TOKYO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. has launched the Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 (Zero to One) Fund, a new investment fund aimed at creating partnerships with technology startups to accelerate the company’s goal of creating new experiences around its most popular entertainment properties.

(CNW Group/Bandai Namco Toys & Collectibles America Inc.)

Background and purpose of launching the Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. has taken on the challenge of developing a variety of entertainment businesses and new experiences that leverage our world-class IP portfolio. In anticipation of the arrival of Web 3.0 and the development of the metaverse, the company has already entered into capital and business alliances with startup companies in a variety of fields. Through these efforts, it now recognizes the opportunity to continue identifying and partnering with startups who have the vision, imagination, and capabilities to develop advanced technologies that will one day power new forms of entertainment.

Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc.’s purpose with 021 Fund investments is to find technologies that will help bring the company closer to our fans through ways of “Connecting” and “Creating Together.” The endeavor directly aligns with Bandai Namco’s mission of “Dreams, Fun, and Inspiration” to create “Fun for All into the Future.” Driving this mission is the company’s “IP Axis Strategy,” which leverages the strength of Bandai Namco’s portfolio of properties that include some of the most beloved entertainment IP in the world. Bandai Namco Group’s strategy is to build a metaverse concerning IP, creating shared and persistent experiences where people from all over the world can converge and immerse in virtual worlds based on their favorite properties, starting with GUNDAM®.

The Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund will use three investment strategies to cultivate the right partnerships and make our vision a reality:

• Creating Entertainment: New times bring new forms of entertainment, and in turn, people seek these new forms of entertainment. Our team will be investing to accelerate introduction of new technologies to strengthen and expand current forms of entertainment, and to create new forms of entertainment.

• Delivering Entertainment and Connecting with Fans: Simply creating new forms of entertainment will not suffice in connecting people with entertainment without facilitating proper forms of delivery. Our team will be investing in technologies and activities that will enble delivery of entertainment between creators and customers.

• Connecting Stronger and with Excitement to Entertainment: Our team believes that, in the near future, people will frequent virtual worlds with the spread of virtual spaces such as the metaverse. We will be investing in activities that will connect people stronger and with excitement to entertainment.

Overview of the Bandai Namco Entertainment 021 Fund

The main investment targets for the 021 fund are global startup companies that provide entertainment-related products and services that utilize technologies such as blockchains, VR/AR/xR, AI, etc., and are engaged in metaverse and Web3-related businesses. Other parameters include:

• Target stage of investment: Companies in a wide range of growth stages from pre-seed to later stage
• Scale of investment: Annual investment of about 1 billion yen (3 billion yen over 3 years)
• Investment size: From 10 million yen up to 500 million yen

For more information, please visit the official Bandai Namco Entertainment Inc. 021 Fund website: https://021fund.bn-ent.net/en/.

The information in this press release is current as of the date of publication. The information is subject to change without notice. Please note that the information in this press release is subject to change without notice.