Crunchyroll Founder Launches AniBiz, a New Marketplace Aimed at Growing the Global Anime Industry
Anime is incredibly popular across the globe. Now, a new platform is trying to make it easier for companies to license and collaborate on some of the industry’s biggest properties.
Kun Gao, the founder and former CEO of Crunchyroll, has officially launched AniBiz.com. This endeavor is a new business-to-business marketplace designed for the global anime industry.
AniBiz was developed by Gao’s media company, Nakama. The platform is described as the first dedicated B2B marketplace built exclusively for anime licensing.
AniBiz.com officially launched on July 2 and is now open to buyers and licensees worldwide.
Bringing Anime Licensing To One Centralized Place
According to Nakama, AniBiz.com was created to simplify the traditionally complicated licensing process. The site provides a centralized location where companies can discover, negotiate, and acquire anime IP.
The platform is led by Nakama co-founder and president Kun Gao, alongside co-founder and CEO Brady McCollum, and co-founder and head of business development Sae Whan Song.
AniBiz Already Has Companies on Board
At launch, AniBiz.com is working with several major Japanese anime companies, including Toei Animation, Aniplex of America, TOHO Global, TV TOKYO, TV Asahi, Pony Canyon, Avex Pictures, ADK Emotions, Fuji Creative Corporation, CyberAgent, TAKARATOMY, Mainichi Broadcasting System, and more.
A Growing Global Market With Licensing Issues
The launch of this site comes as the global anime market is expected to surpass $35 billion this year. Demand for anime content, merchandise, and licensing opportunities is continuing to grow across many international markets.
Nakama says the current licensing system remains tricky. Rights or IP are often divided across territories, product categories, distribution formats, and licensing windows. AniBiz.com is meant to help streamline this process.
CEO McCollum explained,
“Anime licensing is uniquely complex. Rights are fragmented across territories, formats, products, and time windows.
AniBiz was built specifically for those realities. We’re creating a trusted system that gives licensors greater visibility and control while helping buyers move faster with confidence.”
The company said the platform offers an official pathway for global businesses interested in licensing anime intellectual property, along with information like market trends and regional demand to better direct business decisions.
“Our platform and team make discovery, matchmaking, and warm introductions faster and more transparent than traditional cold outreach or fragmented industry networks.”
How Does This Help The Anime Industry?
AniBiz.com is aimed at helping the business side and not the consumer side, but this could lead to better merchandise, games, publishing, events, and more!
It’s a good idea to centralize the process for those looking to do more with anime IP.
Sources: Variety, AniBiz.com