Valu, the Startup in Japan That Lets Anyone Hold a Personal IPO

Valu, the Startup in Japan That Lets Anyone Hold a Personal IPO

By Stephen Stapczynski  and Shoko Oda
September 21, 2017, 5:00 AM GMT+8

Nuko Numano is a cosplayer in Japan who regularly hosts livestreams for her fans, but only to a select few who own five of her shares priced at $38 apiece. That seems like a bargain, considering they were trading for as much as $585 in July.

The 23-year-old, who dresses up as anime characters and bunny girls, is one of 60,000-plus users on a Japanese startup called Valu Inc., a cross between a trading platform and crowdfunding site. “I plan to use the funds to buy expensive clothes that I couldn’t afford before, and enter international cosplay events,” said Numano, which isn’t her real name.

Anyone -- from fishermen and YouTube celebrities to pastry chefs and social-media mavens -- can sell shares to raise funds in a manner similar to an initial public offering. They attract buyers by offering gifts and services; for example, a blogger may offer exclusive posts that can only be viewed by shareholders, or a cosplayer may share signed photos.

More details in https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/...rsonal-ipo

ok... just pay service fees or subscriptions right? isn't this C2C biz?

(21-09-2017, 12:35 PM)cyclone Wrote: Valu, the Startup in Japan That Lets Anyone Hold a Personal IPO

By Stephen Stapczynski  and Shoko Oda
September 21, 2017, 5:00 AM GMT+8

Nuko Numano is a cosplayer in Japan who regularly hosts livestreams for her fans, but only to a select few who own five of her shares priced at $38 apiece. That seems like a bargain, considering they were trading for as much as $585 in July.

Sorry so what is the economic benefit of holding the shares? Or it is a greater fool thing?