Press Releases

Tokyo Otaku Mode™ Receives Funding from YJ Capital Inc., DG Incubation Inc., and ITOCHU Technology Ventures Inc.

Delaware, USA - Tokyo Otaku Mode™ (TOM), a worldwide distributor of otaku content including anime, manga, cosplay, and news as part of Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc., announced that it has received convertible note funds from YJ Capital Inc. (YJC), an investment subsidiary of Yahoo! Japan Co., DG Incubation Inc. (DGI), an investment subsidiary of Digital Garage Inc., and ITOCHU Technology Ventures Inc. (ITV), an investment subsidiary of ITOCHU Group.

TOM will aggressively accelerate its growth and its global presence with the funding and support from these three investors. The company also plans to further strengthen its management foundation and expand its services by increasing its personnel, improving the quality of its mobile device services, and executing strategic promotions.

TOM has operated one of the top Japanese anime and manga Facebook pages since April 2012. Within 22 months of its establishment, it has already become the first Japanese-operated page to surpass 10 million likes. In fall 2012, TOM launched its online service (otakumode.com), which provides user-generated content (UGC) of otaku related artwork, cosplay photos, and more, and publishes Japanese otaku news articles in English.

TOM offers users more than just the ability to enjoy otaku culture; it provides a community for fans of otaku culture to interact with each other. Furthermore, it is a place that inspires artists to create content that otaku fans admire and contributes to broadening the worldwide otaku market. Through its services, TOM hopes to enrich the otaku lifestyle of all fans of otaku culture as well as add new value to the worldwide entertainment marketplace.

Comment from Toshiki Oya - Representative Director of YJC:

The presence of Japan’s pop culture is being strengthened throughout the world. As a worldwide media distributor, Tokyo Otaku Mode spread rapidly. I am exceedingly glad to be able to take part through investing. I anticipate seeing even more growth from this company moving forward.

Comment from Tokuya Sano - Member, Board of Directors, Chief Incubation Officer, Overseas Investment of DGI:

DG Incubation and Digital Garage would like to support the expansion of Tokyo Otaku Mode’s global services by extending our expertise in incubation and relationships with innovative startups in both Japan and Silicon Valley.

Comment from Toshihisa Adachi - Chief Executive Officer of ITV:

The number of Facebook fans that Tokyo Otaku Mode has achieved in such a short amount of time is very exciting. The objective of our company is to invest in overseas ventures that are aggressive in their development and share our same vision. Moving forward, we want to offer Tokyo Otaku Mode our full support by working with their previous investors and making good use of ITOCHU’s global network.

Venture Capital Firms/Investors at a Glance

YJ Capital Inc.

YJ1 Investment Partnership Operating Partner
Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo
Representative Director: Toshiki Oya

DG Incubation Inc.

Head Office: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Representative Director: Yasuyuki Rokuyata

ITOCHU Technology Ventures Inc.

Technology Ventures III Capital Investment Limited Partnership
Head Office: Minato-ku, Tokyo
CEO: Toshihisa Adachi

About Tokyo Otaku Mode Inc.

Tokyo Otaku Mode™ was established on March 24, 2011 as a Facebook page that shares the latest otaku-related content including anime, manga, event reports, news, and more. TOM then developed and launched its web service (otakumode.com), which includes user-generated content (USG) site where users can enjoy otaku-related works as well as an otaku news site. However, TOM offers more than just the ability to enjoy otaku culture; the service is also a community for fans of otaku culture to interact with one another. Furthermore, it is a place that inspires artists to create content that otaku fans admire and contributes to broadening the worldwide otaku market. Through its services, TOM hopes to enrich the otaku lifestyle of all fans of otaku culture as well as add new value to the worldwide entertainment marketplace.