ぶいすぽっ！
1 known investors
A Japanese esports and entertainment organization that streams competitive gaming across PC and console platforms and produces anime and original music videos.
Also known as VSPO · VSPO! · Vspo77 · ぶいすぽっ！
Investors · 1
Company profile
researched Aug 2026ぶいすぽっ！ (VSPO!) is a Japanese "next-generation virtual esports project" built around female VTuber talents who stream video games, enter esports tournaments and appear in adjacent media such as music, animation and novels. The roster is organised into a Japanese group of roughly 25 named talents, sub-units such as Lupinus Virtual Games, and an English-language branch, VSPO! EN, whose members include Remia Aotsuki, Arya Kuroha, Jira Jisaki, Narin Mikure, Riko Solari, Eris Suzukami and Juno Umezono. A Chinese branch, VSPO! CN (卟啵电竞project), debuted second-generation members in April 2025 but was concluded in October 2025, with its members transferred to MUGEN LIVE.
The project is operated by バーチャルエンターテイメント (Virtual Entertainment), a subsidiary of Brave group. Virtual Entertainment was founded in March 2018 by Takamasa Hoshi, and the "Kaga sisters" (Kaga Sumire and Kaga Nazuna) debuted in October 2018, leading into the VSPO! project; the company was merged into Brave group in June 2022, with Hoshi joining Brave group as a director while remaining Virtual Entertainment's representative. Brave group positions itself as a non-listed third force in the VTuber sector alongside ANYCOLOR (にじさんじ) and Cover (ホロライブプロダクション), running IP projects including VSPO!, RIOT MUSIC and Palette Project alongside metaverse and esports businesses.
Beyond streaming, VSPO! runs merchandise and live commerce (an official online store selling apparel, tapestries, digital voice packs and VSPO! GEAR gaming peripherals), offline and retail activations (Animate and Kotobukiya in-store corners, the VSPO! SHOWDOWN event at Ryogoku Kokugikan in March 2025), and a long-form animation project announced in October 2024 that was to run 12 episodes with a first chapter targeted for end-2025.
Founding story
Brave group's predecessor company was established in October 2017 by Keito Noguchi, who had earlier sold pet-owner media and app company Vapes to the Benesse group and was introduced to VTubers by Activ8 CEO Takeshi Osaka, creator of Kizuna AI. Takamasa Hoshi, who had sold a media business and previously worked at a PE fund, founded バーチャルエンターテイメント in March 2018 after similarly being introduced to the VTuber field, choosing a strategy of betting across the whole VTuber domain rather than only streamers. Virtual Entertainment debuted the Kaga sisters in October 2018, which led into the VSPO! project.
Business model
Revenue is generated around VTuber talent IP: live streaming activity on YouTube, esports tournament participation, music and anime/novel media, brand and company collaborations, ticketed live and offline events, and product sales through the official online store, which offers physical goods (apparel, tapestries, posters, miscellaneous items), digital goods such as voice packs priced from roughly $4.99, and VSPO! GEAR gaming hardware including a gaming mouse at $200 and gaming keyboards. A paid membership service, ぶいすぽっ！STUDIO MEMBERS, was introduced in October 2024 to fund the long-form animation project, initially at a ¥33,000 (tax included) enrolment plan with benefits such as advance screenings, credit listings, recording scripts and art collections.
Sales of physical and digital merchandise and gaming peripherals, paid membership services, live and offline event revenue, sponsored and collaborative content with companies, and streaming/media monetisation across VTuber talent channels.
Traction
VSPO! announced that it had surpassed 10 million YouTube subscribers in December 2024; as of December 2023 the project had 19 members with a combined 7.52 million YouTube subscribers. Brave group's overall group channels across YouTube and bilibili exceeded 10 million subscribers as of early 2024. The project maintains a trophy showcase for tournament wins by members, has held large offline events such as VSPO! SHOWDOWN at Ryogoku Kokugikan in March 2025 with 23 members across five game titles, and has expanded its roster with new EN members in November 2025 and March 2026.
Latest developments
On 30 June 2026 the operator announced full refunds to all members of the paid ぶいすぽっ！STUDIO MEMBERS animation-support service, citing a revision of the production content that made the remaining schedule impossible to forecast; it stated the animation itself is not cancelled and remains in production, that already-delivered benefits can still be used, that remaining planned benefits end, that refund procedures would be explained during July 2026, and that the member site stops updating and will remain accessible until 31 December 2026. In April 2026 parent Brave group announced a Series E raise of about ¥8.0 billion, with GREE becoming its largest shareholder. The company has also published notices in 2026 on responses to defamation and unauthorised sexual illustrations targeting its talents, and reports concerning talents Sendo Yuuhi and Komori Met.
▸Full profile — market position, technology, go-to-market, geography, history, risks & controversies
Market position
Brave group, VSPO!'s parent, is described as a non-listed "third force" in the VTuber industry behind the listed ANYCOLOR (にじさんじ) and Cover (ホロライブプロダクション). Within that portfolio VSPO! is the streaming/esports-focused property, and it is characterised in coverage as one of the representative projects of the VTuber industry. VSPO! members are frequently cited as reference points for female game-streaming talent in Japan.
Rather than a generalist VTuber agency model, VSPO! was designed around a single vision of members who take gaming seriously and spread the appeal of esports, with an entry requirement based on battle-royale FPS ability so the project would not depend on the popularity of any one game title. Management has stated the project also aims to raise the standing of female gamers, who had previously been dismissed as decorative in the male-dominated professional scene. Inspiration cited includes the VTuber Nekomiya Hinata and the popularity of PUBG streaming.
Technology
The project is built on VTuber avatar production and live streaming, including 3D model reveals for talents such as Yumeno Akari. Parent company Brave group has stated it will direct newly raised capital toward technology investment including research and development in streaming systems and XR technology.
Go-to-market
Distribution is primarily through YouTube channels for the group and individual talents, supplemented by esports tournament appearances, mirror broadcasts of competitive events (for example the Street Fighter 6 league SFL JAPAN 2026), original music and animation releases, retail tie-ups with Animate and Kotobukiya stores, offline events, and a direct-to-consumer online store serving Japanese and English-language customers.
Fans of VTubers, competitive gaming and esports in Japan, with English- and Chinese-language expansions aimed at overseas audiences; secondary customers include brands and companies engaging in collaborations, and merchandise buyers.
Geography
Headquartered in Japan with Japanese-language operations and an English-language site and store; VSPO! EN serves overseas audiences, and VSPO! CN operated in China until its conclusion in October 2025. Parent Brave group operates local bases in the United States, United Kingdom, China and Thailand and comprises 15 group companies.
History
The Brave group predecessor's early "Game Bu" project ended after a controversy over talent management, prompting the departure of the then-representative, a management overhaul and Noguchi's move to representative director; headcount fell from around 100 to under 20 with monthly losses of ¥70–80 million before rebuilding around IP projects such as RIOT MUSIC. Virtual Entertainment and Brave group merged in June 2022. VSPO! redesigned its official website in February 2024, launched VSPO! GEAR gaming keyboards from 29 March 2024, passed 10 million YouTube subscribers in December 2024, concluded its VSPO! CN branch in October 2025 with members transferring to MUGEN LIVE, and added EN members in 2025 and 2026.
Risks & controversies
The animation project funded by the STUDIO MEMBERS membership was delayed to the point that the operator refunded all membership fees in mid-2026 and could not state a release schedule. The project has issued repeated notices about defamation of its talents and monetisation or sale of sexual illustrations of them, and reportedly won a court case against one person who defamed a talent and identified a creator of sexual illustrations, seeking ¥10 million in damages with a settlement reached. Talents Komori Met and Sendo Yuuhi were suspended over contract violations before resuming activity. Parent Brave group's net loss reportedly widened from ¥0.8 billion to ¥2.1 billion with a reduction in capital, and the predecessor company's earlier Game Bu project ended in controversy over talent management.
Compiled by commissioned research from 8 cited public sources — announcements, filings, and press listed under research sources below.
Key figures
latest reportedCompany-reported or press-reported figures, each dated to when it was claimed — not independently audited.
Timeline · 17
launches, deals, and filingsVSPO! announced full refunds of membership fees to all STUDIO MEMBERS subscribers after a revision of the animation's production content made the remaining production schedule impossible to forecast; the animation itself continues in production. Refund details were to be announced during July 2026, and the member site stops updating but remains accessible until 31 December 2026.
Brave group, whose subsidiaries include the operator of VSPO!, announced a Series E totalling about ¥8.0 billion, comprising third-party allotments from 15 companies (including banks, Kirin, Nippon Broadcasting System and Thirdwave) and loans from 3 companies. Cumulative funding since its 2017 founding reached about ¥14.0 billion. GREE became the largest shareholder via additional investment through REALITY. Funds are earmarked for global expansion, IP diversification, strategic M&A and technology investment including streaming systems and XR R&D.
The operator published an update on measures against defamation of its talents, including monetisation and sale of sexual illustrations.
The China branch VSPO! CN (卟啵电竞project) was concluded and its member(s) transferred to MUGEN LIVE.
Offline event held 22–23 March 2025 at Ryogoku Kokugikan with 23 VSPO! members competing across five game titles against streamers and professional players.
VSPO! announced a first long-form animation project of 12 planned episodes with a first chapter targeted for end-2025, plus the paid ぶいすぽっ！STUDIO MEMBERS support service opening 1 November 2024.
VSPO! GEAR officially launched, with gaming keyboard releases starting 29 March 2024; the line later included a gaming mouse and mouse pads.
Permanent VSPO! corners opened at Kotobukiya's Tachikawa main store and Osaka Nipponbashi store, with the third floor of the Akihabara store dedicated to VTubers.
VSPO! held a Valentine's distribution event across four Animate stores in Japan, alongside an online lottery distribution of Valentine's chocolates.
バーチャルエンターテイメント, founded by Takamasa Hoshi in March 2018 and operator of VSPO!, was merged into Brave group; Hoshi joined Brave group as a director.
バーチャルエンターテイメント debuted the Kaga sisters (Kaga Sumire and Kaga Nazuna) in October 2018, which developed into the VSPO! project.
Dated company events from announcements, filings, and press; legal rows summarize public dockets and regulator releases.
▸Research sources · 8
primary sources listed
- ぶいすぽっ！vspo.jp · web
8 public sources were cited for this profile; the first-party ones are listed here.
Frequently asked questions
- What does ぶいすぽっ！ do?
- VSPO! is a Japanese virtual esports project of female VTubers who stream games, compete in tournaments and expand into media and goods.
- Who are ぶいすぽっ！'s investors?
- ぶいすぽっ！'s investors include NOW Japan.