Japan-based film and kabuki production group Shochiku is set to launch a corporate venture capital unit called Shochiku Ventures tomorrow to build metaverse and digitalisation offerings.
Founded in 1895, Shochiku is one of the oldest film studios in Japan. The company is known for producing anime and indie films, in addition to running Kabuki-za, a kabuki performance theatre in Tokyo. Kabuki is a classical form of Japanese dance-drama.
Entertainment-oriented deals are heating up in Japan, with corporates such as Sony leading the sector, Nikkei reported yesterday. Such corporations are ramping up innovation efforts to digitise their intellectual property through virtual reality, web3 and other novel technologies.
Takahiro Inoue (pictured below) will serve as president and chief executive of Shochiku Ventures. The unit will oversee startup investments and business co-creation with entrepreneurs. It will focus on companies working on entertainment and real estate products and services.
The corporate already has an accelerator scheme in place since 2019 called Shochiku Accelerator. The programme has begun accepting applications for its latest cohort, Shochiku Accelerator 2022 Entertainment Festival.
Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to submit their candidacies to the accelerator until August 10, and the initiative will have a broader remit to include areas such as content distribution, fan engagement through non-fungible tokens, e-commerce, tourism, education and gastronomy. A demo day will be held in December and the winner will be awarded ¥1m ($7,300 at current rates).
Image courtesy of Shochiku Ventures. Photo of Takahiro Inoue courtesy of MugenLabo Magazine.
