South Korea is advancing its next wave of K-content exports through the global short-form drama market. TopReels, the country’s first dedicated short-form drama platform developed by NEXVERS, a subsidiary of NEORIGIN, has secured Series A investment to scale its startup platform and expand the production of original Korean content for international audiences.
NEXVERS Secures Series A Investment for TopReels
NEXVERS, the Korean tech subsidiary startup of global content publisher NEORIGIN, has successfully raised Series A startup investment to advance the growth of TopReels, its proprietary short-form drama platform.
Korea Investment Partners (KIP), a prominent venture capital (VC) firm in South Korea, was a key investor in this funding round, though the total investment amount was not disclosed.
With this new funding round, NEXVERS aims to expand its original drama production, enhance its platform technology, and boost user acquisition through targeted marketing.
This move positions TopReels to scale as South Korea’s first dedicated short-form drama platform, with ambitions to enter a broader global content streaming market dominated by mobile-first consumption and short video formats.
“We were able to secure investment thanks to our distinct positioning as Korea’s first short-form drama platform and our stable growth trajectory.
This funding will serve as a springboard to further strengthen our competitiveness and support our goal of becoming a global leader in the short-form drama space.”
A representative from NEORIGIN, the parent company of NEXVERS.
TopReels: A Vertical Drama Platform Targeting Gen Z and Global Mobile Viewers
Launched by NEXVERS under the global content publisher NEORIGIN, TopReels offers mobile-native, vertically formatted drama series that average around two minutes per episode.
Upon its launch, the platform quickly reached #1 in the App Store’s Entertainment category and topped the free app charts in Korea.
As of July 2025, TopReels has launched over 130 short-form drama titles, including seven exclusive original series only available on the platform.
The company states that production costs per series remain relatively low, ranging from 100 million to 200 million KRW (approximately 75,000–150,000 USD), which provides attractive margins for scalable content activities.
Korean Startups Expand into Mobile Content IP as VC Interest Grows
The Series A investment into NEXVERS reflects growing VC interest in Korean content-tech startups, especially those that offer IP-driven, platform-based streaming services targeting Gen Z and mobile-first global markets.
While South Korea’s content export success has traditionally centered around full-length dramas and K-pop, startups like NEXVERS represent a shift toward modular, short-form formats that optimize engagement across smartphones and OTT apps.
Backed by this funding, NEXVERS aims to deepen its portfolio of exclusive original content and advance TopReels as a competitive player in the global short-form drama landscape, particularly across Asia-Pacific markets where mobile entertainment consumption continues to surge.
NEORIGIN, the parent company, is also restructuring its business portfolio around two pillars: gaming and content IP, both of which are aimed at high-growth export potential. Its gaming division stabilized in 2024, and TopReels is now positioned to drive expansion on the content side.
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