NAVER’s venture arm D2SF has invested in 23i, a South Korea–based virtual entertainment startup focused on building multi-persona digital artists and scalable fan experiences.
23i has developed its own production pipeline, including real-time motion capture, toon shaders, and advanced animation systems, to help a small team create high-quality content at high frequency. Its virtual boy group WE GO-6 showcases the company’s “multi-persona idol” concept, with each member built around a distinct persona to deepen storytelling and audience engagement.
NAVER D2SF said 23i stood out for combining strong content planning with proprietary technology, and for its potential to expand virtual entertainment across the broader ecosystem.
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“By building our own technology, we aim to create fan-participatory content that has not been possible in the traditional entertainment industry. With this investment, we plan to strengthen our content production infrastructure and deliver content with an even higher level of quality.”
Hyungmin Kim, CEO of 23i
“Virtual entertainment is a market with strong growth potential, enabling artists and fandoms to communicate in entirely new ways. 23i is a team boldly challenging the scalability of the virtual industry, backed by strong content planning and an excellent production workflow.”
Sanghwan Yang, Head of NAVER D2SF
