HOLYWATER, which operates the My Drama vertical series platform, among other services, has raised $22 million, led by Horizon Capital with the participation of Endeavor Catalyst and Wheelhouse, to power further expansion of its microdrama business.
HOLYWATER, which also operates My Passion for books and My Muse for AI streaming, says the funding round is the largest in the microdrama space outside of Asia. The financing will power the creation of a mobile-first, Netflix-style vertical video platform, as well build out the company’s AI content creation abilities, including with comics and anime. The financing will also be deployed to strengthen the company’s IP incubation and distribution activities as it expands into new genres.
This latest investment follows a funding injection by FOX Entertainment in October, with the company producing more than 200 vertical series for HOLYWATER’s apps.
Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, co-founders and co-CEOs of HOLYWATER, 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—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’re pushing the entertainment industry forward as we redefine how stories are discovered and experienced worldwide.”
Vasile Tofan, senior partner at Horizon Capital, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Bogdan, Anatolii and the entire HOLYWATER team. Their innovative approach to content production, combined with a disciplined, data-driven model for user acquisition, has enabled the company to scale rapidly while maintaining strong engagement and retention. In a short period of time, HOLYWATER has built a leading position in the emerging short-form content category, delivering approximately 2x annual revenue growth with a high level of capital efficiency. We look forward to supporting the team as they continue to build a durable, category-defining business.”
Brent Montgomery, CEO of Wheelhouse, said: “The next generation of entertainment is being built for where and how audiences consume content, and HOLYWATER has created a standout vertical storytelling platform with a clear scalable monetization engine. Wheelhouse has been building our internal AI and creative teams to further explore how these tools can unlock new forms of format development and production across our ecosystem of athletes, entertainers, creators and production companies. We see HOLYWATER as a great fit for our strategy.”
