Brave Group, idol Announce Strategic Business Partnership
Both companies will continue their business efforts in English-speaking territories, as well as their consolidated e-commerce operations.
Japanese holding company Brave Group has announced that it has entered into a business partnership with VTuber agency idol, aimed at having both companies continue their business efforts in English-speaking territories, as well as their consolidated e-commerce operations.
The new partnership is in line with Brave Group's recent fundings this year: the ¥1.99B funding (~US$13.7m) in August and the additional ¥3.11B funding (~US$21M) earlier this December.
It is worth noting that both Brave Group and idol operate their own US subsidiaries, with Brave Group US launching the V4Mirai project in June this year, and also owning other subsidiaries like VTuber technology company OshiLive. Meanwhile, idol launched its US subsidiary in Delaware in May this year as part of its English and Spanish-speaking auditions.
Speaking about the business partnership, idol CEO Aviel Basin said, "We are excited to find real partners in Brave group, who share our passion and values. Together, we believe that we can make a significant, positive impact on the VTuber industry and achieve remarkable things."
He added, "Our focus is firmly on putting talents first and nurturing an environment that fosters top-notch content. We believe this partnership will open doors to innovative opportunities, and we are deeply thankful to Brave group for joining forces with idol."
In a recent blog post, Basin also dispelled any forthcoming speculations in the community regarding the business move, stating that they will remain as an independent corporation and still retain full ownership of the agency.
Meanwhile, Norikazu Hayashi, CEO at Brave Group US, commented, "IDOL Company CEO is the former No. 1 YouTuber in Israel, hence his vast amount of knowledge about streaming and YouTube marketing. His management style always puts streamers first, based on his own experience, and his bold marketing measures as well as his unprecedented methods are very likely to greatly change the way the industry keeps moving forward. We believe that through collaboration, we can contribute to the revitalization of the US and global markets."
Lastly, Keito Noguchi, CEO at Brave Group, said, "Through our partnership with idol, we hope to spread the Japanese-born IP culture of VTubers around the world, and that the amount of talents who shine bright and the people who enjoy their content will further increase."
This is the latest of Brave Group's recent corporate endeavors, including its expansion to the Asia-Pacific and China with its Bangkok and Shenzhen offices, as well as its recent corporate revamp and purpose centered around their intent to
"aim for the very top of the industry."
Source: Official Press Release