Get All Access for $5/mo

PlayVerse Raises $1.5 Million In Seed Funding Round Led By Akatsuki Inc PlayVerse looks to maximize the monetization potential of popular Japanese IPs and brands in India

By Saptak Bardhan

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Company

PlayVerse announced on Tuesday to have raised $ 1.5 million seed funding led by Japanese gaming company Akatsuki Inc. By offering world-class content, toys, games and technology products in India, the diverse platform will be focusing on its mission of providing an enriching experience to the end consumers of the country. With an aim to increase cross-border collaborations between India and Japan, PlayVerse looks to maximize the monetization potential of popular Japanese IPs and brands in India.

"Thanks to the advent of blockchain technology and the scalability offered by promising L2 protocols, we have some moonshot ideas of IP monetization that we are exploring. At the moment, we are focused on customer discovery and hypothesis testing to assess product-market fit," said Jaineel Aga, founder, PlayVerse.

A FICCI-EY report estimated that by 2025, 50 per cent of the total time spent on OTT platforms will be to consume regional content. PlayVerse will also be aiming at localizing global content into regional Indian languages to be inclusive and accessible to the diverse vernacular Indian audience. The Indian toys market reached a value of $1.35 billion in 2021 and with more than 400 million online gamers in India, the Indian gaming industry is expected to reach $3.9 billion by 2025, according to a statement given by the company.

Founded by serial entrepreneur Jaineel Aga, PlayVerse is planning to launch its own D2C brand which will be focused on an interconnected universe of content and play. It aims to unlock the full potential of an IP with a 360-degree approach to content and merchandise. This merchandise would include both physical products such as toys as well as digital assets like avatars, emojis, and skins creating more interest among users. PlayVerse will be actively focusing on enabling content owners to maximize the monetization potential of their IPs. PlayVerse looks to build on its philosophy of joy infinitum meaning, spreading infinite joy to its consumers.

Saptak Bardhan

Former Trainee Writer

Former Trainee Writer
Growth Strategies

Can NEET Exam Be Manipulated? What We Know So Far

Around 1500 students from six centres complained that they were not given the full time for completing the exam, because of various reasons including distribution of the wrong question paper, torn OMR sheets, technical glitches, and delay in distribution of the OMR sheets.

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

Battery Smart Raises USD 65 Mn in Series B to Boost EV Battery Swapping Network

Orios Venture Partners achieves a 29x return with a strategic partial exit from Delhi-based EV startup, enhancing early-stage investment success.

Science & Technology

Why We Shouldn't Fear AI in Education (and How to Use It Effectively)

Facing resistance to new technologies in the educational process is nothing new, and AI is no exception. Yet, this powerful tool is set to overcome these challenges and revolutionize education, preparing students and professionals for a future of unparalleled efficiency and personalized learning.

Business News

A Former Corporate Lawyer Now Makes Six Figures on YouTube — Here's How She Does It

Here are the secrets to starting and growing a successful YouTube channel, according to a YouTuber with millions of subscribers.