Yello Mobile
{{Short description|South Korean software company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Yello Mobile
옐로모바일
| founded = 2012 in Seoul, South Korea
| hq_location_country = South Korea
| industry = Software industry
| founder = Sanghyuk Lee
| num_employees =
| website =
}}
Yello Mobile ({{Korean|hangul=옐로모바일}}) is a South Korean mobile software company based in Seoul.
History
Yello Mobile was founded in 2012 by Sanghyuk Lee. The company began as startup incubator, utilizing a variety of equity-based investments to consolidate software businesses in South Korea.{{cite web|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=3018425|title=Yello Mobile's value questioned|website=Korea JoongAng Daily}} Yello Mobile's approach was new for South Korea in 2012.{{cite web|url=https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/It-s-buy-and-conquer-for-South-Korea-s-Yello-Mobile|title=It's buy and conquer for South Korea's Yello Mobile|website=Nikkei Asian Review}} It was also considered one of South Korea's first unicorn startup companies.{{cite news |last1=Cervantes |first1=Steve |title=The rise and fall of South Korea’s one of the first unicorn startups – Yello Mobile |url=https://www.koreatechdesk.com/the-rise-and-fall-of-south-koreas-one-of-the-first-unicorn-startups-yello-mobile/ |access-date=4 October 2024 |publisher=Korea Tech Desk |date=7 May 2020}} Over a period of 6 years, the company acquired over 94 startup companies in their SMATO (Shopping, Media, Advertisement, Travel and Online-to-Offline) categories.{{cite web|url=http://www.theinvestor.co.kr/view.php?ud=20190227000714|title=The imminent fall of Korea's first unicorn Yello Mobile|website=www.theinvestor.co.kr}}
Revenue increased from 68 million won (US$60,463) in 2012 to 527 billion won (US$468 million) in 2017. It also faced lawsuits and with investors over Lee borrowing from partners and affiliates without paying them back.{{cite news |title=In brief: South Korea’s ‘first startup unicorn’ on the brink of collapse |url=https://www.techinasia.com/yello-mobile-brink-collapse |access-date=4 October 2024 |publisher=Tech in Asia |date=28 February 2019}}{{cite web|url=https://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/yello-mobile-collapse-124016/|title=Macquarie-backed Korean unicorn Yello Mobile on verge of collapse: Report|website=DealStreetAsia}} The company pulled their initial public offering from the KOSDAQ, and in February 2019, the company announced that Lee had resigned as CEO{{cite web|url=http://www.econovill.com/news/articleView.html?idxno=359920|title=이상혁 옐로모바일 대표 연임...가능성 타진 '안간힘'|date=1 April 2019|website=www.econovill.com}} amidst rumors of bankruptcy proceedings and embezzlement accusations.{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchone.co.kr/11681/|title=[피치원단독]옐로모바일,1400억원 CB상환못해,파산초읽기,이상혁 CEO사법처리임박|publisher=}}