Singapore – AnotherBall, a virtual entertainment company, has announced that it has secured US$12.7m in funding during its seed round. This brings the company’s total funding to approximately US$14.8m, further fueling its expansion.
The latest funding round saw ANRI and Hashed taking the lead, and additional contributions came from Global Brain, Globis Capital Partners, Sfermion, HashKey Capital, Everyrealm, Ethereal Ventures, Emoote, and various individual investors, including Crunchyroll founder Kun Gao. Their collective interest in the swiftly evolving virtual entertainment sector aligns with the vision of IZUMO, the virtual YouTuber (VTuber) project handled by AnotherBall.
IZUMO has been actively involved in spearheading technological initiatives like “Ailis” and “SAI by IZUMO.” Leveraging the insights gained from these projects, IZUMO is presently working on a platform that aims to empower creators globally, enabling them to connect with their fan base and monetize their content. The beta version of this platform is set for release in the first quarter of 2024 (January-March), with a full-scale public launch anticipated later in the year.
For Shunsuke Oyu, CEO at AnotherBall, they are committed to transforming the trust and expectations the community has placed in them through this seed round into solid outputs and strive to deliver the ultimate otaku lifestyle to people all around the world.
“The world is gradually becoming more avatar-oriented, and this is part of a larger liberation of human potential. This philosophy has remained unchanged since our inception and is at the core of our vision for the future. Furthermore, observing the games and content that children are passionate about today, it becomes evident that a significant portion of humanity will inevitably and irreversibly engage in economic activities through avatars,” he said.
Oyu added, “At IZUMO, we believe that VTubers are the ones carrying this future. To support this exciting phenomenon, our company has undertaken numerous challenges in the realm of characters and surrounding technological areas through endeavors like Ailis and SAI. In 2024, we plan to launch a service that incorporates the lessons we have learned, and we hope you will eagerly anticipate it.”
