SpoonLabs
SpoonLabs is a Seoul-based global content platform operating Spoon (audio live streaming) and Vigloo (short-form drama video), serving audio creators, listeners, and mobile-first microdrama viewers across Korea, Japan, Taiwan, MENA, and the US.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSeoul, South Korea
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What SpoonLabs does
SpoonLabs Inc. (formerly SpoonRadio, rebranded September 2024) is a Seoul-headquartered global content platform company founded in May 2013. It operates two core product lines: Spoon, an audio live-streaming and content platform that enables anyone to start a voice-based broadcast and monetize through fan donations and a monthly membership subscription; and Vigloo, a short-form drama streaming platform launched globally in July 2024 that delivers ~2-minute episodic video content in 7-8 languages. A third sub-product, PodNovel, provides AI-generated audio novels using text-to-speech with voice balancing and pronunciation correction. The company also operates Vigloo Studio, an AI-powered creator dashboard providing transparent performance analytics and revenue data for microdrama producers.
Underlying technology centers on AI applied across content creation, distribution, and operations: generative AI video production tools that reduce short-form drama production costs by up to 90% and cut production time in half; AI recommendation systems blending content-based and collaborative filtering for content discovery; TTS-based audio synthesis; and AI-driven marketing automation, localization, and content moderation. The product surface is distributed globally across Korea, Japan, Taiwan, MENA, and the US, with a dedicated Tokyo regional headquarters and mobile/web distribution on iOS and Android app stores.
The business model combines three revenue streams: (1) recurring subscription revenue from Spoon Membership (launched April 2024) and Vigloo's subscription/pay-per-view microdrama consumption; (2) transaction fees on creator donations, where top audio DJs on Spoon have earned over KRW 1.1 billion from listeners; and (3) indirect monetization through creator economy investment (KRW 10 billion cultivation program) designed to grow the supply side. The company has been profitable for two consecutive years as of February 2024, reported H1 2024 revenue of KRW 250 billion, and received a KRW 120 billion ($90M) investment from Krafton in late 2024 — Krafton's largest investment in a non-gaming entity — alongside earlier Series B (KRW 19B, 2018) and Series C (KRW 45B, 2019) rounds from KB Investment, IMM Investment, Naver, GOODWATER, and SoftBank.
SpoonLabs firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- SpoonLabs
- Legal name
- SpoonLabs Inc.
- Website
- https://spoonlabs.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- SpoonLabs is a Seoul-based global content platform operating Spoon (audio live streaming) and Vigloo (short-form drama video), serving audio creators, listeners, and mobile-first microdrama viewers across Korea, Japan, Taiwan, MENA, and the US.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
SpoonLabs industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Social Audio and Short-Form Video Streaming
- NAICS
- Sound Recording Industries (5122), Motion Picture and Sound Recording Industries (512)
- SIC
- Services-Prepackaged Software (7372), Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Creator Tools & Monetization Platforms (Podcasts/Audio) (MPAIADAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments (MPACAFAB), Short-Form Video for Education & Microlearning Platforms (MPACAHAK), AI Music Creation & Assistive Tools (Generation, Separation, Mastering) (MPAIAIAG)
Keywords
Where SpoonLabs is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Seoul
- HQ country
- South Korea
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices3 records
Markets served
SpoonLabs business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Spoon Membership Subscription: Monthly subscription service launched April 2024 offering exclusive benefits to audio content platform users. Revenue generated from recurring subscription fees from listeners.
- Creator Donations and Payments (Spoon): Audio DJs on Spoon receive donations and payments from fans, with the platform taking a transaction fee. Reports indicate individual DJs earning over KRW 1.1 billion in donations.
- Short-Form Drama Revenue (Vigloo): Revenue from short-form drama content on Vigloo, with U.S. users accounting for 50% of revenue as of early 2025. Primarily through subscription or pay-per-view models for microdrama episodes.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Spoon membership subscription service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
SpoonLabs product offering
Product offeringCore offering
SpoonLabs operates Spoon, a global audio live streaming platform where anyone can start an audio broadcast, build a fan community, and monetize via donations, and Vigloo, a short-form drama streaming platform offering approximately 2-minute episodic video content launched globally in July 2024 in 7-8 languages. It also operates PodNovel, an AI-powered audio novel service, supported by AI-based recommendation systems and AI video production tools that reduce production costs by up to 90%.
Product overview
SpoonLabs is a global content platform company operating across two main product lines: the audio platform Spoon (formerly Spoon Radio) and the short-form video drama platform Vigloo. Spoon is an audio live streaming and content platform where users create voice content and interact with fans in real-time, also featuring PodNovel, an AI-powered audio novel service. Vigloo is a micro-drama streaming platform offering short-form series of approximately 2 minutes per episode. The company provides creator tools including Vigloo Studio (AI-powered analytics dashboard) and Spoon Membership (subscription service). SpoonLabs also implements AI-based recommendation systems for content discovery across its platforms.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Vigloo: Short-form drama streaming platform offering 2-minute episodic video content in 8 languages. Launched globally in July 2024.
- PodNovel (팟노블)
Products and services
- Spoon Global audio live streaming platform where anyone can easily start an audio broadcast, build a fan community, and monetize via fan donations. Operates in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, MENA, and the United States.
- Vigloo (비글루) Short-form drama streaming platform offering approximately 2-minute episodic video content across 7-8 languages, targeting the global microdrama market.
- PodNovel (팟노블) AI-powered audio novel service within the Spoon platform that uses AI for high-quality audio content production, including TTS voice balance, pronunciation correction, and audio quality management.
- Vigloo Studio AI-powered creator dashboard for Vigloo that provides transparent access to performance analytics and revenue data, addressing information imbalance in the microdrama industry.
Quantifiable outcome
- Production costs reduced by up to 90% and production time cut in half through AI integration
- +5 more outcomes
Companies that use SpoonLabs
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
SpoonLabs technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability10 records
Feature4 records
SpoonLabs partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- ArcanecoreArcane partnered with Spoon Labs to develop an AI-enhanced short-form drama studio, combining Arcane's production capabilities with SpoonLabs' AI technology for creating short-form drama content.
Scale indicators14 records
Recent moves13 records
Expansion highlights8 records
SpoonLabs competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- DramaBox (Storymatrix): DramaBox is a major Chinese-backed short-form drama streaming app competing head-to-head with Vigloo in the US market, with overlapping content format, multilingual localization strategy, and similar mobile-first subscription monetization.
- ReelShort (Crazy Maple Studio): ReelShort is the leading US-facing microdrama short-form video platform and the most direct competitor to Vigloo, offering 1-2 minute episodic vertical dramas with subscription and PPV monetization targeting the same English-speaking consumer base.
- Pocket FM: Pocket FM is an India-headquartered audio series platform offering serialized fiction with micro-payment monetization, comparable to Spoon's audio content model and emerging adjacency to SpoonLabs' PodNovel AI audio novel service.
- FlexTV: FlexTV is a short-form drama app operated by Yidian Entertainment with comparable 1-2 minute episodic content and global multilingual distribution, positioning it as a direct US-market competitor to Vigloo.
- GoodShort: GoodShort is a microdrama streaming app from the same Chinese parent ecosystem (Storymatrix/Crazy Maple), directly comparable to Vigloo in vertical short-form drama content and Western-market go-to-market approach.
- Clubhouse: Clubhouse pioneered the live audio social format and remains the most direct comparable to Spoon's audio live-streaming and community-led creator monetization model.
Emerging players
- Kuku FM: Kuku FM is an India-based audio content platform with creator monetization and subscription tiers, offering a regional-peer comparable to Spoon's audio creator ecosystem and tipping/donation model.
- SnackVideo: SnackVideo is Kuaishou's short-form video platform with strong APAC user base and global expansion ambitions, providing a broad-incumbent comparable for Vigloo's short-form mobile video distribution model.
Others
- Wattpad / WEBTOON (NAVER): NAVER-owned WEBTOON and Wattpad are major serialized-fiction platforms that served as investor (Naver) in SpoonLabs' Series C and represent adjacent IP-creation infrastructure feeding into Vigloo's short-form drama pipeline.
- Krafton (PUBG universe): Krafton is SpoonLabs' largest strategic investor and IP partner, with stated intent to use Vigloo as an IP pipeline for gaming franchises; relevant as a strategic/ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
SpoonLabs social profiles
Digital presenceSpoonLabs financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
SpoonLabs leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
SpoonLabs subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
SpoonLabs funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds6 records
Investors13 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
SpoonLabs 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 SpoonLabs
What does SpoonLabs do?
SpoonLabs operates Spoon, a global audio live streaming platform where anyone can start an audio broadcast, build a fan community, and monetize via donations, and Vigloo, a short-form drama streaming platform offering approximately 2-minute episodic video content launched globally in July 2024 in 7-8 languages. It also operates PodNovel, an AI-powered audio novel service, supported by AI-based recommendation systems and AI video production tools that reduce production costs by up to 90%.
Is SpoonLabs a public or private company?
SpoonLabs is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was SpoonLabs founded?
SpoonLabs was founded in 2013. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is SpoonLabs based?
SpoonLabs is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, in the Asia region.
How does SpoonLabs make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Spoon Membership Subscription is the primary driver. The others are creator Donations and Payments (Spoon) and short-Form Drama Revenue (Vigloo).
Who are SpoonLabs's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are DramaBox (Storymatrix), ReelShort (Crazy Maple Studio), Pocket FM, FlexTV, GoodShort and Clubhouse. Emerging players are Kuku FM and SnackVideo. Others are Wattpad / WEBTOON (NAVER) and Krafton (PUBG universe).
Does SpoonLabs have an API?
No public API is recorded for SpoonLabs.
What industry is SpoonLabs in?
SpoonLabs's product category is Social Audio and Short-Form Video Streaming. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIADAG, Creator Tools & Monetization Platforms (Podcasts/Audio), with a secondary code of MPACAFAB, Creator Tipping, Donations & Micro-Payments. Its NAICS code is 5122 and its SIC code is 7372.