Pier 88 Ventures Leads $1.5 Million Investment in Plotsy, Inc. to Translate Great Books Into Premium Video Entertainment
Austin, TX, August 12, 2026 --(PR.com)-- Pier 88 Ventures has led the Series Seed investment in Plotsy, Inc., an entertainment company reinventing how great books become premium cinematic entertainment while keeping authors at the center of the storytelling experience.
The investment is part of Plotsy's Seed Financing, launched at a $6.9 million pre-money valuation with an initial fundraising target of $2 million. The company has already secured $2.2 million in contracted investor commitments, exceeding its original goal, and expects to close the financing by the end of August.
Plotsy has created a new category known as the Plotsy vBook™ that faithfully translates novels into episodic viewing experiences while preserving the complete story, characters, pacing, and creative vision of the original book. Plotsy is designed to reproduce the literary experience while ensuring audiences know and recognize the author.
Plotsy acquires literary rights, produces premium cinematic programming, and distributes that content through its own streaming platform, creating a direct path from published novel to worldwide audiences. Already available on Smart TVs, Roku, iPhone, Android, tablets, and web browsers, the Plotsy platform dramatically reduces the time and cost required to bring books to the screen. Stories that would never justify the economics of a traditional studio production can now become premium cinematic entertainment, opening the door for thousands of accomplished authors whose works have never had a realistic path to television or film.
The company has already signed its first six authors, including a New York Times bestselling author, whose participation will be announced in the coming weeks. Production is currently underway on the first three literary properties, with additional titles scheduled to enter development throughout the remainder of the year.
"We believe entertainment begins with great authors," said Michael Gorton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plotsy, Inc. "For generations, authors have imagined the worlds, created the characters, and written the stories, but the author often disappears from the experience. Plotsy changes that."
"What attracted us to Plotsy was not simply the technology, but the scale of the opportunity," said Mitch McCullough, General Partner of Pier 88 Ventures. "Millions of outstanding books have passionate readers, yet only a tiny fraction ever reach the screen because traditional production economics don't work. Plotsy changes those economics while building a fully integrated platform that combines content acquisition, production, and global streaming distribution. We believe the company is creating an entirely new category within the entertainment industry."
Proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate content production, acquire additional literary properties, expand the company's streaming platform, strengthen marketing and customer acquisition, and continue building a growing library of premium Plotsy vBooks™ for audiences around the world.
About Plotsy, Inc.
The Plotsy vBook™ has been created as a tool for redefining how great stories reach audiences by combining content acquisition, cinematic production, and global streaming distribution into a single integrated entertainment platform. By dramatically reducing the time and cost required to produce premium programming, Plotsy makes it economically possible for thousands of exceptional books to become cinematic entertainment for global audiences.
The Plotsy streaming platform is available today across Smart TVs, Roku, iPhone, Android, tablets, and web browsers, providing viewers with a destination dedicated to discovering exceptional literature faithfully brought to the screen. Watch a great book.
About Michael Gorton
Michael Gorton is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plotsy, Inc. A serial entrepreneur who has founded 17 technology companies, Gorton is best known as the founder of Teladoc, the company that pioneered the modern telemedicine industry. Throughout his career, he has built disruptive companies across healthcare, telecommunications, aerospace, and digital media.
About Christopher G. Cowen
Christopher G. Cowen serves as Chief Content Officer and Executive Producer at Plotsy, Inc. A seven-time Emmy nominee and entertainment executive, Cowen has produced feature films and television programming. His credits, which include titles like Apollo 13, The Decade Series, Polar Express and Band of Brothers are critical to help guide Plotsy's cinematic vision, ensuring every Plotsy vBook™ delivers a compelling viewing experience while remaining faithful to the author's original work.
About Pier 88 Ventures
Pier 88 Ventures, headquartered in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, was founded in 2013 and invests in disruptive public and private technology companies. The firm focuses on high-growth opportunities across cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, healthcare, fintech, and other technology-enabled sectors.
Led by a management team with more than 100 years of collective investment experience, Pier 88 Ventures has established a successful track record of identifying and supporting category-defining companies.
Media Contact:
Lynn McGinnis, Founder and Chief Publishing Officer
Lynn.McGinnis@Plotsy.ai
Plotsy.tv
The investment is part of Plotsy's Seed Financing, launched at a $6.9 million pre-money valuation with an initial fundraising target of $2 million. The company has already secured $2.2 million in contracted investor commitments, exceeding its original goal, and expects to close the financing by the end of August.
Plotsy has created a new category known as the Plotsy vBook™ that faithfully translates novels into episodic viewing experiences while preserving the complete story, characters, pacing, and creative vision of the original book. Plotsy is designed to reproduce the literary experience while ensuring audiences know and recognize the author.
Plotsy acquires literary rights, produces premium cinematic programming, and distributes that content through its own streaming platform, creating a direct path from published novel to worldwide audiences. Already available on Smart TVs, Roku, iPhone, Android, tablets, and web browsers, the Plotsy platform dramatically reduces the time and cost required to bring books to the screen. Stories that would never justify the economics of a traditional studio production can now become premium cinematic entertainment, opening the door for thousands of accomplished authors whose works have never had a realistic path to television or film.
The company has already signed its first six authors, including a New York Times bestselling author, whose participation will be announced in the coming weeks. Production is currently underway on the first three literary properties, with additional titles scheduled to enter development throughout the remainder of the year.
"We believe entertainment begins with great authors," said Michael Gorton, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plotsy, Inc. "For generations, authors have imagined the worlds, created the characters, and written the stories, but the author often disappears from the experience. Plotsy changes that."
"What attracted us to Plotsy was not simply the technology, but the scale of the opportunity," said Mitch McCullough, General Partner of Pier 88 Ventures. "Millions of outstanding books have passionate readers, yet only a tiny fraction ever reach the screen because traditional production economics don't work. Plotsy changes those economics while building a fully integrated platform that combines content acquisition, production, and global streaming distribution. We believe the company is creating an entirely new category within the entertainment industry."
Proceeds from the financing will be used to accelerate content production, acquire additional literary properties, expand the company's streaming platform, strengthen marketing and customer acquisition, and continue building a growing library of premium Plotsy vBooks™ for audiences around the world.
About Plotsy, Inc.
The Plotsy vBook™ has been created as a tool for redefining how great stories reach audiences by combining content acquisition, cinematic production, and global streaming distribution into a single integrated entertainment platform. By dramatically reducing the time and cost required to produce premium programming, Plotsy makes it economically possible for thousands of exceptional books to become cinematic entertainment for global audiences.
The Plotsy streaming platform is available today across Smart TVs, Roku, iPhone, Android, tablets, and web browsers, providing viewers with a destination dedicated to discovering exceptional literature faithfully brought to the screen. Watch a great book.
About Michael Gorton
Michael Gorton is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Plotsy, Inc. A serial entrepreneur who has founded 17 technology companies, Gorton is best known as the founder of Teladoc, the company that pioneered the modern telemedicine industry. Throughout his career, he has built disruptive companies across healthcare, telecommunications, aerospace, and digital media.
About Christopher G. Cowen
Christopher G. Cowen serves as Chief Content Officer and Executive Producer at Plotsy, Inc. A seven-time Emmy nominee and entertainment executive, Cowen has produced feature films and television programming. His credits, which include titles like Apollo 13, The Decade Series, Polar Express and Band of Brothers are critical to help guide Plotsy's cinematic vision, ensuring every Plotsy vBook™ delivers a compelling viewing experience while remaining faithful to the author's original work.
About Pier 88 Ventures
Pier 88 Ventures, headquartered in San Francisco and Silicon Valley, was founded in 2013 and invests in disruptive public and private technology companies. The firm focuses on high-growth opportunities across cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, healthcare, fintech, and other technology-enabled sectors.
Led by a management team with more than 100 years of collective investment experience, Pier 88 Ventures has established a successful track record of identifying and supporting category-defining companies.
Media Contact:
Lynn McGinnis, Founder and Chief Publishing Officer
Lynn.McGinnis@Plotsy.ai
Plotsy.tv
Contact
Plotsy, Inc.
Lynn McGinnis
272-343-0647
https://plotsy.tv/
Lynn McGinnis
272-343-0647
https://plotsy.tv/
Contact
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