{"id":2236185,"date":"2026-01-15T16:27:36","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:27:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2236185"},"modified":"2026-01-15T16:27:36","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T16:27:36","slug":"holywater-raises-record-22-million-to-turn-microdramas-into-mainstream-entertainment-in-the-u-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/holywater-raises-record-22-million-to-turn-microdramas-into-mainstream-entertainment-in-the-u-s\/","title":{"rendered":"HOLYWATER Raises Record $22 Million to Turn Microdramas into Mainstream Entertainment in the U.S."},"content":{"rendered":"

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The financing marks the largest confirmed funding round in the emerging microdrama market outside of Asia, cementing HOLYWATER as the category leader among Western players in an $11 billion global market.<\/i><\/p>\n

KYIV, Ukraine & LISBON, Portugal, January 15, 2026<\/b>–(BUSINESS WIRE<\/a>)–HOLYWATER<\/b><\/a>, the leading tech company reshaping global entertainment through its premier products \u2014 My Drama for vertical series, My Passion for books, and My Muse for AI streaming \u2014 today announced the successful closing of a $22 million financing round.<\/p>\n

The round was led by Horizon Capital<\/b><\/a>, with strategic participation from U.S. investors, including Endeavor Catalyst<\/b><\/a> and Wheelhouse<\/b><\/a>. This transaction represents the largest single investment round in the microdrama sector to date outside of Asia, surpassing recent raises by Hollywood-backed competitors.<\/p>\n

This infusion of capital positions HOLYWATER to build the mobile-first “Netflix” for vertical video streaming and accelerate the development of its AI-driven content ecosystem <\/b>to include AI-enabled comics and anime<\/b>, in addition to significantly strengthening its IP incubation<\/b> and distribution engine to expand into new genres and content categories.<\/p>\n

HOLYWATER has established itself as a dominant force in the entertainment tech sector. It was included in Sifted\u2019s 2025 list of Europe\u2019s fastest-growing startups (backed by the Financial Times), based on percentage revenue growth over the past three financial years. HOLYWATER\u2019s flagship app, My Drama<\/a>, was named “Best Streaming Service” People\u2019s Voice at the 2025 Webby Awards and grew revenue by circa 2x in 2025. Furthermore, its AI-powered app, My Muse, is also a leader in the AI streaming category.<\/p>\n

The $22 million round follows an earlier investment from Fox Entertainment<\/b> in October 2025. Fox is actively producing a slate of more than 200 original microdramas and vertical series for the company\u2019s apps that will debut over the next two years, while collaborating with Hollywood studios, established talent, and emerging creators to build a centralized home for premium mobile-first storytelling.<\/p>\n

Bogdan Nesvit<\/b> and Anatolii Kasianov<\/b>, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of HOLYWATER<\/b>, said:
“This is the largest investment in the microdrama space to date outside of Asia, and it sends a clear message to the industry: short-form, studio-quality storytelling is here to stay. Vertical series are no longer an experiment or an uncertain niche \u2014 they are proving to be a scalable, long-term format and AI-powered IP incubation engine for the next generation of global hits across multiple genres, far beyond microdramas. With the support of our partners, we\u2019re pushing the entertainment industry forward as we redefine how stories are discovered and experienced worldwide.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n