The archive · AI & Models · Strategic decision · 2024–2025
Felo bets AI search shouldn't be English-only; raised ¥1.5B, 1.2M users.
Japanese AI search for Asian languages; PeakXV and Mirae led ¥1.5B Series A; users surpassed 1.2M in under a year.
Felo (Felo 株式会社)
What the business is
A multilingual AI search engine built for Japanese and Asian language users: the personal version Felo Search is free plus subscription, and the enterprise version Felo Enterprise provides AI agents for reports and knowledge retrieval.
How it started
Founder Jeffery Jin (金峰) graduated from the Department of Electronic Engineering at Tsinghua University (清华大学) and worked at Microsoft Research Asia (微软亚洲研究院) and Xiaomi (小米). In 2019, he founded Sparticle in Tokyo, developing generative AI products such as GPTBase, Glarity, and Felo Translator. In July 2024, Felo (Felo 株式会社) was established and Felo Search was launched; on August 3, it topped Product Hunt on launch day. The trigger was the observation that about 90% of global large-model training data is in English, and native-language information for Japanese and Korean users was systematically ignored in AI search.
What happened
Less than a year after Felo Search launched, cumulative users surpassed 1.2 million and daily searches exceeded 300,000. In May 2025, it launched Felo Enterprise for enterprises, turning retrieval, analysis, and report generation into 'Search 3.0,' and reached partnerships with large telecommunications operators and media; the Pro version is priced at ¥2,099 per month. In July 2025, it completed a Series A of about ¥1.5 billion (US$10 million), led by PeakXV, a leading venture capital firm in India and Southeast Asia, and Mirae Asset Venture Investment (未来资产创投) of South Korea—this was Felo's first large funding round since its founding.
How it ended up
After the Series A, the company accelerated enterprise AI agent development, expanded into Asian markets such as South Korea and Taiwan, and planned to grow a top-tier AI R&D team; as of July 2025, it still used Japan as its main base and advanced a dual free-plus-subscription track.
Background
Felo's bet is that AI search is being monopolized by English, and non-English users such as Japanese and Korean users deserve a product that lets them 'search the world in their own language.' Founder Jeffery Jin (金峰) adopted Line's differentiated strategy of beating global giants in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan: instead of head-on competition in the English market, it first served smaller-language users.
The company's predecessor, Sparticle, was founded in Tokyo in 2019. In July 2024, Felo was established and Felo Search was launched; after launch, it quickly accumulated more than 1.2 million users and over 300,000 daily searches, and in August it reached the top on the day of its Product Hunt launch. In May 2025, it launched the enterprise version Felo Enterprise, focusing on 'Search 3.0' that integrates retrieval, analysis, and output.
In July 2025, Felo completed a Series A of about ¥1.5 billion (US$10 million), led by PeakXV and Mirae Asset Venture Investment (未来资产创投), the company's first large funding round; the funds were used for enterprise AI agents, product design, and talent recruitment, and for expansion into South Korea and Taiwan. As of the funding round, Felo still operated a dual free-plus-subscription model, with Pro priced at ¥2,099 per month.
What has to be true
- Avoided head-on battlefield: U.S. AI search competed fiercely in English; Felo focused on Japanese and Asian languages with lower competition and real demand.
- Information equality narrative resonated: 90% of training data is English; smaller-language users are a gap, persuasive to users and investors.
- Fast product validation: under a year to 1.2M users and 300K daily searches; first on Product Hunt on launch day.
- Asian capital combination: PeakXV and Mirae Asset aligned with Asia path, making investors channels.
What can be applied
Giants fight in English; differentiated markets are entry points. Felo's line strategy shows native-language AI can win users and Asian capital.
Aftermath
By July 2025, Felo expanded: after Series A, it focused on enterprise search (Felo Enterprise), Agent Store, and localization in Korea and Taiwan; team in Japan and China. Parent Sparticle's GPTBase served Japanese enterprises. Unlike Perplexity, Felo pursued smaller-language-first; challenge is replicating advantage and maintaining paid conversion.
Sources
- 36氪出海·日本｜Sparticle金峰：生成式AI创业，日本能够提供什么机会？
- Felo、シリーズAで15億円を調達──非英語圏特化AI検索でアジア市場へ本格進出
- 日本発の次世代AI検索プラットフォームFelo、15億円の資金調達を実施
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