Wadiz Surpasses 400 Billion KRW in Cumulative Brokerage Amount

Cumulative Open Projects Reach 20,000... 1,000 New Projects Launched in December Alone

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Cheol-hyun] Wadiz, a crowdfunding platform operated by CEO Shin Hye-sung, announced on the 14th that it has surpassed a cumulative brokerage amount of 400 billion KRW seven years after launching its service.

According to Wadiz, over the past year, more than 6,000 startup companies and startups introduced over 10,000 new projects. The number of supporters participating in funding reached 1.86 million. The cumulative brokerage amount to date has reached 430 billion KRW, and the total number of projects introduced is about 24,000. In particular, more than 1,000 projects were opened in December alone.

Looking at the categories by business sector, last year, reward-type funding saw the most projects in the fashion and accessories sector (36%), followed by food (14%), home living (12%), beauty (9%), and tech appliances (7%). Investment-type funding opened many projects in lifestyle (16%), data and solutions (16%), F&B (10%), environment and energy (8%), and education (8%) in that order.

In April last year, Wadiz introduced an offline experience shop called 'Gonggan Wadiz' in Seongsu-dong, Seoul, where customers can directly experience products currently being funded, achieving a cumulative visitor count of 50,000. This place has been evaluated as implementing 'collaborative consumption' by connecting the online funding experience with offline, strengthening communication between makers and supporters.

Expanding the business from brokerage to direct investment, the newly established 'Wadiz Partners' executed investments totaling about 5 billion KRW in 21 companies as of the end of last year. In particular, it is focusing not only on venture investments but also on forming joint funds through partnerships with medium and large enterprises wishing to invest, including the Wadiz platform.

Shin Hye-sung, CEO of Wadiz, stated, "Over the past eight years, we have focused on creating a fair environment where opportunities can continuously be provided to people starting new ventures on Wadiz," adding, "By existing, Wadiz aims to be a platform that not only supports and encourages new adventures and challenges but also solves problems arising from them."