Horizon Capital, a leading private equity firm investing growth capital in fast-growing tech, export-oriented and domestic businesses in Emerging Europe, announced today that it has led a $22 million investment round in HOLYWATER, committing $16 million as lead investor. The round also includes participation from U.S. strategic investors Endeavor Catalyst and Wheelhouse, among others.

Founded by Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, HOLYWATER is a technology-driven entertainment company building a global platform for mobile-first vertical video storytelling. In 2025, HOLYWATER delivered rapid revenue growth, significantly outpacing competitors in user growth and engagement. The company’s content engine enables rapid IP creation, testing, and monetization across multiple formats and platforms. The new capital will support the continued expansion of HOLYWATER’s content production and IP incubation engine, as well as the build-out of its mobile-first vertical video ecosystem, including new genres and formats such as AI-enabled comics and anime.

HOLYWATER recently attracted strategic backing from Fox Entertainment, which is producing more than 200 original vertical series for the company’s platforms over the next two years, in collaboration with Hollywood studios, established talent, and emerging creators.

Horizon Capital has known the team behind HOLYWATER for more than a decade through its long-standing relationship with Genesis, the company’s anchor investor, and has closely followed the evolution of the business from its early stages into a global entertainment platform.

Bogdan Nesvit and Anatolii Kasianov, Co-Founders and Co-CEOs of HOLYWATER, commented: “This is the largest investment in the micro-drama space to date outside of Asia, and it sends a clear message to the industry: short-form, studio-quality storytelling is here to stay. Vertical series are no longer an experiment or an uncertain niche — they are proving to be a scalable, long-term format and a powerful IP incubation engine for the next generation of global hits across multiple genres, far beyond micro-dramas. We are excited to be backed by Horizon Capital and the rest of our investors as we continue redefining the entertaining industry.”

Vasile Tofan, Senior Partner at Horizon Capital, added: “We are thrilled to partner with Bogdan, Anatolii and the entire HOLYWATER team. Their innovative approach to content production, combined with a disciplined, data-driven model for user acquisition, has enabled the company to scale rapidly while maintaining strong engagement and retention. In a short period of time, HOLYWATER has built a leading position in the emerging short-form content category, delivering significant annual revenue growth with a high level of capital efficiency. We look forward to supporting the team as they continue to build a durable, category-defining business.”