Tokyo-based Spider Labs, Ltd. has announced it has raised $5 Million in its Series B funding round, with primary investors including Headline Asia Fund, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, Darwin Venture Management, and Golden Asia Fund. Spider Labs is immediately using the funds to fill 11 new positions to accelerate its business development in Japan and around the world. The company currently has offices in Tokyo, Japan and Lisbon, Portugal.
Spider Labs is the developer of Spider AF, an advanced automated advertising fraud countermeasure that ensures web advertisers reach their target audience instead of fraudulent bots, users and competitors. The automated Spider AF helps advertisers defend against account hijacking, prevent multiple account generation, mitigate unauthorized credit card usage, and points and affiliate reward abuse. In addition to Spider AF, the company also operates the Shared Blacklist (SBL), a unique industry-wide consolidated database of blacklisted sites identified by Spider AF's powerful algorithm.
With the implementation of the Digital Platform Transaction Transparency Law in 2020, the Japanese government's mandate to ensure advertising transparency and ad verification has led to the increase in the demand for fraud prevention tools.
About 20-30% of digital advertising costs are attributed to ad fraud, with losses estimated to be $87 billion by 2022.
said Headline Asia Principal and CEO Toshiaki Shimakawa. "The companies that have been using Spider AF are showing excellent results and I am confident the service will have a great impact not only in Japan but also throughout the world."
"Since I met Tanaka-san and Shimakawa-san from Headline last IVS SaaS, this conversation started." said Satoko Otsuki, CEO of Spider Labs, Ltd. "The more conversations we have, the more I am impressed by their wide vision and sense of business methodologies. Through these discussions, we learned many things that have had a large impact on our product. We will keep improving Spider AF (Anti Fraud) based on data and deliver safety to every advertiser. Big thanks to Headline Asia, MUCAP and Darwin V."
Spider Labs is unique in its approach to promoting work-life balance including child rearing. About 50% of male employees take childcare leave, which is 2.5x higher than the usual rate in Japan of 12.65%. The company features a baby room for working mothers and it offers parents additional funds for each childbirth as well as a monthly child allowance of 15,000 yen and a 50% babysitter subsidy. Also promoting diversity, 35% of full-time Spider Labs employees are foreign nationals, from countries such as Portugal, the United States, Argentina, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
About Spider AF
Spider AF is an advanced ad fraud prevention tool specialized in automation and data visualization. Along with businesses involved with ad networks, Spider AF aims to be a tool applicable to a wide variety of users from agencies to advertisers. Spider AF’s SHARED BLACKLIST also aims to build a safer digital advertising industry.
About Spider Labs
Spider Labs is a cybersecurity company headquartered in Japan and is the developer of the advanced anti-ad fraud prevention tool Spider AF. Operating under the vision “Building a Safer and Happier Future with Automation.”, Spider Labs’ team of experts are working hard to help fight the ever-evolving issue of ad fraud. Founded on the belief that the company’s growth is supported by providing a workplace where employees can enjoy their profession and individuality, Spider Labs is committed to creating a "work-life integration" focused environment allowing autonomy to individuals by promoting more flexible work lifestyles.
