Maple Media
Los Angeles, US Β· Founded 2017 Β· 53 employees on LinkedIn Β· 2 known investors
Maple Media is a mobile media and technology company that acquires and operates consumer mobile apps focused on entertainment, productivity, and everyday life. It is based in Los Angeles.
Also known as Maple Media LLC
Investors Β· 2
Also in the syndicate Β· 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026Maple Media is a Los Angeles-based mobile media and technology company that acquires and operates consumer mobile applications in categories including entertainment, personal productivity, gaming and everyday utilities. Rather than building apps from scratch, the company buys individual apps and app portfolios from independent developers and small studios, then applies in-house product, engineering, marketing, monetization, QA and customer-support resources to maintain and grow them. Coverage at its 2017 launch described the model as a private-equity-style roll-up of undervalued apps, with targets ranging from small five-figure purchases to mid-eight-figure deals, and with the company open to revenue-sharing or minority equity structures alongside outright control.
The portfolio has included podcast apps Player FM, Breaker and Podkicker, the social platform We Heart It, and utility and consumer apps such as SwiftScan, WeekCal, Pic Stitch and Weather Hi-Def Radar. Operating the apps collectively allows cross-promotion and shared services across the portfolio. In podcasting specifically, the company said it planned to launch a program letting creators and brands promote shows across its podcast apps and We Heart It.
The company was founded by Michael Ritter, previously a corporate and business development executive at Los Angeles game company Jam City, and Clark Landry, an angel investor whose prior company SHIFT was acquired in 2015 and whose portfolio includes The Trade Desk and Scopely. Ritter serves as CEO. Its team is described as including veterans of Jam City, Google, Electronic Arts and Scopely.
Founding story
The concept originated while Michael Ritter oversaw corporate and business development at Jam City, where he observed that acquisition targets' ad revenue was not scaling with marketing spend and that operating a live app required a distinct mix of skill sets from creating one. He discussed the idea over time with angel investor Clark Landry, who was between ventures after his prior company SHIFT was acquired in 2015. Advised by Los Angeles venture capitalists that the concept was not a venture-style deal, Landry approached private equity, and a conversation with Alan Resnikoff of Shamrock Capital led to the firm's backing.
Business model
Maple Media acquires software and IP assets of existing mobile apps and games, taking over operations from founders and existing teams, and then operates those apps at scale. Consolidating many apps under one operator is intended to reduce costs through shared services, enable cross-promotion across the portfolio, and improve advertising monetization β including negotiating more lucrative advertising deals once aggregate user scale is reached. TechCrunch reported the company was already profitable at its 2017 launch.
Revenue is generated from the acquired apps themselves, principally mobile advertising across the app network and in-app purchases. Coverage described optimizing app monetization, including country-level pricing of virtual goods, as a core lever for increasing revenue post-acquisition.
Traction
Reported figures include 150 apps and more than one billion monthly mobile ad impressions at launch in early 2017, 500,000 daily users from acquisitions as of March 2017, a portfolio of more than 150 mobile applications reaching over 40 million users monthly as of January 2021, and more than 30 completed founder exits. The company was reported profitable at launch.
Latest developments
Following the Player FM acquisition, Maple Media invested in the app's product, content partnerships, design and operations, extending it to Apple Watch, iPad and Apple CarPlay and partnering with podcast hosting providers including Libsyn and Buzzsprout to expand its library, alongside a brand update and UI/UX redesign. The company continues to market itself to app founders as an exit partner, citing more than 30 completed acquisitions.
βΈFull profile β market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history
Market position
Maple Media was characterized by TechCrunch and the Los Angeles Times as an early mover in consolidating the fragmented mobile app market, likened to a private equity firm that buys only apps. In podcasting it assembled several apps β Breaker, described as the 10th most-downloaded podcast app on iOS in 2020 and hosting more than 700,000 shows, plus Player FM, cited by its CEO as the sixth most-downloaded podcasting app worldwide, and Podkicker β placing it in a market alongside Apple Podcasts and larger platform players including Spotify and Amazon.
The company positions itself as a long-term operator rather than a short-term app flipper, stating that user retention is its primary priority and that it avoids monetization tactics that degrade the user experience. It emphasizes a fast, transparent acquisition process, in-house operating expertise from app engineers, product managers, designers, marketers and support staff, and willingness to retain original creators or team members after a deal.
Technology
The company operates a shared platform across its acquired apps, combining the original developers' technology and roadmaps with its own development, product and marketing resources. Post-acquisition technical work has included platform expansion β for Player FM, adding Apple Watch, iPad and Apple CarPlay support alongside a brand and UI/UX redesign β and monetization engineering such as localized pricing for in-app virtual goods.
Go-to-market
The company sources deals directly from app founders and creators, positioning itself as an exit partner for mobile app businesses. It runs a dedicated seller-facing site with founder case studies and an inbound contact form for owners considering a sale. Its stated acquisition criteria are apps on the store for six months or more with a stable user base and revenues, and its process runs from initial product and revenue KPI analysis to a term sheet, full due diligence including revenue and user validation, technical architecture evaluation and code review, an asset purchase agreement, and app transfer with payment. Typical operating transitions are stated as 3-5 business days depending on business complexity.
Two constituencies: founders and creators of mobile apps and games seeking a liquidity event, who supply the acquisition pipeline; and end consumers who use the acquired apps for podcasts, media, utilities, productivity and games. Advertisers buying inventory across the app network are also customers.
Geography
Headquartered in Los Angeles, with the launch office in Century City. Acquisitions are sourced globally β the company states it has bought businesses from around the world and can transact in nearly any market β with early stated focus on English-speaking countries and applications from Europe. Acquired assets have included companies based in London (Player FM) and San Francisco (Breaker).
History
Maple Media launched publicly in February 2017 from Century City, Los Angeles, with $30 million from Shamrock Capital Advisors and a team of six. At launch it reported 150 applications on its platform and more than one billion monthly mobile advertising impressions. It acquired podcast app Player FM in 2020, retaining four of its team members, and acquired the assets of San Francisco-based podcast app Breaker in January 2021 after a 72-hour negotiation, following Breaker's team joining Twitter. By January 2021 the portfolio exceeded 150 apps reaching over 40 million monthly users, and the company has since reported completing acquisitions from more than 30 app founders.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources β announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed β not independently audited.
Timeline Β· 4
launches, deals, and filingsMaple Media partnered with podcast hosting providers including Libsyn and Buzzsprout to expand the Player FM library.
Maple Media agreed to buy the website, technology and social media handles of San Francisco-based podcast app Breaker for an undisclosed amount, after Breaker's team joined Twitter. Breaker hosts over 700,000 shows and was the 10th most-downloaded podcast app on iOS in 2020.
Maple Media acquired Player FM, a cross-platform podcast app founded in 2011 by Michael Mahemoff in London, including four Player FM team members who stayed on full-time. Maple Media subsequently invested in product, content partnerships and design, adding Apple Watch, iPad and Apple CarPlay support.
Maple Media publicly launched, backed with $30 million from private equity firm Shamrock Capital Advisors to acquire and operate mobile apps across gaming, productivity and entertainment categories.
$30M source β
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
In the news
βΈResearch sources Β· 8
primary sources listed
- Maple Mediamaplemedia.io Β· web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does Maple Media do?
- Los Angeles company that acquires and operates a portfolio of consumer mobile apps and games across entertainment and productivity.
- Who are Maple Media's investors?
- Maple Media's investors include Shamrock Capital.
- Where is Maple Media headquartered?
- Maple Media is headquartered in Los Angeles, US.