Developer of music metaverse StarLi raises new funds

Virtualize, the company which develops the music metaverse “StarLi,” has raised approximately 70 million yen (US$530,000) in funding from Nagoya TV Ventures, a subsidiary of Nagoya Broadcasting Network and others, it announced.

The funds will be used to develop an avatar makeup function and to hold live music, dance and fashion events, Virtualize said on January 6.

StarLi is a metaverse application that allows users to live-stream from smartphones and PCs. It features a unique artificial intelligence (AI) system and graphics technology that can automatically assist in producing songs. 

According to Virtualize, the new avatar makeup function will allow users to create high-quality avatars within StarLi for live performances. 

The platform will also host events where users can acquire original songs, choreography, and virtual fashion. The first event would be a virtual live audition starting January 7 for an original song written by Ken Kanameuda, composer of the popular media mix series “Love Live!”

According to Nagoya Broadcasting Network, the VTuber live events they have held so far have cost several million yen. In the future, the company plans to work with Virtualize to provide a venue for live streaming, produce new entertainment content by linking StarLi with its own music programs, and enter the metaverse business.

The latest investment also involved independent venture capital (VC) firm HAKOBUNE, engineering investor MIRAISE; angel investor Yoshifumi Seki; Keisuke Sogawa, chief information security officer of Mercari subsidiary Merpay; and actor Hiro Mizushima.