Alexa Fund, the venture capital arm of Amazonhas doled out $20 million in latest funding round to support Web3-focused studio superplastic. The investment brings the company’s total funding to $58 million, with Galaxy Digital, Google Ventures, Sony Japan, Craft Ventures, Animoca Brands and many others involved in the latest round.
Superplastic is a 3D character studio that specializes in creating vinyl toys. It has also invested heavily in Web3, launched NFT collections on Ethereum, and partnered with leading brands like Gucci and Epic Games’ Fortnite.
following the investment, Superplastic has promised to give Amazon Studios priority with any TV series or movie presentations that feature their characters. Currently, there is already a show in production with two of Superplastic’s virtual characters. It is bent “The Janky and Guggimon Show.” The masterpiece features a cat and a fanged rabbit seeking fame and riches by any means.
Today we are announcing a collaboration with Amazon that includes investments and a preliminary agreement with Amazon Studios. The Alexa Fund leads our $20 million Series A-4 investment round and EL @JANKY & @GUGGIMON SHOW has been put into development at Amazon Studios. https://t.co/xV7NN3TcZB pic.twitter.com/iCJxKlFFpX
— SUPERPLASTIC (@SUPERPLASTIC) February 15, 2023
The team behind the show describe the two characters as “spectacularly incompetent lazy best friends”, being janky a “Lovely jerk who spends his spare time ripping off celebrities” while Guggimon is a “Fashion icon and master manipulator who is too narcissistic to care.”
Amazon’s investment in superplastic is part of its plan to expand its reach with new technologies
Superplastic virtual celebrities are quite popular and have millions of followers on social media. It’s a look that was quite attractive to Amazon bosses as they contemplated the deal. Paul Bernard, director of the Alexa Fund, acknowledges this fact. In a statement, he says that the fact that the Superplastic characters “meet your customers where they are,” Whether it’s on social media or in video games like Fortnite, it’s a big part of why they’re so attractive.
He continues, “We see them as a new class of IP that will become increasingly relevant to younger generations.”
Amazon’s investment in Superplastic also appears to be part of its intention to expand its reach when it comes to future technologies.
According to Bernardo, “This includes technologies like synthetics, virtualization, generative AI, Web3, and more.” So the company “Wants to make strategic bets in these areas along with our continued investment in startups that further voice use cases, as it is part of our company’s core values to look ahead to long-term investments that will position us well, even if it takes some time it is time for these technologies to come to fruition in our everyday lives.”
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*All investment/financial opinions expressed by NFT Plazas come from the personal research and experience of our site moderators and are intended for educational purposes only. People are required to fully research any product before making any type of investment.
Basil is an avid fan of blockchain technology and all its innovations, and he is passionate about sharing this narrative with his audience. He has spent over five years in the crypto space, specializing in research and creating Web3 content for various media outlets around the world.
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