公式Webサイトへ navigate_next
4 known investors
Linq is a communication company focused on getting large numbers of users to adopt its own applications, developing consumer communication apps that may be used worldwide. It emphasizes building and iterating on its own products rather than critiquing others.
Also known as LinQ · LinQ inc. · 株式会社LinQ
Investors · 4
Also in the syndicate · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026LinQ inc. (株式会社LinQ) is a Japanese startup that develops consumer communication apps, with a stated mission framed around "chains of enjoyment created by creativity." Its flagship product is whoo, a location-sharing app that lets users share their current location with followers; the company's stated goal is to turn whoo into a globally used app originating from Japan. LinQ also operates Ninjar, an anonymous question-and-answer service that integrates with Instagram and X, where users place a Ninjar link in their profile so followers can submit anonymous questions and the recipient answers via Stories or posts; Ninjar includes a filter feature allowing users to define hidden words to block abusive or defamatory messages.
According to a startup-profile article, LinQ was founded in August 2019 by Harada, released Ninjar in June 2020, and released whoo in December 2022. whoo reached 10 million downloads within three months of launch, in March 2023. Coverage attributes the growth to the shutdown of Snap's Zenly, announced in September 2022 and effected in February 2023, which drove users to seek a replacement; whoo was launched roughly six weeks after the founder decided to build it, using feature requests gathered from users of the company's earlier apps. At the time of that article whoo was not monetized, with the company prioritizing user acquisition and awareness.
Founding story
A profile article states LinQ was founded in August 2019 by Harada. The company developed several apps before releasing the anonymous question service Ninjar in June 2020. The founder initially did not intend to build a location-sharing app, but changed course after daily requests from users of the company's earlier apps asking for a "next Zenly" following Snap's September 2022 announcement that Zenly would close. He decided to proceed about two months after that announcement and completed the product in roughly a month and a half, releasing whoo in December 2022, two months before Zenly's shutdown.
Business model
LinQ develops and operates its own consumer mobile applications rather than selling to businesses. Coverage from 2024 states that whoo was not being monetized at that time, with user acquisition and awareness prioritized over revenue.
As described in 2024 coverage, whoo had no monetization in place; the company was focused on growing its user base toward a target of 100 million users worldwide.
Traction
whoo passed 10 million downloads three months after its December 2022 release, in March 2023. A cited article states roughly 80% of users were junior and senior high school students. The company has accumulated repeated coverage on major Japanese broadcast networks and in print media between 2023 and 2025, and has stated a target of 100 million users worldwide.
Latest developments
In November 2025 Starbucks appeared in whoo as an in-app collaboration, following an ENHYPEN appearance in June 2025. In June 2026 the company announced a Series A round totaling 1.1 billion yen and the appointment of a new director and a new statutory auditor.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
whoo has been widely described in Japanese media as the leading successor to Zenly in the location-sharing category, and one cited survey of university students identified it as the most popular such app. Coverage notes that overseas adoption remained a challenge and that competing apps were increasing.
The company positions whoo on simplicity and speed of iteration informed by an existing user community, having launched a minimal feature set before Zenly's shutdown and then expanding, with plans described for features that visualize relationships between friends. Ninjar differentiates on safety through user-defined word filtering.
Technology
whoo is a mobile location-sharing app built around a deliberately small feature set intended to lower the barrier to casual communication; at launch it offered fewer features than competing apps, scoped using user feedback to the minimum needed for acceptable quality. Ninjar provides anonymous messaging with social-profile link integration and user-configurable word filtering.
Go-to-market
Growth has been driven by app-store distribution and consumer awareness, including heavy Japanese mass-media exposure (national and regional TV programs, Forbes JAPAN, Nikkei Trendy, DIME), user-community feedback loops carried over from earlier apps, out-of-home advertising with Persol Career at Shibuya Station, research collaboration with Hakuhodo, podcast appearances with MIXI, and in-app tie-ups with brands and artists such as Starbucks and ENHYPEN.
Consumer users of social and location-sharing apps, skewing young: one cited report states about 80% of whoo users were junior and senior high school students, and the company has been covered in the context of Gen Z and university-student usage.
Geography
Headquartered in Japan, with product usage and media coverage concentrated in the Japanese market while pursuing international expansion for whoo; overseas penetration is described as an outstanding challenge.
History
Founded August 2019; Ninjar released June 2020; whoo released December 2022; 10 million whoo downloads reached March 2023, three months after launch; financing from MIXI announced April 2023. The company's news page then documents an extended run of Japanese television, magazine and web media appearances for whoo from 2023 through 2025, joint activity with Hakuhodo (a co-conducted study on intimacy spreading from Gen Z, April 2024) and Persol Career (out-of-home advertising at Shibuya Station, May 2024), in-app collaborations including ENHYPEN (June 2025) and Starbucks (November 2025), and a June 2026 announcement of a Series A round together with new director and auditor appointments.
Risks & controversies
Publicly noted challenges include the absence of monetization for whoo, difficulty gaining traction outside Japan, an increasing number of competing location-sharing apps, and server-cost pressure created by rapid download growth, which the MIXI financing was intended to address.
Compiled by commissioned research from 7 cited public sources — 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 — not independently audited.
Timeline · 10
launches, deals, and filingsThe company announced completion of a Series A round totaling 1.1 billion yen and the appointment of a new director and a new statutory auditor.
MIXI, Inc. agreed to provide LinQ with conditional financing of up to approximately 2 billion yen by the end of March 2024, intended to relieve whoo's server costs and fund additional features and engineering capacity. Reported by Nikkei on 2023-04-17.
whoo was released in December 2022, two months before Zenly's February 2023 shutdown.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 7
primary sources listed
- LinQ inc.linq.co.jp · web
7 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does 公式Webサイトへ navigate_next do?
- Japanese app developer LinQ builds the location-sharing app whoo and the anonymous Q&A app Ninjar.
- Who are 公式Webサイトへ navigate_next's investors?
- 公式Webサイトへ navigate_next's investors include Funds Startups, NOW Japan, W Inc..