HarbourView Equity Partners is leading an $85 million investment in Animaj, a kids and family content-focused entertainment company.

Animaj uses proprietary GenAI production tools and what it calls a “multi-platform franchise-building model”.

The Paris-headquartered company says that it “acquires and scales high-potential IPs by using data-driven insights, automating animation pipelines through AI,” and then distributing that content to platforms like YouTube, Roblox, TikTok, Spotify.

Animaj reports to have a monthly global audience of 242 million unique viewers on YouTube, and claims to attract the “fifth-largest digital kids’ audience globally”.

HarbourView has invested in the company alongside French national investment fund Bpifrance.

The round was also joined by Bpifrance, Left Lane Capital, Daphni, XANGE, and Marquee.

New debt financing was provided by J.P. Morgan and Bootstrap Europe, bringing the total capital infusion to $85 million.

According to a press release, the new funding will be used to scale Animaj’s “AI-powered flywheel model” – which it describes as a “digital-first, multi-platform ecosystem spanning YouTube, Roblox, TikTok, Spotify, and FAST channels.”

The new capital will also “accelerate strategic IP acquisitions,” following Animaj’s purchase of the Pocoyo kids entertainment brand in 2023.

“With proven monetization, an experienced team, and a strong pipeline of strategic IP opportunities, they are poised to become a category-defining leader.”

Sherrese Clarke, HarbourView

“Animaj is reimagining children’s entertainment for the digital age,” said Sherrese Clarke, Founder and CEO of HarbourView Equity Partners.

“With proven monetization, an experienced team, and a strong pipeline of strategic IP opportunities, they are poised to become a category-defining leader. We’re thrilled to partner with the Animaj team as they scale globally.”

“Animaj is a new kind of media company: data-driven, AI-powered, digital-first but multiplatform by design.”

Sixte de Vauplane, Animaj

Sixte de Vauplane, Animaj Co-Founder & CEO, added: “We’re building something that’s never existed before. Animaj is a new kind of media company: data-driven, AI-powered, digital-first but multiplatform by design.

“We don’t start with a TV show and hope kids will come. We start with where they already are – YouTube, Roblox, TikTok, Spotify – and we build from there.”

“We are delighted to announce Bpifrance’s strategic investment in Animaj, a pioneering player in the use of AI for audiovisual production.”

José Gonzalo, Bpifrance

José Gonzalo, Executive Director, Bpifrance Direct Investment, said: “We are delighted to announce Bpifrance’s strategic investment in Animaj, a pioneering player in the use of AI for audiovisual production.

“Its co-founders, Sixte de Vauplane and Grégory Dray, bring an innovative approach that places AI at the core of their value proposition, with a strong focus on editorial quality and the goal of creating high-quality, educational kids & family’s content.

“We firmly believe in their vision and look forward to supporting the company’s growth and future success.”

The investment adds to HarbourView’s growing portfolio of media and IP assets, which spans film, television, music, and content companies such as Mucho Mas Media and MACRO.

Established in 2021 by former Tempo Music CEO Sherrese Clarke with backing from Apollo Global Management, HarbourView Equity Partners has acquired over 70 music catalogs encompassing over 35,000 songs across both master recordings and publishing income streams.

Earlier this month the company secured $500 million in additional debt financing from investment giant KKR, secured via a private securitization backed by its music portfolio.

This latest transaction follows a previous $500 million in debt financing secured by HarbourView in March 2024, through a private securitization backed by its catalog of music royalties, and led by KKR.

The company’s portfolio includes music from T-Pain, James Fauntleroy, George Benson, Noel Zancanella, Fleetwood Mac’s Christine McVie, Pat Benatar, Neil Giraldo, Nelly, Jeremih, Wiz Khalifa, Kane Brown, Full Force and more.

HarbourView reports to have amassed roughly $2.67 billion in regulatory assets under management.Music Business Worldwide