Investment in Candee, Inc.

NTT DOCOMO Ventures, Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO, Toshiki Nakayama), has invested in Candee, Inc. (headquartered in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan; President & CEO, Kazuki Kogishi), a company that provides media, video marketing and talent management services with the mobile video business as the core, via a fund under its management.

1. Overview
NTT DOCOMO Ventures, via a fund under its management, acquired shares of Candee through the company’s third-party allotment.

2. Background
With changes in the communication environment, the video market has expanded rapidly. Also, there are signs that live streaming, video posting and interactive video services will become popular among the young generation.
Candee has provided one-stop services of video planning, production and distribution for companies and released more than 9,800 live streaming and 1,300 mobile video contents since its establishment in 2015. The company, which has a management team and specialists with a wide range of expertise in the mobile video market, has grown steadily in the domestic market with the aim of achieving the mission: “Create cultures and stars of a new era.”
In June 2017, the company started to provide a social live commerce application “Live Shop!” that allows users to buy goods during live streaming and has developed new sales methods.

NTT DOCOMO, which examines various initiatives in the sports and live concert watching area that can lead to the expansion of fan bases and further improvement in value with an eye towards the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, will use Candee’s know-how and expertise in social live commerce as well as its capability to develop new business models centering on mobile video to create new values. Furthermore, NTT DOCOMO Ventures expects that numerous effects will be generated through the partnership with Candee for the themes of experience and lifestyle reforms as part of NTT DOCOMO’s Medium-Term Strategy 2020 “Declaration beyond.”