Korean comprehensive content IP holdings startup, The Origin, has made a strategic investment in Do7 Entertainment to enhance its original IP business capabilities and expand its core genres. Founded by Kim Eun-joo, the planner behind “Solo Leveling,” Do7 Entertainment operates in webtoons, animation, video content, audio content, and merchandise production. The company boasts expertise in webtoon production and IP diversification, along with a robust global network. It specializes in genres with dedicated fan bases, such as romance fantasy and BL (Boys Love). One of its notable works, “Wet Sand,” won the BL Comic New Star Award at the Ridibooks Awards in 2022. This work also received significant fan response by being released as an audio drama, a medium gaining traction in new media.

The Origin has acquired 3,000 common shares of Do7 Entertainment, securing 3.33% of the total shares. This investment enables The Origin to execute a broader and more diverse original IP OSMU (One Source Multi Use) strategy, adding to its existing genres of low fantasy, dark fantasy, adventure, and SF.

The Origin plans to actively leverage Do7 Entertainment’s domestic and international content platform networks and infrastructure to enhance its reputation as a quality IP supplier, reduce production and distribution costs, and establish a solid revenue stream. Initially, it will focus on strengthening female-oriented webtoon activities in Japan and Southeast Asia, and use Vietnam, where there is high demand for K-content, as a base for global market expansion. This will facilitate active growth of its IP business in North America, Japan, China, and other regions.

Kim Eun-joo, CEO of Do7 Entertainment, stated, “The collaboration with The Origin, which possesses exceptional capabilities in the IP business, marks a crucial turning point in opening new opportunities on the global stage. We expect this investment to facilitate the expansion of new business ventures both domestically and internationally.”

Sung Dae-kyung, CEO of The Origin, remarked, “We highly value Do7 Entertainment’s achievements, uniqueness, and growth potential in the webtoon content business, which is why we pursued this investment. This will serve as a significant stepping stone for The Origin to expand its influence in the global content market based on its own IP.”

Last year, The Origin received 13.3 billion KRW in seed funding.