Korean cross-media content IP startup Macovill announced on the 7th that it has secured a Series A2 investment of $3.4 million (4.5 billion KRW). The investment was led by HYBE IM and Laguna Investment, with participation from Kona Venture Partners, Smart Study Ventures, and KC Ventures.

Since its establishment in February 2020, Macovill has grown with key personnel who have successful IP experience from The Pinkfong Company and developers from major gaming companies like Nexon and Neowiz. Their infant character IP ‘Cheetahboo‘ has been gaining prominence in the global market, recording an average of 320 million monthly YouTube views.

In 2024, the company expanded its services by forming a content distribution partnership with The Pinkfong Company and expanding to major IPTV and OTT platforms. They are also accelerating their entry into European and African markets through the launch of a new French-language channel. During the recent Lunar New Year holiday, they recorded 46 million weekly views domestically, ranking first in Playboard’s movie and animation section for Korean viewership.

The ‘Cheetahboo’ IP has shown success not only in video content but also in book publishing. ‘Armii Craft Store Play’ has gone into its third printing due to steady reader demand.

Building on this IP competitiveness, Macovill is also making strides in the gaming market. Their mobile game ‘Bellygom MatchLand,’ featuring Lotte Homeshopping’s popular character ‘Bellygom,’ is currently enjoying great success. After its pilot launch in the UK, Canada, and other countries in July 2024, it reached first place in Google Play’s puzzle game rankings and second place overall within three days of its domestic release in January. The iOS version is garnering attention with a D+1 retention rate of 53%, demonstrating high user satisfaction and gameplay quality.

Their new project ‘OZ Re:write,’ being developed in collaboration with HYBE IM, is a collection RPG featuring beautiful 2D animation-style graphics. The game reinterprets various fairy tales like ‘The Wizard of Oz,’ following the story of Dorothy and seven Rewriters working together to save the world from crisis.

Woo-yong Jung, CEO of HYBE IM, stated, “This investment goes beyond simple equity investment. It’s an extension of our strategic partnership based on our confidence in Macovill’s growth potential and ‘OZ Re:write’s’ global success potential.”

Young-ho Park, CEO of Laguna Investment, commented, “We made a seed investment recognizing Macovill’s strategy of securing character IP through media mix and the founder’s capabilities. Since our initial investment, they’ve created a global IP with ‘Cheetahboo’ generating 320 million monthly YouTube views.”

Joo-hyun Lee, CEO of Macovill, said, “Through this investment, we can accelerate our IP business expansion and game development. We will grow into a globally recognized content IP company.”