Introduction
VShojo (officially VShojo, Inc.) is an American talent agency that focuses on promoting VTuber content creators based in San Francisco, California. VShojo bills itself as a "talent first" agency, oriented towards providing resources (such as models, merchandising, and advertisement opportunities) to its talent.
Overview
CEO Justin "TheGunrun" Ignacio, a member of the team that founded Twitch, CTO Phillip "MowtenDoo" Fortunat, a content creator on YouTube, and COO Daniel "Apek" Sanders, a former digital media attorney, co-founded VShojo to promote and empower English-speaking VTubers. It debuted on November 24, 2020, as one of the first VTuber companies based in the United States and the Western world.
Talents
| Name | VTuber debut | VShojo debut | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apricot (Froot) | November 27, 2020 | ||
| General Geega | February 2021 | September 2, 2023 | |
| Haruka Karibu | May 8, 2020 | December 3, 2022 | |
| Hime Hajime | January 30, 2021 | Part-time | |
| Ironmouse | August 5, 2017 | November 24, 2020 | |
| Kuro Kurenai | September 30, 2023 | ||
| Matara Kan | October 15, 2023 | ||
| Projekt Melody | December 27, 2019 | November 24, 2020 | |
| Zentreya | November 26, 2017 | November 24, 2020 | |
| Additional sources: | |||
| Name | VTuber debut | VShojo debut | Contract expired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nyatasha Nyanners | July 17, 2020 | November 24, 2020 | April 30, 2023 |
| Silvervale | July 30, 2019 | November 24, 2020 | April 26, 2023 |
| Veibae | April 12, 2020 | April 9, 2021 |
| Name | VTuber debut | VShojo debut | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amemiya Nazuna | July 16, 2022 | Part-time (since 2023) | |
| Henya the Genius | May 13, 2023 | ||
| Kson | May 1, 2016 | July 16, 2022 | |
| Sources: | |||
In October 2021, Ironmouse and Veibae were listed, for the first time, among the top 10 female streamers on Twitch based on hours watched. On February 15, 2022, Ironmouse passed one million followers and 75,000 subscribers on Twitch, making her Twitch's most-subscribed female streamer. On February 20, 2022, Ironmouse's Twitch subscription count surpassed 93,000 making her, at the time, the streamer with the most active Twitch subscriptions.
In March 2022, VShojo raised $11 million in a funding round led by Anthos Capital, with goals to expand its focus on working with anime and gaming conventions on content and appearances by its talent, Ignacio's "IRL Backpack" project for mobile video streaming, and a collaboration with the mental health group Rise Above the Disorder.
In July 2022 at Anime Expo, the company announced a new Japanese division, with its inaugural members including independent streamer Kson, and Nazuna.
On April 26, 2023 VShojo announced via Twitter that Silvervale and Veibae would not be renewing their contracts, with Nyanners following on April 30. A new VTuber for VShojo Japan, Henya the Genius, debuted on May 13, 2023. VShojo's first male VTuber, Kuro Kurenai, debuted on September 30. Another new VTuber for VShojo, Matara Kan, debuted just over two weeks later.
Awards and nominations
| Year | Ceremony | Category | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Streamer Awards | Best Content Organization | Nominated |