Fringe81

Fringe81 Inc., which now operates as Unipos Inc., began its journey in 2005, initially established as RSS Ads, Inc. by founder Tanaka Gen. The company's primary focus was in the internet advertising sector, where it developed and provided its own ad technology services. Over the years, the firm underwent significant evolution, including a name change to Fringe81 in 2010 and a management buyout led by Tanaka in 2013, which solidified his leadership and set the stage for future growth. A key milestone was achieved in 2017 when Fringe81 went public, listing on the Tokyo Stock Exchange Mothers market.

The company's business model was centered on providing comprehensive digital advertising solutions. This included third-party ad server technology, display ad management, and attribution analysis for its clients. Fringe81 developed several proprietary platforms, such as 'Ziogous,' an ad delivery system designed to improve click-through rates by analyzing vast amounts of creative data, moving beyond reliance on intuition. In addition to its core ad-tech, the company also ventured into RSS advertising and social application businesses. A notable development in its later years was the creation of Unipos, a peer-to-peer bonus system that started as an internal tool.

In a strategic pivot, Fringe81 shifted its focus entirely to the HR tech space, leveraging the success of its internal Unipos service. In 2021, the company officially changed its name to Unipos Inc. and ceased its advertising operations to concentrate solely on the growth of the Unipos platform. This service facilitates employees to send small monetary incentives and messages of appreciation to colleagues, aiming to enhance organizational culture and discover and reward positive actions within a company. This strategic shift was underscored by a new corporate mission to establish what it calls "emotional rewards" as a social infrastructure. The company is now dedicated to expanding this SaaS platform, which addresses the growing importance of non-visible values like organizational culture and employee relationships.

Keywords: Unipos, Fringe81, Tanaka Gen, HR tech, SaaS, peer-to-peer bonus, employee recognition, organizational culture, ad technology, digital advertising, Ziogous, public company, Tokyo Stock Exchange, corporate rebranding, employee engagement, attribution analysis, ad server, creative optimization, RSS Ads Inc.