Active Directory Advertising

What Active Directory Advertising does

Active Directory Advertising Sdn Bhd is a privately held Malaysian digital advertising and application company founded in 2014 by four founders. It develops applications using the Active Directory format, an adaptable directory architecture that organizes listings alphabetically or thematically and combines merchant listings, localized directions, and chat functions. Buzzride is the company's first released application and primary product, connecting shoppers with local merchants across 13+ categories, including automotive, food and beverages, health and beauty, education, travel, and finance-related services. The company also offers independent app creation and specialist digital management services for clients.

Commercially, Buzzride operates as a domestic Malaysian directory marketplace: shoppers use a self-serve iOS and Android app, while direct sales representatives, business opportunity talks, and Buzz Team members recruit and connect SMB merchants. Described revenue streams are merchant listings and network access, app creation services, and specialist digital management services; public pricing, merchant and user counts, contract values, and revenue figures are not disclosed. The go-to-market model combines sales-led field selling with a community-led, commission-based referral channel, and no funding rounds or parent company are identified in the available records.

Name

Active Directory Advertising

Legal name

Active Directory Advertising Sdn Bhd

Website

https://ada-corp.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Active Directory Advertising is a Malaysian digital advertising and application company serving local shoppers and SMB merchants. It builds Active Directory-format applications, including Buzzride with merchant listings, directions, and chat, and provides app creation and digital management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Local Business Directory Platform

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Direct Marketing, CRM & Lifecycle (Email, SMS, Loyalty) (BPAFAAAJ)

Keywords

• Mobile app development
• Local business directory
• Merchant discovery platform
• Digital advertising services
• Custom app creation

Headquarters

HQ city

Petaling Jaya

HQ country

Malaysia

HQ region

Asia

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Merchant Listings and Network Access: Revenue generated from merchants (Buzz Partners) who want to expand their trade network. Merchants pay to be listed and connected through the Buzzride platform.
2. App Creation Services: Digital application creation services for clients, including apps linked to Active Directory format and other app types.
3. Specialist Digital Management: Dedicated team services to manage and create digital projects for clients upon request.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Active Directory Advertising (ADA) is a Malaysian digital agency that builds mobile applications using its proprietary "Active Directory" format. Its flagship product, Buzzride, is a directory-style mobile app that connects shoppers with local merchants across 13+ categories, combining listings, localized directions, and chat. Beyond Buzzride, ADA offers independent app creation and specialist digital management services for clients seeking custom digital solutions.

Product overview

Active Directory Advertising (ADA) is a digital app creation company that develops applications following the proprietary Active Directory format. The company's primary product is Buzzride, a mobile application that creates a dynamic digital space holding categorized merchant listings (including Automotive, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Shopping, Travel & Tourism, and 9 other categories), localized directions, and chat functions. The Active Directory format is described as an adaptable app type that increases the functionality of a standard directory by organizing content alphabetically or thematically, with the goal of making the connection between shoppers and products faster and stronger.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Buzzride: Mobile application following the Active Directory format - a dynamic digital space holding listings, merchants, localised directions, chat functions, and more. Connects shoppers with products and merchants across categories including Automotive, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Shopping, and Travel.

Products and services

• Buzzride Buzzride is a mobile directory application available on iOS and Android that follows ADA's proprietary Active Directory format. It lists merchants across 13+ categories (Automotive, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Education, Shopping, Home/Garden/Pets, Office Equipment, Entertainments, Places of Interest, Computer/Telecom, Handy Services, Travel/Tourism, and Lawyer/Finance/Insurance), with localized directions and built-in chat functions, designed to help shoppers discover and connect with local merchants quickly.
• Independent App Creation Services Bespoke digital application creation services for clients, including apps linked to the proprietary Active Directory format as well as ideation and development of all other app types. Targeted at clients seeking custom mobile or web app solutions.
• Specialist Digital Management Dedicated team service to manage and create digital projects for clients on request. Clients can engage ADA's specialists to develop and run digital initiatives end-to-end when they lack in-house digital expertise.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Buzz PartnerscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMerchants across various categories (Automotive, Food & Beverages, Health & Beauty, Education, Shopping, Home/Garden/Pets, Office Equipment, Entertainments, Places of Interest, Computer/Telecom, Handy Services, Travel/Tourism, and Lawyer/Finance/Insurance) who expand their trade network through the Buzzride platform. No matter how big or small, Buzzride helps merchants connect with customers instantly.
• Buzz Team MembersminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBusiness-minded individuals who join the Buzz Team to facilitate links between the company and Buzz Partners. They earn income by helping expand the merchant network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Foodpanda: Foodpanda is a vertical-specific directory/marketplace for restaurants in Southeast Asia, comparable to the Food & Beverages category of Buzzride. Its narrow vertical focus illustrates both a competitor and a model for vertical-deepening within Buzzride's categories.
• Carousell: Carousell is a Southeast Asia–focused marketplace platform with vertical-specific listings and chat. Its mobile-first, multi-category marketplace model and SEA regional footprint make it a comparable next-generation directory/marketplace.

Direct peers

• Yelp: Yelp is the most direct global analogue to Buzzride: a consumer-facing mobile directory that connects shoppers with local merchants across categories, with listings, directions, and merchant interaction. Both operate two-sided marketplace models monetized on merchant visibility.
• JustDial: JustDial is an Asian directory and local search marketplace connecting consumers with merchants across categories. Its model — monetized listings, multi-category breadth, and local discovery — closely mirrors Buzzride's structure and SMB merchant focus.
• Truecaller: Truecaller is a mobile-first app with a business directory feature that lets users discover and connect with local merchants. Its mobile-first distribution and merchant discovery mechanics parallel Buzzride's app-led approach.

Broad incumbents

• Yellow Pages: Yellow Pages is the legacy incumbent in business directories, now operating as a digital listings and advertising platform. It is comparable as a category ancestor for Buzzride's directory-format listing model and SMB monetization.
• Grab: Grab is a Southeast Asia super-app with merchant services, food, and on-demand verticals. Its growing merchant-facing marketplace and lifestyle categories overlap with Buzzride's local discovery and SMB acquisition model at a vastly larger scale.
• Google Business Profile: Google Business Profile is the dominant free global directory for local merchants, integrated with Google Search and Maps. It is the primary competitive substitute for localized merchant discovery and directions that Buzzride offers.

Regional players

• Mudah.my: Mudah.my is Malaysia's largest classifieds and local listings marketplace, covering categories from automotive to services. It is regionally focused on Malaysia and competes directly with Buzzride for local merchant and shopper attention.
• PropertyGuru: PropertyGuru is a leading Southeast Asian property directory serving Malaysia and the region. It is comparable as a vertical-specialized SEA directory listing model with localized categories and merchant subscriptions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/activedirectoryadvertisingsdnbhd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Active Directory Advertising