Anime Stars’ Pioneer Talent Firm Shuts Down; Raised $11 Million

The top US talent agency for virtual anime stars shut down this week, with clients saying the company withheld hundreds of thousands of dollars.

VShojo Inc., which represented popular so-called VTubers — charismatic anime avatars operated by real people — closed its doors on Thursday, according to a posting byJustin Ignacio, founder and chief executive officer of the San Francisco-based company.

“We ran out of money,” Ignacio said in his posting on X. VShojo raised $11 million in March 2022 in a funding round led by Anthos Capital.

Neither Ignacio nor Anthos Capital responded to a request ...