Wazap!
Wazap! is a vertical search engine, video game database and social networking site to distribute gaming news, rankings, cheats, downloads and reviews owned and operated by East Beam Co. Ltd. of Japan. As a vertical search engine, it indexes gaming sites and categorizes the information as news, reviews, cheats, downloads, previews and articles.
 | |
| Industry | Gaming, Search Engine |
|---|---|
| Founded | Tokyo, Japan (December 2003) |
| Founders | Andreas Rührig, Markus Ken Baron & Timo Meyer |
| Headquarters | , |
| Website | Wazap! |
History
Wazap first launched in Japan in 2001 as a community website for gamers.[1] Initially a mix of gaming news and user generated content, Wazap was then redeveloped as a gaming search and information distribution site. Following initial success in Japan, Wazap was launched in other markets, beginning with Germany in 2004 under the auspices of Wazap AG.[2] In November 2006, Wazap launched Wazap (CN) in China. The US version of Wazap launched in June 2007.[3][4]
By 2008, however, Wazap had failed to gain traction outside of Japan, and its German, Chinese and American operations were closed down.[5] As of October 2018, it continues to operate solely in Japan.
Executives
- Andreas Rührig: CEO & Co-founder[6]
- Timo Meyer: COO & Co-founder
- Philip Gienandt: CFO
- Alexander Piutti: CCO, & General Manager, Europe
- Jeff Tang: General Manager, China
- Thom Kozik: General Manager, U.S.
Awards
In 2007, Wazap AG (Germany) earned a 2007 Red Herring Award - European Division.[7] The Red Herring award is noted as a valuable tool in measuring companies that will serve as leaders of innovation in the field of technology.
References
- ['http://www.caucho.com/sales/casestudies/Caucho_Wazap_casestudy.pdf' 'Caucho Wazap Case Study']
- Wellington Partners finances Gaming Portal Wazap!
- Techcrunch: Wazap Coming To America
- VentureBeat: Game Search Engine Wazap launches in US
- 'Wazap legt Bruchlandung hin'
- Wazap and German Innovation
- Red Herring Europe 100 Winners - 2007