Manga manager MOT raises early VC from DBJ Capital and Shochiku Ventures
What's the deal? MOTDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, a Tokyo-based manga artist management firm and operator of the online manga school "Kakikomi," has raised early-stage venture funding through a third-party share allotment. DBJ CapitalDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom → led the round, with ShochikuDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →'s corporate venture arm, Shochiku VenturesDealroom has a profile for this one. Try Dealroom →, participating via its first investment fund.
What's the endgame? Founded in November 2023 by manga artist Reiji Miyajima — known for Rent-A-Girlfriend — and chief executive officer Yamato Tsumochi, MOT manages manga artists and animators, handling scheduling, business inquiries, and social media so creators can focus on their work. Its mission, in the company's words, is "to walk alongside a manga artist's whole life and help them realise what they want to do." (translated from Japanese)
Why now? In April 2026, MOT launched Kakikomi, an online school where working manga artists and editors teach directly. Within about six months, free membership passed 1,200, with students winning publisher prizes and some gaining editors at major publishers.
What's the money for? MOT will strengthen Kakikomi's educational content, build out its artist management operation, prepare for overseas expansion, and hire for roles across both businesses.
What's the strategy behind the backers? Shochiku, a long-standing name in Japanese entertainment, brings networks and IP expertise, with film and theatre tie-ups in view. DBJ Capital, a government-affiliated fund, aims to support manga at a national level through ties with companies and local governments nationwide.
"Entertainment and content industries are an important field supporting the future growth of Japan's economy," said Takahiro Ishii, senior investment manager at DBJ Capital, noting manga's role as source material for anime, film, and games. (translated from Japanese)
The signal: The round reflects growing investor appetite for the infrastructure behind Japan's manga industry — not just the content, but the training and management that sustain the creators who produce it.
Read more: prtimes.jp
Image credit: Generated with Gemini
