YAGOO ranked by Forbes JAPAN as 3rd biggest Entrepreneur in Japan in 2023
COVER Corp's CEO, Motoaki Tanigo, also known as YAGOO within the hololive community, was listed as the third-biggest entrepreneur in Japan at the start of the new year. Forbes JAPAN released a feature on their site in November 2022, 「日本の起業家ランキング2023」, or the "Japanese Entrepreneur Ranking of 2023".
YAGOO cover photo for Forbes JAPAN article. image source: forbesjapan.com
This ranking feature on Forbes acknowledges entrepreneurs that drive Japanese business towards creating a "New Japan". This includes individuals who actively work on a global scale while balancing both business and social aspects.
In the Forbes article, YAGOO expresses his happiness in seeing the level of support hololive receives overseas.
This comes after a surprise visit by YAGOO himself at the Crunchyroll EXPO 2022 (CRX), an anime convention held in San Jose, California. Wearing a Magni Dezmond T-Shirt, YAGOO surprised fans when he made an appearance at one of the hololive-focused events at the expo.
He highlighted the impact of the pandemic on the rise of VTubers, as people were unable to meet in person. However, after visiting the Crunchyroll EXPO 2022 and seeing the excitement of the hololive fans himself, he was glad that in-person events like these could happen again.
YAGOO expresses his gratitude for the fact that hololive fans are not only present in Japan but globally as well; he states that his goal has always been to expand hololive globally and he is pleased to see that VTubers and hololive are gaining popularity worldwide:
「最初から世界に展開したいと考えていました。漫画やゲームはもともと日本が得意としていた領域ですが、中国や韓国からも人気コンテンツやプラットフォームが出てくるようになった。そのなかで、VTuberのファンが日本のみならず海外にも広がっているのは素晴らしいこと。喜びもひとしおです」
When asked about hololive's growth, YAGOO attributes it to the company's strengths in 3D technology. Originally formed as a VR company, COVER Corp. already had the technology to incorporate and support the activities of hololive. He also mentions using funds from their "Series A" funding round to build a 3D motion capture studio, which is a perfect space for hololive talents to use for dancing and other 3D activities.
3D technology plays a significant role in the live distribution of hololive content; however, YAGOO also highlights the value of hololive short 3D animations as an alternative form of content. He notes that the length of live streams by the talents can make it challenging for first-time viewers to engage with the content, but short animations and clips of live streams provide a more accessible entry point. He emphasizes 3D animation as one of hololive production's strengths.
YAGOO, COVER, hololive, staff, and the talents have worked hard to achieve their current position at the forefront of the VTuber category in both technology and entertainment. Additionally, they create their content in-house, which is a notable accomplishment for a company to handle both distribution and content production functions. COVER Corp. places a strong emphasis on its 3D technology in these functions, and Forbes JAPAN recognizes this characteristic as a major advantage that has led to the company's current position in the industry.
