenced as 600万件 in Japanese-language sources) contributed by recreational anglers across all 47 Japanese prefectures. Users can search fishing areas by prefecture, region, or fish species; post catch reports with photos, fish size, location, and conditions; review fishing tackle through a dedicated sub-platform at tacklebox.anglers.jp; and book charter fishing boats via ships.anglers.jp. The company was founded in 2012 by Yoshiaki Wakatsuki (Representative Director and CEO) and is headquartered in Machida, Tokyo, with a staff of 11–50.

The platform runs on a web-based architecture that uses AWS CloudFront for image delivery (d2y21t85kjqjvu.cloudfront.net, d28vawfkr527bq.cloudfront.net), Google Maps alongside OpenStreetMap/Leaflet for spatial data, and a unified user-account system spanning the main site and sub-properties. Anglers serves primarily recreational anglers in Japan with a horizontal segmentation spanning serious hobbyists and casual/family users, and the site is mobile-responsive. No native mobile applications were confirmed in the source data. The Anglers Magazine sub-brand provides editorial content covering fishing techniques and gear guides for top-of-funnel user acquisition.

Anglers monetizes through display advertising, a freemium premium subscription tier referenced in its terms of service (課金規約 and ポイント利用規約), and a charter boat booking marketplace that generates transaction-linked revenue. Its go-to-market is community-led and product-led: user-generated content drives organic SEO traffic and network effects, while editorial content supports acquisition. Funding history includes an early-stage round in December 2016 from 500 Startups Japan and IGNIS, followed by a round led by Maezawa Fund in December 2020. Revenue is not publicly disclosed.

Name

Anglers

Legal name

ANGLERS

Website

https://anglers.jp

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Anglers (アングラーズ) operates Japan's leading recreational fishing community platform, aggregating tens of millions of user-submitted catch reports across all 47 prefectures. Its freemium ecosystem spans catch logging, tackle reviews, and charter boat bookings, monetized through advertising, subscriptions, and transaction commissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Machida

HQ country

Japan

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advertising: Display advertising placements on the platform, including banner ads and sponsored content sections.
2. Premium Subscription: Subscription-based premium features referenced in terms of service (課金規約, ポイント利用規約). Likely includes enhanced features, priority support, or ad-free experience.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Anglers operates a community-driven fishing information platform (anglers.jp) that enables users to search, post, and browse fishing catch reports, fish species information, and fishing areas across Japan. The ecosystem includes a gear review platform (Tacklebox), a charter boat booking service, and an editorial magazine section, all unified under the ANGLERS brand.

Product overview

ANGLERS operates a fishing information platform centered on its core catch-reporting system (釣果検索). The ecosystem includes the main anglers.jp platform for catch reports, area searches, and fish species browsing; a dedicated tackle review marketplace at tacklebox.anglers.jp; a fishing vessel booking service at ships.anglers.jp; and an editorial magazine section. All components share the unified ANGLERS brand identity and user accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Tacklebox by ANGLERS: A separate product sub-platform (tacklebox.anglers.jp) dedicated to fishing tackle gear reviews, lures, rods, reels, and line product listings with user reviews.
• ANGLERS Magazine
• ANGLERS钓船予約 (Fishing Boat Reservation)

Products and services

• ANGLERS Fishing Information Platform A comprehensive fishing information platform that enables users to search and browse fishing catch reports, fishing areas, fish species, and fishing logs across Japan. Aggregates over 6 million catch records and serves as a community hub for recreational anglers.
• Tacklebox A dedicated tackle review and equipment management platform that allows users to browse, review, and manage fishing gear including rods, reels, lines, and lures with ratings and user reviews.
• ANGLERS Ship Booking A boat charter and fishing vessel reservation service that integrates with the main ANGLERS platform, enabling anglers to book fishing trips directly through the ecosystem.
• ANGLERS Magazine Editorial content section featuring fishing techniques, gear guides, and fishing reports, providing educational and informational content to complement the catch reporting platform.

Quantifiable outcome

• 6 million+ catch reports posted on the platform
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Fishbrain: Global fishing social platform with catch logging, spot maps, gear reviews, and premium subscription tiers — the international analogue to Anglers. Direct competitor in fishing community/platform category with overlapping product surface area, though Anglers is Japan-specialized while Fishbrain is global.
• FishAngler: Fishing social platform offering catch logs, spot sharing, weather/tide forecasts, and community features. Competes with Anglers on the same core proposition — community-driven fishing information — primarily in North America but with overlapping product DNA.
• Fishing Points: Mobile fishing app focused on maps, spot saving, and catch logging. Direct functional overlap with Anglers' catch-and-spot features; differs in being mobile-first and forecast-driven rather than community-and-content-led.
• BassForecast: Data-driven bass fishing app providing catch predictions based on weather, solunar, and historical data. Comparable to Anglers in targeting recreational anglers with data-rich tools, though more forecast-focused than community-focused.

Broad incumbents

• 釣りビジョン (Fishing Vision): Japanese dedicated fishing TV channel and media platform with content, online video, and community features. A broader incumbent in the Japanese fishing media space — Anglers is web/community-first, Fishing Vision is broadcast-first, but they compete for the same audience attention.

Others

• Navionics: Marine navigation and bathymetric mapping app owned by Garmin. Adjacent rather than competitive — Anglers users may use Navionics for marine charts while logging catches on Anglers, making it a complementary tool in the same angler's mobile toolkit.
• Shimano: World's largest fishing tackle manufacturer and a major advertiser/potential partner in the Japanese fishing ecosystem. Not a competitor but a key ecosystem participant whose marketing spend and product launches could be monetized through Anglers' platform.
• Daiwa (Globeride): Major Japanese fishing tackle manufacturer alongside Shimano. Like Shimano, an ecosystem participant and potential partner — Anglers reviews their products on Tacklebox, and both manufacturers represent significant advertising and data-partnership opportunities.
• Tackle Warehouse: Large US tackle retailer with community content, reviews, and educational content. Adjacent — not a direct competitor (retail vs. community platform) but illustrative of where vertical fishing commerce plus content could converge, a potential direction for Tacklebox.
• Instagram (Meta): General-purpose social platform that hosts massive amounts of fishing content and competes for recreational anglers' content creation time and attention. Not a vertical competitor but the primary alternative surface where fishing creators publish, threatening Anglers' UGC flywheel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ANGLERS_jp

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors3 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 Anglers