Jennifer Aniston is launching the animated character Clydeo, based on her dog

Jennifer Aniston has teamed up with Web3 animation studio Invisible Universe to create a character named Clydeo, inspired by her real-life dog, Clyde.

The ‘Friends’ and ‘Morning Show’ star has also participated in the $12 million Series A fundraising round for Invisible Universe with a host of other prominent names in the industry. The content banner capital campaign, led by Tricia Biggio, was led by Alexis Ohanian’s Seven Seven Six, the private investment firm he co-founded with former Pixar and Reddit executive Katelin Holloway.

Invisible Universe is already in business with tennis superstar Serena Williams, who is married to Ohanian. The company is developing an animated character franchise based on Qai Qai, the doll hugged by the couple’s daughter Olympia Ohanian, who turns 5 on September 1st.

Prominent digital media investors who have joined Aniston in investing in Invisible Universe include NFT heavyweights Dapper Labs, Will Smith’s Dreamers VC, Cosmic Venture Partners, Brent Montgomery’s Wheelhouse, Spencer Rascoff’s 75 and Sunny, co-founder of Zillow.

Aniston was willing to work with Invisible Universe because the company offered her the chance to have a strong hand in developing the character. Clydeo is based on Aniston’s gray Schnauzer mix. Invisible Universe describes the toon pooch as “a dog that lives at Aniston’s home in Los Angeles, but he’s no ordinary dog. He feels more human, loves to cook and is less of a food snob and more of a food enthusiast.” He already has his own TikTok and Instagram accounts.

“It was just so much fun creating Clydeo with the Invisible Universe team, inspired by my own dog, Clyde, who is such a character himself and has been making me and my friends laugh for almost 10 years,” said Aniston diversity. “I am so happy that its true potential has finally been realized for the whole world to enjoy. So much more fun is yet to come!”

Clydeo was designed to join a menagerie of Invisible Universe characters that will exist in a range of media. Content development is funded in part by NFT sales, giving owners a digital token to influence storylines and other aspects of the show.

The plans for Clydeo exemplify Biggio’s “internet-first” approach to incubating properties with content shared across social media, YouTube, Discord, Twitch and other social-friendly streaming hubs. As soon as a character or trait gains momentum, Biggio’s team tries to keep their ears open for insights from fans.

“We’re on a mission to build the Pixar of the web,” said Biggio, who previously worked as a content manager for Snap and MGM Television diversity. “We’re set on incubating next-generation intellectual property by doing it in an internet-first way, by growing and building communities on platforms where people spend more time. We’re trying to reverse engineer the way intellectual property is created by first sharing it on social media.”

TikTok, Instagram and Twitter are the largest Invisible Universe showcase platforms. The company is expanding on YouTube and has produced a number of 1 to 2 minute shorts starring Clydeo and other characters including Qai Qai. This month, Serena Williams will release her first children’s book, The Adventures of Qai Qai, and Invisible Universe will follow with NFT drops in September.

Invisible Universe is also developing a property that is a parody of reality TV shows. The R3eal Metaverse features a colorful cast of characters living together in one house, with character types drawn from popular NFT franchises including Bored Ape Yacht Club, World of Women, Doodles, Cool Cats, and Robotos.

“We see the power of Can’t Live Without IP and how it drives viewer growth and retention regardless of platform and ignites the potential for franchise expansion,” said Holloway, board member of Invisible Universe. “I’ve seen the magic of Pixar up close, and this company is building the same kind of memorable IP with an innovative approach that reduces both time and capital while listening to audience feedback.”