Shintaro Yamada
Profile
Performance in office
Tenure
Tenure
Background
He founded Unoh in August 2001 and served as its Representative Director. From September 2010 to June 2012 he was General Manager of Zynga Japan. In February 2013 he founded Mercari and became its Representative Director and President. His capital backing as founder is substantial: as of the fiscal year ended June 2018 he was the largest shareholder with a 27.48% stake. Second was United at 7.76%, followed by venture capital funds and individuals.
Selection
As the first President, he became Representative Director and President upon the company's founding in February 2013. In 2016 he stepped down as President to become Representative Director, Chairman and CEO, and from April 2017 Fumiaki Koizumi served as Director, President and COO. In September 2019 he returned to the presidency as Representative Director and CEO. In the fiscal year ended June 2019, the year before his return, the company posted an operating loss of ¥12.1 billion and a net loss of ¥13.8 billion on consolidated revenue of ¥51.6 billion, with losses continuing after the listing.
Initiatives
In 2014 the company launched its flea market app in the US. In 2017 it established Merpay to enter smartphone payments, linking flea market sales proceeds to payments and credit. In 2024 it restructured the US business and redirected growth investment to Japan. On the earnings side, after posting consolidated revenue of ¥76.2 billion and an operating loss of ¥19.3 billion in the fiscal year ended June 2020, it turned profitable with operating income of ¥5.2 billion in FY ended June 2021, and in FY ended June 2025 revenue was ¥192.6 billion and operating income ¥27.8 billion.
Career
Career
Uno
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Aug 2001 | Representative Director (at founding) |
Zynga Japan
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Sep 2010 | General Manager |
Mercari
| Date | Position |
|---|---|
| Feb 2013 | Representative Director, President (at founding) |
| 2016 | Stepped down as President |
| Apr 2017 | Representative Director, Chairman and CEO |
| Sep 2019 | Representative Director, CEO |
| Sep 2023 | Director and Representative Corporate Executive Officer, CEO |
References 1
References (Japanese primary sources)
- メルカリ 有価証券報告書【役員の状況】