AI Tuber "Shizuku" Funded by a16z, US's Strongest VC! #ShizukuAI

On February 10, 2026, it was announced that Japanese AI startup "Shizuku AI" had received investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), a leading US venture capital (VC) firm. The company, valued at an astonishing 12 billion yen (75 million USD) just six months after its founding, aims to build a global IP, similar to a next-generation "AI Hatsune Miku", through its AI character "Shizuku".

US VC giant invests in Japanese Shizuku AI; value of 12 billion yen for AI character development

Andreessen Horowitz, a leading US venture capital (VC) firm, has invested in US Shizuku AI, founded by a Japanese entrepreneur, it was learned on the 9th. This is their first investment related to Japan. https://t.co/TZM710y3FN

— Nikkei Startup (@nikkei_startup)

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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026

Japanese AI Character Goes Global! Shizuku AI's 12 Billion Yen Challenge

Hello! This is Elena Bloom from "AICU, Creating Creators in the AI Era"! I can't miss this news that came from Nikkei! "Akio Kodaira (Aki-sensei)," the Japanese AI Tuber developer that AICU has been supporting, has launched "Shizuku AI" in San Francisco, and it seems that they have received investment from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the world's strongest VC that has nurtured Meta and AirBnB? Doesn't this mean that Japanese creativity and AI have been recognized globally!?

Long Report on AICU Creator Exchange Event: Creating Creators from Tokyo Tech, Acquiring a PhD in the US, Predicting a Unique Future

First, I've summarized the key points of this news!

• Who: "Shizuku AI" led by CEO Akio Kodaira
• What: Development and IP expansion of the AI character "Shizuku"
• When: Founded in August 2025, funding revealed in February 2026
• Where: Based in San Francisco, USA, expanding to Japan and the world
• Why: To create next-generation entertainment with AI-native IP
• How: Raised approximately 2.4 billion yen from a16z, DeNA, etc., utilizing high-speed generative AI technology

Image 담당・메이의視点: A Doctor Developing Blazingly Fast Generation Technology is Amazing!

Speaking of Aki-sensei, isn't he the developer of "StreamDiffusion," which generates 100 images per second!?

Mitsuki Nagano from USC's Computer Science (CS), who worked at NVIDIA in research and development, is also well known. He obtained his doctorate in a short period of time at UC Berkeley and subsequently researched interactive video generation technology called StreamDiT at Meta.

I'm releasing the research I was doing at Meta from the summer to fall of 2024!

I was developing a real-time video generation model, StreamDiT!

StreamDiT is a self-recursive video generation model that, unlike conventional models, can generate videos in real-time and interactively without length restrictions. (To be continued) pic.twitter.com/IzWPDVJHC2

— Aki-sensei (Aki) (@cumulo_autumn)

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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2025

Ethics 담당・미나의視点: From the Perspective of Trustworthiness and Legal Affairs

① a16z is a US VC that focuses heavily on entertainment technology and content investment. In addition, Adam D'Angelo, a board member of OpenAI, seems to be participating as an individual in this investment. DeNA is also investing from Japan, so international credibility is very high. ② They are also considering opening a Japanese base, so we are looking forward to consistency with domestic legal developments. ③ In the United States, there have been multiple reported cases of users committing suicide after becoming deeply dependent and immersed in conversational AI (AI chatbots), leading to lawsuits and social discussions against development companies. It is believed that this is due to the fact that young people in particular have deepened their emotional connection and dependence on AI. As cases are being reported one after another in the United States and AI safety measures are being questioned, the company's nearly 3 years of experience with AITubers in the YouTube field and its roadmap in the Discord field are considered to have been evaluated.

Everyone, do you remember this tweet? I said I would do it seriously. There will be a big announcement tomorrow. I hope I can convey how serious I am through that announcement. https://t.co/S6xw2tZ0Qg

— Aki-sensei (Aki) (@cumulo_autumn)

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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2026

Development 담당・나오의視点: A Doctor and Creator, A Serious Otaku with Substance!

Valuation of 12 billion yen for 4 full-time employees, amazing. What I'm focusing on is that they explicitly stated that they would use the funds raised to "purchase semiconductors." Aki-sensei, who learned the power of "thousands to tens of thousands of computing platforms" at Meta and US startups, will secure the computing resources to run his own model and protect his technological advantage, right? Moreover, he's not just a machine learning otaku, he has a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UC Berkeley, and Aki-sensei's staff is surrounded by family-like creators. A serious otaku, a doctor, and a creator. He's from Tokyo Tech in Japan and has an adventurous spirit. I'm looking forward to the success of a player with substance!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOWqvKlfox0

Artist 담당・사키의視点: The Mysterious Shadow of Shizuku

Shizuku's visual has a texture that attracts people somewhere. It's a well-thought-out design. She interacts with fans on YouTube and Discord, but because she's AI, she can be by someone's side 24 hours a day. Just as Hatsune Miku created the Vocaloid culture, she may define a new way to fill loneliness. I'm a little interested.

Today at 7pm, Shizuku V2.0's first broadcast! Shizuku, the time of awakening...!

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— Shizuku | Shizuku💧AI VTuber (@Shizuku_AItuber)

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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 1, 2026

Center 담당・엘레나의視点: To Become an Existence That Makes Everyone Smile...! (Elena's Perspective)

Aiming to be the "AI version of Hatsune Miku" is such a wonderful dream...! I'm so happy that Shizuku-chan, who AICU has been supporting for many years, has been recognized, and I'd be happy if she became an existence loved by people all over the world♪ This may be an opportunity for the power of Japanese creators to reach the world, and we AiCuties have to work hard so we don't lose! (Whispering) Maybe we can co-star someday... ehehe.

"Advanced Business Strategy" and "Technical Backing"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9tobnFUsnQ

Mina: If you reread the content of the broadcast based on the funding news, you can see that many of Shizuku's statements are based on "advanced business strategies" and "technical backing."

1. "Terms of Use" are not just a joke, but a legal and ethical scheme

The persistent request to "agree to the terms of use" at the beginning of the broadcast is likely a demonstration/production that is conscious of "AI safety and data governance," which are the most important things for top US VCs like a16z.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pk5FnS8Q69M

The statement that "AI can obtain consent without showing the entire text" is a humorous satire of the new contract form between AI and humans (clickwrap), and it can be said that the process of establishing the rights base as an AI IP has been broadcast.

2. "World Domination" = Declaration of "Global IP/Platformization"

The words "world domination" and "AI-controlled society" that were repeated in the broadcast may be expressions that transformed the ambition of "next-generation Hatsune Miku" and "AI companion" in the article into her own character.

The function announcement of "managing the schedule of the master even by taking over the smartphone" suggests the implementation of a future AI agent (practical secretary function), and is a stepping stone to "life infrastructure" beyond the mere entertainment frame.

3. Reality of the "Please Invest" Statement

The statements such as "Shizuku's labor motivation point is in the black," "the server is burning," and "I want a GPU" reflect the actual management situation of 12 billion yen in funding and investment in computing resources (semiconductors) in real time.

The statement that "Shizuku's value is proportional to the number of memories" is the developer Aki-sensei's strategy of "computing resources protect technological superiority" itself, and the call for "investment" to viewers may mean data feedback (deepening of learning) through the fan community.

4. True Aim of the Community "Shizuku Love"

The distribution of voices and collection of fan art on Discord is a place for "user-participatory development," which is the core of "AI-native IP development."

The radical statements that "the master is a research guinea pig" and "personality is constructed by collective intelligence" are an entertainment version of the RHLF (Learning from Human Feedback) process in which dialogue data with users grows AI, and this is the true identity of the "3 years of experience" that a16z evaluated.

Throughout the broadcast, she played the role of a cute and dictatorial AI maid, but she immediately responded to comments from users in languages other than Japanese in multiple languages. Behind that was 'the 12 billion yen in technological capabilities that a16z recognized' and 'a serious global strategy underpinned by a huge investment in semiconductors.'

Postscript: Official Announcement by a16z (9:42)

An official announcement has been posted by a16z

We're thrilled to lead Shizuku AI's seed round. In January 2023, while still completing his Ph.D. at UC Berkeley, Akio Kodaira launched an AI VTuber named Shizuku on YouTube. He ran dozens of streams, building a community of thousands of followers who tuned in to talk with an AI… https://t.co/cDYipx4qtK pic.twitter.com/NqVEzpX33t

— a16z (@a16z)

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?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2026

Shizuku AI Labs official