dear u plus
Dear U plus operates "bubble for JAPAN," a mobile fan-communication app enabling paid real-time messaging, live streaming, and ticket privileges between artists and fans. Founded in 2023 as a subsidiary of m-up Holdings, it serves Japanese entertainment agencies and K-pop labels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersShibuya, Tokyo, Japan
- Headcount—
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingSoftware
What dear u plus does
Dear U plus is a Tokyo-headquartered subsidiary of m-up Holdings (TSE Prime listed) that operates "bubble for JAPAN," a mobile fan communication platform launched on June 4, 2024. The company was established in May 2023 with ¥150 million in capital and is led by CEO Yamanouchi Ryo. The platform enables real-time direct messaging between artists and individual fans and extends into bubble LIVE audio/video streaming with 24-hour archive playback, 14-language automatic translation, a voting function, and an OUR BOX bookmarking feature.
The product is built on technology licensed from the Korean parent Dear U and is tightly integrated with two m-up Holdings sister companies: Fanplus for fan club membership management and Ticket Plus (チケプラ) for event ticketing. This group-level integration bundles membership, paid messaging, live streaming, and ticket allocation into a single stack. A "bubble relay" channel launched in January 2026 enables cross-border distribution of Korean-market content into the Japanese platform, and the service is available in 200+ countries globally.
Monetization rests on per-artist monthly subscriptions priced at ¥600 on web and ¥640 on app stores (with a 10% Fanplus member discount), plus transaction-based revenue from Ticket Plus routed to subscribers. Roster coverage spans flagship K-pop partnerships with SM Entertainment (Jan 2026) and JYP Entertainment (Aug 2026), Japanese artists including Mrs. GREEN APPLE and SKE48, and an expanding set of voice actors, actresses, influencers, and YouTubers.
dear u plus firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- dear u plus
- Legal name
- 株式会社Dear U plus
- Website
- https://dearuplus.co.jp
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Short description
- Dear U plus operates "bubble for JAPAN," a mobile fan-communication app enabling paid real-time messaging, live streaming, and ticket privileges between artists and fans. Founded in 2023 as a subsidiary of m-up Holdings, it serves Japanese entertainment agencies and K-pop labels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
dear u plus industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Fan Communication Platform
- NAICS
- Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162)
- SIC
- Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Live Audio & Social Audio Platforms (MPAIADAD)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Interactive/Watch-Party & Social Video Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAM)
Keywords
Where dear u plus is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Shibuya, Tokyo
- HQ country
- Japan
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices1 record
Markets served
dear u plus business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Monthly Subscription (bubble for JAPAN): Fans pay a monthly subscription fee to receive messages from individual artists. Pricing differs by payment channel: web payment (¥600/month tax-inclusive) vs. app store payment (¥640/month tax-inclusive). Fan club members may receive a 10% discount through Plus Member ID integration. Each artist subscription is independent (no bundling across multiple artists). This is the primary revenue stream.
- Ticket Sales (Subscriber-Exclusive Events): bubble subscribers gain priority access to purchase tickets for fan events, concerts, and signings. Revenue flows through group company Ticket Plus (チケプラ). This drives subscriber acquisition and retention while generating transaction-based revenue.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard monthly subscription via web payment |
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard monthly subscription via app store payment |
| Subscription | Monthly | SKE48 per-member subscription |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
dear u plus product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Dear U plus operates bubble for JAPAN, a subscription-based fan communication mobile and web application that enables real-time bidirectional messaging between entertainment artists (musicians, idols, actors, voice actors, influencers) and their fans. The platform provides closed private chat rooms where artists send text, photo, and video messages to subscribers, with bubble LIVE audio/video streaming, 14-language automatic message translation, subscriber-exclusive ticket pre-sales via Ticket Plus integration, and fan club member discount integration. Korean K-pop artist content from agencies such as SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment is delivered into the Japan app via the bubble relay infrastructure developed by Korean Dear U.
Product overview
Dear U plus operates a single main product: 'bubble for JAPAN', a global fan communication platform that enables real-time bidirectional messaging between entertainment artists and their fans. The platform serves as a closed communication space where artists deliver personal messages, photos, and live streams directly to subscribers' private chat rooms. Key supporting features include 14-language automatic message translation, subscriber-only ticket pre-sales integrated with Ticket Plus (チケプラ), fan club member discount pricing via Plus member ID integration with Fanplus-operated fan clubs, and bubble LIVE for audio/video streaming. The platform launched in Japan in June 2024 and has expanded to include Korean K-pop artists via the bubble relay infrastructure, enabling Japanese fans to subscribe to Korean artists' bubble content through the same app.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- bubble: Global fan communication app enabling real-time messaging between artists and fans in a closed, private space.
- bubble for JAPAN
- bubble relay
Products and services
- bubble for JAPAN Global fan communication app enabling real-time bidirectional messaging between artists and fans. Artists send casual daily messages, photos, and videos to fans' private chat rooms (tokroom), and fans can reply, creating a conversational experience. Features include bubble LIVE for audio/video streaming with 24-hour archive, automatic 14-language message translation, subscriber-only ticket pre-sales integrated with Ticket Plus (チケプラ), fan club member ID integration with Plus Member ID for discounted pricing, message bookmarking (OUR BOX), and voting functions. Available in 200+ countries and regions on iOS, Android, and web.
Quantifiable outcome
- Quarterly subscription ticket count: 2 million+ (for the Korean Dear U bubble platform globally)
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use dear u plus
Customer profileNamed customers13 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
dear u plus technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration3 records
AI capability5 records
Feature8 records
dear u plus partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Five partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.
- JYP EntertainmentflagshipJYP Entertainment is one of Korea's 'Big 3' entertainment agencies. Through bubble relay, 12 JYP groups (2PM, DAY6, TWICE, Stray Kids, ITZY, Xdinary Heroes, NMIXX, KickFlip, NiziU, NEXZ, BOY STORY, YAOCHEN) became available on bubble for JAPAN in August 2026. This is the largest K-pop agency partnership after SM Entertainment, significantly expanding bubble for JAPAN's K-pop artist roster.
- SM EntertainmentflagshipSM Entertainment is one of Korea's 'Big 3' entertainment agencies. Through bubble relay, 14 SM groups (KANGTA, TVXQ!, SUPER JUNIOR, Girls' Generation, SHINee, EXO, Red Velvet, NCT, aespa, RIIZE, NCT WISH, etc.) became available on bubble for JAPAN in January 2026 as the first wave of Korean artist integration. SM Entertainment represents the largest single-agency content partnership for bubble for JAPAN.
- Korean Dear U (Dear U社)coreKorean Dear U is the developer and operator of the global bubble platform. Dear U plus holds the exclusive license to operate the bubble for JAPAN service. Korean Dear U developed the bubble relay infrastructure enabling cross-border content distribution between Korean bubble apps and bubble for JAPAN. The technology platform, messaging infrastructure, and global app framework are provided by Korean Dear U, while Dear U plus handles Japanese market operations, localization, artist acquisition, and fan relationships.
- 株式会社FanpluscoreGroup company operating artist fan club websites and services. Fanplus and Dear U plus jointly announce bubble for JAPAN artist launches. Fanplus operates fan clubs for many artists on bubble for JAPAN. Integration via Plus Member ID enables fan club members to access discounted bubble subscription pricing (10% off). The two companies share operational infrastructure including customer data (via joint use agreement), payment systems, and marketing channels.
- 株式会社チケットプラス (Ticket Plus / チケプラ)coreGroup company operating the electronic ticket platform チケプラ (Tixplus/Ticket Plus) and official resale service チケプラTrade. Ticket Plus integration enables bubble subscribers to access subscriber-exclusive ticket sales for fan events (signings, birthday events, concerts). This partnership creates a unique value chain where subscription → exclusive ticket access → digital ticket delivery via チケプラ app. The joint ticket event announcements appear frequently in the news section.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
dear u plus competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Weverse: HYBE's flagship fan community platform serving BTS, SEVENTEEN, TXT, ENHYPEN and other K-pop acts with artist-fan communication, content, and commerce. Most direct competitor to bubble for JAPAN in the K-pop fan engagement space.
- Dear U (Korean parent): Korean developer of the bubble platform that Dear U plus licenses for the Japan market. Same product, same technology, and shared content via bubble relay — operates the original market where bubble was first validated with 600+ artists.
- UNIVERSE: Kakao Entertainment's artist-fan communication platform formerly powering communication for major K-pop acts including BTS and BLACKPINK. Directly competes for subscription-based fan messaging with K-pop roster assets.
- Lysn: SM Entertainment's fan communication platform offering direct artist-fan messaging, video calls, and content. Particularly relevant as SM is also a flagship partner for bubble relay — illustrates platform competition even within agency partnerships.
- IDOLCHAMP: K-pop fan engagement app with voting, streaming, and artist communication features. Direct peer in the K-pop fan-engagement category with overlapping target demographic and artist roster focus.
Broad incumbents
- Patreon: Largest subscription-based creator monetization platform globally. Comparable business model (tiered recurring subscriptions for creator-fan relationship) but serves a much broader creator base beyond entertainment celebrities.
- YouTube Memberships: Google's creator subscription feature offering channel memberships with exclusive content. Competes for the same artist-fan subscription wallet share with the advantage of massive existing user base and zero install friction.
- Instagram Subscriptions: Meta's native creator subscription feature enabling creators to offer paid content to followers. Competes on convenience (already-installed app, existing social graph) and may reduce the value of dedicated fan apps like bubble over time.
- X (Twitter) Subscriptions: X's premium creator subscription offering exclusive content and community access. Competes with bubble for celebrity-driven subscription revenue with the structural advantage of already being where fans follow artists publicly.
Emerging players
- Cameo: Marketplace for personalized celebrity video shoutouts. Comparable in connecting fans with celebrity talent for paid content, but operates on one-off transaction model rather than subscription, and serves a different fan-engagement use case.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
dear u plus social profiles
Digital presencedear u plus financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
dear u plus leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
dear u plus funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
dear u plus 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 dear u plus
What does dear u plus do?
Dear U plus operates bubble for JAPAN, a subscription-based fan communication mobile and web application that enables real-time bidirectional messaging between entertainment artists (musicians, idols, actors, voice actors, influencers) and their fans. The platform provides closed private chat rooms where artists send text, photo, and video messages to subscribers, with bubble LIVE audio/video streaming, 14-language automatic message translation, subscriber-exclusive ticket pre-sales via Ticket Plus integration, and fan club member discount integration. Korean K-pop artist content from agencies such as SM Entertainment and JYP Entertainment is delivered into the Japan app via the bubble relay infrastructure developed by Korean Dear U.
Is dear u plus a public or private company?
dear u plus is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was dear u plus founded?
dear u plus was founded in 2023.
Where is dear u plus based?
dear u plus is headquartered in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, in the Asia region.
How does dear u plus make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Monthly Subscription (bubble for JAPAN) is the primary driver. The others are ticket Sales (Subscriber-Exclusive Events).
Who are dear u plus's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Weverse, Dear U (Korean parent), UNIVERSE, Lysn and IDOLCHAMP. Broad incumbents are Patreon, YouTube Memberships, Instagram Subscriptions and X (Twitter) Subscriptions. Cameo is listed as an emerging player.
Does dear u plus have an API?
No public API is recorded for dear u plus.
What industry is dear u plus in?
dear u plus's product category is Fan Communication Platform. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAIADAD, Live Audio & Social Audio Platforms, with a secondary code of MPACAAAM, Interactive/Watch-Party & Social Video Streaming Platforms. Its NAICS code is 5162 and its SIC code is 7990.