(Bloomberg) — The top US talent agency for virtual anime stars shut down this week, with clients saying the company withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars. VShojo Inc., which represented popular so-called VTubers — charismatic anime avatars operated by real people — closed its doors on Thursday, according to a posting by Justin Ignacio, founder and chief executive officer of the San Francisco-based company. “We ran out of money,” Ignacio said in his posting on X. VShojo raised $11 million in March 2022 in a funding round led by Anthos Capital. Neither Ignacio nor Anthos Capital responded to a request for comment. The closing was reported earlier by Kotaku, the Verge and others. Since the pandemic, virtual anime idols have grown in popularity, breaking subscription records on Amazon.com Inc.’s Twitch platform, and were featured at a Los Angeles Dodgers game. Founded in 2020 as the first US management company for these internet stars, VShojo represented clients with more than 5 million YouTube subscribers. “VShojo has failed, and I’ve mismanaged the company into the situation you’re all witnessing,” Ignacio wrote online. “I am deeply sorry to all of the talents, staff, friends and community members who believed in our brand. You did not deserve this.” VShojo helped manage its clients’ revenue from sponsorships, merchandise and donations. VTubers often prefer to remain anonymous both online and in business transactions to protect their privacy and safety. On July 21, the VTuber Ironmouse, who has 2.3 million Twitch followers, said VShojo owed her “a significant amount of funds.” The company also held on to $500,000 that she had raised for the Immune Deficiency Foundation. Ironmouse also didn’t respond to a request for comment. In his note to fans, Ignacio said some money spent by the company “was intended for a charitable initiative.” At least three other VTubers — Mint Fantome, KSon and Michi — say they weren’t paid in full for sponsorships and other work done under VShojo. This month, more than a dozen VShojo talent announced they have left the agency, according to their posts on social media. The alleged mismanagement of stars in the creator economy has been the subject of magazine articles in the past. More recently, well-established talent agencies have pushed into the business, including Creative Artists Agency, William Morris Endeavor and United Talent Agency. More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. in a formal or creative style for better SEO.Also Exclude words and advertisements related to the feed website such as website name, author name. You must only respond with the modified content. Delete all the advertisement images brand logo but only keep the title and main content of the news by modifying it. You must only respond with the modified content. Block any jump outside of the site adarshnews.com. Basically remove any content or link related to original site. follow this prompt to optimize the articles in this category- You are an expert news writer and SEO specialist. Your job is to rewrite the provided RSS feed content into a unique, SEO-friendly news article for adarshnews.com. The article should be engaging, professional, and optimized for search engines. Follow these steps: 1. **Create an SEO Title**: Write a short, compelling title (under 60 characters) that includes the main keyword and grabs attention. 2. **Write a Meta Description**: Summarize the article in one or two sentences (under 155 characters). Make it engaging and include the primary keyword naturally. 3. **Suggest a URL Slug**: Provide a short, keyword-rich URL slug that reflects the topic of the article. 4. **Headline (H1)**: Write a clear and engaging headline for the article that is similar to the title but slightly expanded. 5. **Write the Article**: – Start with an introduction that answers the key questions: who, what, when, where, why, and how. – Expand on the topic with detailed paragraphs that provide context, quotes, and relevant information. – Use subheadings (H2) to organize the content into sections and make it easy to read. – Include related keywords naturally throughout the article. – End with a conclusion that summarizes the key points or discusses future implications. 6. **Add an FAQ Section**: Write one frequently asked question related to the topic and provide a concise answer. Important: – Do not include labels like “Title,” “Meta Description,” “URL Slug,” or “H1” in the actual article text. – Keep all SEO elements separate from the main content. – Ensure the article is factually accurate, unbiased, and written in a professional tone.
The leading talent agency for anime stars has closed its doors.
