Gunosy
Gunosy (tyo:6047) is a Tokyo-based, publicly listed free news aggregation app serving Japanese smartphone users. It curates personalized articles from 1,000+ media sources via a recommendation engine, monetizing through advertising across iOS, Android, and web platforms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersTokyo, Japan
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Gunosy does
Gunosy is a Japanese free news aggregation platform founded in 2012 and publicly listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange (tyo:6047), headquartered in Tokyo. Its core product is a single consumer application distributed across iOS, Android, and the web, which curates and delivers personalized articles from over 1,000 media outlets based on each user's selected categories, keywords, interests, and geographic location. The product is augmented with non-news utility features including a rain cloud radar powered by Weathernews, breaking-news push notifications, and coupon/discount integrations.
The underlying technology is a news and content personalization platform that combines recommendation algorithms, location-based services, and push-notification systems, supported by an extensive third-party SDK stack covering ad delivery (Google Mobile Ads, Criteo, LINE, Yahoo Ads, Pangle, nend, Ad Generation), measurement and attribution (Adjust, AppsFlyer, Firebase), analytics, and social integrations (Facebook, Twitter/X, Pocket, Hatena). Gunosy maintains a behavioral targeting advertising network that includes partners such as APPLOVIN, SoftBank, CyberAgent subsidiaries, FreeOut, and ScaleOut.
Gunosy operates a product-led, freemium go-to-market model: the app is free to consumers with no subscription, and revenue is generated entirely through advertising — both first-party inventory and third-party ad networks. The primary customer segment is Japanese smartphone users seeking personalized news, weather, and deals, with all revenue and operations concentrated in Japan. The company is led by CEO Yuya Taketani, with co-founders Yoshifumi Seki and Koji Yoshida, and has historically raised venture funding from B Dash Ventures, JAFCO, KDDI, and East Ventures before its IPO; it also acquired gaming media property Game Eight in December 2015.
Gunosy firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gunosy
- Legal name
- 株式会社Gunosy
- Website
- https://gunosy.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Gunosy (tyo:6047) is a Tokyo-based, publicly listed free news aggregation app serving Japanese smartphone users. It curates personalized articles from 1,000+ media sources via a recommendation engine, monetizing through advertising across iOS, Android, and web platforms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gunosy industry classification
Industry- Product category
- News Aggregation
- NAICS
- Software Publishers (513210)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps (MPACAKAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Local & City Guide Content Aggregators (MPACAKAJ)
Keywords
Where Gunosy is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Markets served
Gunosy business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Advertising: The service is provided free to users with revenue generated through targeted advertising. The platform collects user behavior data, location information, and advertising identifiers to deliver personalized ads. Multiple ad networks and third-party SDKs are integrated for ad delivery including Google Ads, Criteo, LINE Ads, Yahoo Ads, and others.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Pay-as-you-go | Free news app with no subscription required |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels2 records
Gunosy product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gunosy operates a free, ad-supported news aggregation platform delivered through iOS, Android, and web. It curates and personalizes articles from over 1,000 Japanese media outlets using a recommendation algorithm that factors in user-selected interests, keywords, and prefecture-level location. The app also integrates location-based weather (rain cloud radar via Weathernews), coupons, and breaking news push notifications as companion features.
Product overview
Gunosy is a single-product news aggregation platform offering free, personalized news delivery via a unified iOS/Android smartphone app and a web interface at gunosy.com. The product curates content from over 1,000 media outlets, using a personalization system that matches articles to each user's selected categories, keywords, and geographic location. The platform is augmented by companion features including a coupon/discount service (partner services), a rain-forecasting radar powered by Weathernews, and push notification alerts for urgent or personally relevant news.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gunosy (グノシー) News Aggregation App Free mobile (iOS/Android) and web application for Japanese consumers that curates and personalizes news articles from over 1,000 media outlets based on selected interests, keywords, and prefecture-level location. It also includes breaking news push notifications, a location-based rain cloud radar (powered by Weathernews), and coupons/deals, monetized through targeted and retargeted advertising.
Companies that use Gunosy
Customer profileSegments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Gunosy technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration20 records
AI capability2 records
Feature3 records
Gunosy partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Supership株式会社coreProvides Ad Generation SDK for advertising delivery. Collects Advertising Identifier and User ID for ad effectiveness improvement.
- Adjust株式会社coreProvides Adjust SDK for advertising measurement and statistical data creation. Collects device identifiers, OS version, and carrier information.
- AppsFlyer Ltd.coreProvides mobile attribution and analytics SDK for app performance tracking.
- CRITEO株式会社 (Criteo)coreProvides Criteo Publisher SDK for personalized retargeting advertisements.
- Meta Platforms, Inc. (Facebook)coreProvides Facebook SDK for social login, content sharing, and analytics. Also used for advertising attribution through Facebook SDK.
- Google Inc.coreMultiple integrations: Firebase SDK (crash reporting, performance), Google Analytics (usage analysis), Google Mobile Ads SDK (advertising), YouTube API (video content), Google Fonts, Google Tag Manager.
- LINE株式会社coreProvides LINE advertising network (FiveSDK) and LINE Ads for targeted advertising delivery.
- 株式会社ウェザーニューズcoreProvides rain cloud radar (雨雲レーダー) weather data. Uses location information to show local weather forecasts.
- 雅虎株式会社 (Yahoo! Japan)coreProvides Yahoo Ads SDK for advertising delivery on the Yahoo! Japan ad network.
- ソフトバンク株式会社minorParticipates in Gunosy's behavioral targeting advertising network through SoftBank's ad platform.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Gunosy competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- SmartNews (US/global product): SmartNews's US/global product is the same company as the Japanese SmartNews, but its US product represents a comparable ad-supported personalized news app in a different geography. Useful as a cross-market comparable for the Gunosy product.
Direct peers
- SmartNews: SmartNews is a leading news aggregation app with strong presence in Japan and the US, using machine learning to curate personalized news from publishers. It directly competes with Gunosy for Japanese smartphone users and ad budgets.
- NewsPicks: NewsPicks is a curated business and economics news app popular with Japanese professionals. It overlaps with Gunosy's news aggregation use case, particularly for premium business and current-affairs content.
- Flipboard: Flipboard is a global personalized news aggregation app that curates stories from publishers based on user interests. It is comparable to Gunosy in product mechanics (interest-based feed, publisher partnerships) though it operates primarily outside Japan.
Broad incumbents
- Google News: Google News aggregates headlines from publishers worldwide and is accessible to Japanese users via Android and web. It is a broad incumbent competitor to Gunosy's core aggregation product.
- LY Corporation (Yahoo Japan / LINE): LY Corporation operates Yahoo! Japan News and LINE News, two of the largest news destinations in Japan post LINE/Yahoo merger. It competes for the same Japanese news audience and advertising spend as Gunosy from a much larger platform footprint.
- Apple News: Apple News is a built-in iOS news aggregator preinstalled on Apple devices, with curated publisher content and breaking-news alerts. It is a platform-level incumbent that competes for the same Japanese iPhone users' attention and ad inventory.
Emerging players
- News360: News360 is a personalized news aggregation app using AI to cluster and recommend stories across topics. Comparable to Gunosy for its interest-based curation mechanics, though it operates in different geographies.
- Feedly: Feedly is an RSS- and AI-driven news aggregator serving prosumer audiences with personalized topic feeds. It is comparable to Gunosy in curating articles from many sources into a personalized feed, though its business model skews toward subscription rather than ads.
- Inoreader: Inoreader is a content aggregation and RSS reader with topic-based feeds and discovery. It overlaps with Gunosy's feed-based news curation model, targeting engaged news consumers.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Gunosy social profiles
Digital presenceGunosy financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gunosy leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Gunosy funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors4 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gunosy M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments4 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gunosy
What does Gunosy do?
Gunosy operates a free, ad-supported news aggregation platform delivered through iOS, Android, and web. It curates and personalizes articles from over 1,000 Japanese media outlets using a recommendation algorithm that factors in user-selected interests, keywords, and prefecture-level location. The app also integrates location-based weather (rain cloud radar via Weathernews), coupons, and breaking news push notifications as companion features.
Is Gunosy a public or private company?
Gunosy is a private company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was Gunosy founded?
Gunosy was founded in 2012. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Gunosy based?
Gunosy is headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does Gunosy make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising.
Who are Gunosy's main competitors?
SmartNews (US/global product) is listed as a regional player. Direct peers are SmartNews, NewsPicks and Flipboard. Broad incumbents are Google News, LY Corporation (Yahoo Japan / LINE) and Apple News. Emerging players are News360, Feedly and Inoreader.
Does Gunosy have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gunosy.
What industry is Gunosy in?
Gunosy's product category is News Aggregation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAKAB, Topic/Interest-Based Content Discovery Apps, with a secondary code of MPACAKAJ, Local & City Guide Content Aggregators. Its NAICS code is 513210.