TBS, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Put $6 Million Into Anime Licensing Platform AniBiz

Nakama, the start-up behind the anime licensing platform AniBiz.com, has raised an initial $6 million from three of Japan's leading anime licensors: TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Holdings.

The round lands four months after AniBiz went live in July, launched by Crunchyroll founder Kun Gao together with former Crunchyroll executives Brady McCollum and Sae Whan Song. The speed of the investment is the story: the companies that control some of anime's most valuable IP did not wait to see whether the marketplace would find its footing.

Who has joined the platform?

AniBiz now hosts more than 30 anime licensors, up from 20 at launch. New rights holders include ABC Animation, DMM.com, docomo Anime Store, Genco, GREE Entertainment, Shochiku, ShoPro and Sola Entertainment. They sit alongside launch partners such as:

• ADK Emotions
• Avex Pictures
• CyberAgent
• Dentsu Anime Solutions
• DNP
• FCC
• Furyu Pictures
• Hakuhodo DY MAP
• Imagica
• MBS
• Pony Canyon
• TAKARATOMY
• TOHO Global
• TV Asahi
• YTE

Nakama calls AniBiz the first dedicated business-to-business marketplace built for the global anime industry. The platform offers a centralized, secure environment where international buyers can access anime IP and connect directly with rights holders.

What are the investors saying?

McCollum, co-founder and CEO of Nakama, framed the investment as a vote of confidence from the industry itself. "When the companies that create and license anime's biggest IP invest in a platform, it says this is where the industry does business," he said in a statement. "This investment further solidifies AniBiz.com as the official gateway for global anime licensing and collaboration."

Masayuki Endo, senior executive officer and deputy head of sales and planning headquarter of Toei Animation Co. Ltd., pointed to the studio's long history. "Toei Animation has spent nearly 70 years building characters that are loved around the world," he said. "Protecting that IP while opening it to new partners requires the right infrastructure. We believe AniBiz is that infrastructure, and we are investing to help it become the industry standard."

TV Tokyo Holdings senior managing director Toshiyuki Hiraoka kept his statement shorter on specifics. "This partnership will maximize the global value of anime IP and expand our licensee network across markets worldwide," he said.

What does this change for buyers?

The platform's core pitch is access without connections. AniBiz is open to any company interested in licensing anime, and, in Nakama's words, "no existing anime industry relationships are needed."

Sae Whan Song, co-founder and head of business development at Nakama, made the argument directly. "Access to anime IP should not depend on who you know," he said. "With the industry's leading licensors on one platform, every company in the world now has an official way in. The only question is which IP to license first."

That claim deserves scrutiny. A marketplace can list rights holders; it cannot guarantee that top-tier franchises will be licensed on terms newcomers can afford. Neither Nakama nor the investors disclosed how the $6 million will be spent, what equity stake the three licensors received, or what commission structure AniBiz charges. The valuation of the round remains private.

What the investment does confirm is strategic alignment. With TBS Group, Toei Animation and TV Tokyo Holdings holding stakes, AniBiz gains three incumbents with a financial interest in steering licensing deals toward the platform — leverage no neutral marketplace competitor currently matches. Whether that becomes an industry standard or a walled garden will depend on which licenses actually flow through it.