New Platform for Anime Licensing from Crunchyroll Co-Founder Kun Gao: AniBiz
Crunchyroll co-founder and former CEO Kun Gao has stepped onto the scene with a brand-new venture focused on the anime industry: AniBiz. Officially announced on July 6, 2026, the platform is described as the first of its kind—a B2B (business-to-business) marketplace dedicated to anime licensing. The goal is to consolidate commercial relationships between studios, publishers, distributors, and licensors under one roof.
Licensing deals, which have long been fragmented and sometimes conducted behind closed doors, have become increasingly complex as the industry grows. Kun Gao's move is particularly vital for small and medium-sized players to compete with larger companies. In a statement to Anime News Network, the platform is described as "the first dedicated B2B marketplace built for the global anime industry." Gao's experience at Crunchyroll makes him ideally suited for such an endeavor—the company transformed from an independent publisher into a massive platform under Sony's ownership since 2006.
Although details about AniBiz are still limited, the platform is expected to offer at least the following functions: creating licensing proposals, rights management, contract tracking, and industry data analysis. This will accelerate Japanese studios' access to potential buyers abroad and enable Western publishers to find content at competitive prices. Additionally, the platform is expected to reduce fraud and copyright infringements as side benefits.
So why now? The global anime market reached approximately $30 billion in volume by 2025 and continues to grow. Yet the licensing process still relies on email traffic and personal connections. The transparency and standardization that Kun Gao's AniBiz brings could level the playing field, especially for major players like Netflix and Disney+, as well as independent studios. In the coming months, the beta version of the platform is expected to be released, followed by full launch. If successful, AniBiz could become the digital backbone of anime commerce.
