Cameo Eyes Expansion into Japan with SoftBank Partnership
Partnership with SoftBank is first step in growing magical moments for Japanese fans and talent
Today, we’re excited to announce the launch of a commercial partnership with SoftBank Corp. to expand our global footprint to Japan and foster global relationships between fans and talent. The partnership will unlock a new user base of fans and talent in Japan, expand and diversify Cameo’s existing talent pool, and strengthen Cameo’s international presence.
Cameo 🤝 SoftBank
To accelerate our growth abroad, we’ve partnered with SoftBank, the leading Japanese telecommunications company. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is an investor in Cameo, and has been wholly supportive of our vision to create the most personalized and authentic fan experiences on earth. This partnership will allow us to tap into SoftBank’s robust network to introduce Cameo’s suite of fan products to the Japanese market, and enable us to be more locally and culturally fluent. We’ll be appointing a local manager to give Cameo boots on the ground, opening up access for our global talent pool to local fans, and localizing the experience for Japanese users and talent.
Why Japan 🇯🇵
Japan is home to some of the biggest fandoms and pop culture icons in the world. Additionally, Japan is Cameo’s largest Asian market in terms of fan orders, which points to the growing appetite Japanese fans have in connecting with talent. In fact, actor and musician Kevin Woo, our most popular talent in Japan, has fulfilled more than 500 Cameos to date.
“In 2021, we’ve seen substantial demand globally, with more than 10,000 talent added to Cameo and Cameos delivered to 183 countries,” said Steven Galanis, Cofounder and CEO of Cameo. “Japan is a market we’ve already seen promising organic customer growth in, and this partnership with SoftBank will accelerate our growth in-market and pave the way for expansion into the rest of East Asia.”
In the last five years, Cameo has grown our talent roster to nearly 50,000 personalities and facilitated more than 4 million magical moments around the world. With over 20% of orders coming from outside of the U.S., we’re excited to make our first true investment in East Asia, continue improving the localized experience for fans, and expand into more Spanish and French-speaking markets. Stay tuned for our official launch of Cameo Japan in the coming months!
