Translation service startup Voithru acquired by Kakao’s Japanese subsidiary Piccamo

Korean startup Voithru which operates the content translation service JAMAKE, in demand from Video Bloggers and YouTube influencers, has been acquired by Kakao corporation through its Japan subsidiary.

Kakao acquires Voithru Inc. to strengthen its global intellectual property (IP) value chain in Japan’s cartoon publishing. Kakao’s Japanese subsidiary Kakao Piccoma Corp. acquired a 70 percent stake in Voithru for about 20 billion won ($16.2 million).

Voithru, founded in 2018, runs a translation platform that connects customers and translators worldwide. Piccoma is a webtoon and web novel platform operated by Kakao providing Japanese digital comics, web novels, and Korean webtoons.

According to market data, Piccoma reached the top of global comic app sales in July 2020 and has maintained leadership. The number of monthly active users (MAU) surpassed 10 million at the end of September last year.

Kakao Piccoma’s acquisition of Voithru is in synergy with its plans to advance its cartoon and webtoon content business into Japan, France and other major markets.

Voithru has grown fast in the market of webtoons, web novels and dramas, as well as in the YouTube video market. The company’s cumulative translation content exceeded 300,000, with the number of partner companies over 150.

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