Lidy, the first unicorn for a content startup
Investment of 120 billion won by Singapore Investment Agency
Recognized for corporate value of 1.6 trillion won
Webtoon Subscription Manta Rapid Growth in North America
Super game IP-based webtoon
Triangular Competitive Structure with Naver and Kakao “The importance of the content industry is increasing day by day, and it is reassuring to have a content platform unicorn like Lidy. The government will also systematically support venture start-ups from start-up to investment.” – Minister of SMEs and Startups Kwon Chil-seung, message from Lidys visit on the 16th
Lidy, who became the first content platform startup to become a unicorn, will engage in a global webtoon battle with Naver and Kakao. Lidy, who has been recognized for its corporate value of 1.6 trillion won by attracting 120 billion won in investment from Singapore Investment Authority, Singapores sovereign wealth fund, is attracting attention in overseas markets by introducing Manta, a global webtoon subscription service.
Global Webtoon Subscription Manta 4 million
According to related industries on the 17th, GIC made an investment by highly evaluating the growth potential of Manta operated by Lidy. Existing investment companies, Korea Development Bank and Atinum Investment, also participated in follow-up investments with the conviction that Lidy will grow into a global company driven by the momentum of K-contents.
Manta, which allows you to view various genres of webtoon content for a monthly fee, has been showing rapid growth since its launch in the North American market in November 2020. In March 2021, it was ranked No. 1 in the US Google Play Store comics app, and in January of this year, it surpassed 4 million downloads.
After strengthening communication with global webtoon fans by participating in the 2021 San Diego Comic Con special edition held in the United States at the end of last year, Lidy recruited Tinder Seo Ga-yeon as the chief marketing officer to oversee global marketing. Ga-yeon Seo, CMO, is an expert with overall experience in strategy, marketing, and operation at global companies such as Google, Tinder, and Disney Plus.
Recruitment with 30% increase in salary from the previous year
Lidy continues to invest in talented people to become a global content company. In particular, it recently announced an open recruitment plan for experienced workers that guarantees a 30% increase in the previous years salary.
Recruitment fields include △development △data △product manager △content production and distribution △marketing, public relations △management support, and a total of 40 jobs in 6 job groups. Applications will be accepted until the 27th, and the number of jobs will be double-digit.
An official from Lidy emphasized, “Lidy is strengthening its content business capabilities not only in Korea but also globally.”
Nekao and K-Webtoon Globalization
As Naver and Kakao are strengthening global competition based on webtoons and web novels, industry expectations for Lidys Manta are high. In particular, the three companies are expected to compete in the field of super game intellectual property-based webtoons and webtoon images.
Lidy is working with Clover Games, an entertainment company, to create a webcomic for the mobile game Road of Heroes. Lord of Heroes is a mobile role-playing game that tells the story of bringing together the heroes of the world to revolutionize the world. After making Lord of Heroes as a webtoon, Lidy plans to serialize it in Reddy Books and Manta.
Lidy CEO Bae Bae-sik said, “I am happy to produce the game Lord of Heroes, which has a solid worldview, into a webtoon.” he emphasized.
