Global children’s content developer and distributor Moonbug has raised $145 million in Series A equity financing, led by TMT-focused merchant bank The Raine Group, joined by Felix Capital, Fertitta Capital and others. This injection will go towards acquiring additional media properties that suit Moonbug’s dedication to safe and fun content that helps children build essential life skills.
The funding follows Moonbug’s first IP acquisition, Little Baby Bum, one of the most popular titles on YouTube, Amazon and Netflix with more than 23 billion global views.
“There are so many brilliant creators around the world developing quality content that children love. There is so much potential to develop these franchises further through a 360-degree approach to offer a media environment that guarantees age-appropriate video content propagating healthy values,” said René Rechtman, co-founder and CEO of Moonbug. “The Raine Group’s track record of investing in media companies and helping to grow them into market leaders makes them the ideal partner to help us build a portfolio of kid-focused media properties with long-term entertainment value.”
“As the children’s content market evolves and viewing habits move to digital platforms, Moonbug is well-positioned to address this increasingly global opportunity,” said Jason Schretter, partner and head of Europe, Middle East and Africa at Raine. “René and the rest of the Moonbug team have a deep understanding of the media landscape and an insightful, long-term vision for building next-generation kids’ content. We believe in partnering with teams that will disrupt and transform industries and Moonbug is poised to do exactly that.”
Moonbug was founded by Rechtman and John Robson, both accomplished media veterans. Rechtman was most recently head of non-linear media networks at The Walt Disney Company, joining the company through its acquisition of Maker Studios, where he served as president of international. Robson previously served as managing director of WildBrain and held executive roles at HTC and Paramount Pictures, among others.
