Brief Summary
The video discusses the financial troubles of V Showjo, revealing that the company lost $2.5 million in 2024 and was struggling long before recent scandals. It examines a leaked investor pitch deck that includes questionable claims, such as misrepresenting talent contracts and using charity fundraising to attract investment while allegedly stealing from those funds. The video also covers a statement from Alex Kioshi, the director of V Showjo Japan talent, who claims to have been unaware of financial mismanagement and expresses commitment to supporting the Japanese-based talents.
- V Showjo lost $2.5 million in 2024, indicating long-term financial struggles.
- A leaked investor pitch deck made misleading claims about talent contracts and charity fundraising.
- Alex Kioshi stated he was unaware of financial mismanagement and is committed to supporting Japanese talents.
V Showjo's Financial Troubles and Leaked Pitch Deck
The video begins by addressing the recent surfacing of information regarding V Showjo's finances, which has sparked discussions across social media platforms. The central questions revolve around how V Showjo managed their money, the extent of their financial losses, and the whereabouts of funds obtained from sources such as IM Mouse's charity stream and sponsorships. A leaked pitch deck from a person named Addison reveals that V Showjo lost $2.5 million in 2024 and that even with aggressive growth plans, they would not turn a profit.
Details of the Pitch Deck and Gun's Background
The pitch deck includes plans to license IP and uses the fact that they raised over $1 million for charity to attract investment. It is uncertain if this includes the $500,000 that was unpaid. The deck also mentions 10 talent managers, 20 to 30 employees, and claims that IP licensing will bring in $2.1 million without providing any supporting evidence. The presentation also contained IRL photos of V Showjo talent, which have since been redacted. The video then transitions to discussing Gun, the founder of V Showjo, highlighting his background as a top esports streamer and early Twitch employee.
V Showjo's Leadership and Misleading Claims
The leadership team includes Justin (Gun), Eric (chief of staff), and Alex Kioshi (director of V Showjo Japan talent). The presentation highlights milestones such as revenue from game skins in Smite, IMAS breaking records as a top subscribed Twitch streamer, and IMAS winning content creator of the year. The presenter finds it sad that IMAS's success was used to promote the company, only for her to be mistreated. V Showjo claimed to have the same brand recognition as Hololive and Nijisanji in the West and that they received 10,000 applicants. The presentation also mentions raising over $1 million for various charities, including Iron Mouse's Throne of Heresy stream.
Competitive Advantages and Growth Strategy
V Showjo touted its competitive advantages, such as bilingual and multicultural teams, interesting tech, and a "talent-first approach," which the presenter questions, given the 60% cut taken from talents. The company claimed that creator-friendly contracts gave them a competitive advantage, which the presenter disputes based on known contract terms. They listed sponsorships with G-Fuel, merchandising, and IP licensing as untapped potential. The growth strategy included expanding sponsorships, licensing, and merchandising.
Alex Kioshi's Statement on V Showjo
Alex Kioshi released a statement addressing the leaked pitch deck and his experiences at V Showjo. He clarified that V Showjo faced an extremely challenging situation involving mismanagement from upper management, which only came to light just before its closure. He also clarified his role at Cover Corporation, stating that he served as an advisor and in business planning, contrary to V Showjo's materials referring to him as a Gen One director. Kioshi expressed regret that V Showjo lost the trust of its talents and staff and that his name had been misrepresented.
Japan Branch's Perspective and Future Plans
Kioshi stated that working with V Showjo Japan's team was a meaningful experience and that they successfully launched the VTuber group Nova. Despite the company's closure, he and the former Japan staff are committed to supporting Nova and the Japanese-based talents. He added that the events affecting V Showjo talents, including Iron Mouse, came as a major shock to the Japan team, who were unaware of the internal situation. Financial management was controlled by the US headquarters, and neither the Japan branch president nor Kioshi was informed that payments to the Japan-based talents were outstanding. He also mentioned that he grew suspicious during investment negotiations when critical financial documents were not provided by upper management.
