Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance VC backs Livetoon

Tokyo-based Livetoon  has raised $481k through a third party allotment of new shares to accelerate product development and hiring across its AI voice and IP character business.

Founded in March 2024, Livetoon develops AI powered voice conversation and speech synthesis technology, combining conversational AI with Japanese IP and character content. Its products span consumer apps and enterprise solutions, including its conversational AI app kaiwa, with a focus on high fidelity Japanese speech and character driven interaction.

The round was backed by iFund, MSIVC, Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, and United, and will be used to improve Livetoon’s STS and TTS platforms, expand its team, and support global expansion of Japanese IP through official, licensed conversational experiences.

Livetoon is led by CEO Kyosuke Kinoshita and is headquartered in Tokyo.