How VShojo's Ironmouse Donation Theft Disgusted Vtubers

On July 21, Streamy Award winner VTuber Ironmouse posted a video about VTuber agency, VShojo. The video informs viewers that she’ll be resigning from her now-former company after $515,000 was stolen from her 2024 charity stream. This donation was intended for the Immune Deficiency Foundation, an organization that researches patients’ symptoms with a vulnerable immune system.

VShojo CEO Justin “theGunRun” Ignacio later sent out an apology on X (then Twitter) on July 24. He claims he did not know what these funds were meant for, which escalated the controversy for the digital user agency. And now, VShojo will be closing its doors after the weekly events.

VShojo Withheld Ironmouse’s Donation for a Year

Ironmouse has been diagnosed with common variable immune deficiency (CVID) throughout most of her life. Because of her disease, she’s unable to do strenuous tasks and go outdoors. The Puerto Rican American has grown to be one of the largest independent VTubers to date. Her career led her to meet many people, including her best friend, CDawgVA (Connor Colquhoun).

Ironmouse became a cofounding member of VShojo in November 2020. From there, she used her fame to partner with the Immune Deficiency Foundation. With Colquhoun, they hosted Cyclathon to raise awareness and money for their charities. Ironmouse streams the event as a commentator and utilizes Twitch Sub-A-Thons for additional funding. On April 17, 2024, their 3rd Cyclathon raised $1,062,576.

However, Ironmouse’s contributions came into question a year later. In the pink mouse’s resignation video, she explained that any earnings or donations must be processed through VShojo. Her suspicions led her to discover that Ignacio did not send her requested $515,000 to the research foundation. His mischief led her to resign from the agency.

VShojo VTubers Quit En masse and Ignacio Repents

Ironmouse added that she and her colleagues have not received their streaming earnings since the fourth quarter of 2024. VShojo received talent resignations after her video was posted. Colquhoun addressed the situation on July 22 on a livestream. He told viewers his honest opinion:

“It’s been very frustrating. It f***ing sucks. I’m still coming to terms with the breach of trust, and that the talents have been lied to. What a colossal [mess]. [The one thing you have to do with your VTubers] is to keep them safe. You should never put them in a position of jeopardy.”

VTuber Kson contacted the agency’s Japan CEO, Koshi Makino, after learning about their malpractice on July 22. According to the stream clip, Koshi Makino was not aware of the English branch’s financial mismanagement. The Japanese Vtuber became heartbroken after being asked if she would quit before July 31st. She immediately complied to become independent.

Ironmouse and Kson’s efforts influenced their colleagues to leave the agency within 4 days. With no talent left, Ignacio had no choice but to release a statement on July 24. His post on X (then Twitter) reads:

“I have mismanaged [VShojo] into the situation you’re all witnessing. […] VShojo is shutting down, and I take full responsibility for the decisions that led us to this point. […] Over the past few years, we have raised $11 million to pursue a bold, talent-first agency in VTubing, prioritizing creators and community over short-term profits, to achieve long-term sustainability.

[…] However, despite all of our efforts, [our talent agency] has failed to generate the revenue we needed to sustain [its business model]. Additionally, I acknowledge that some of the money spent by the company was raised in connection with talent activity, which I later learned was intended for a charitable initiative.

At the time, [our agents] were working hard to raise additional investment capital to cover our costs. I firmly believed that we would be able to cover our expenses. We were unsuccessful in our fundraising efforts. [I incorporated these funds into the business, and now, I am meeting the consequences].”

Ignacio’s apology was seen as a disgrace for betraying the company’s motto. The confession enraged the VTuber community, which readers had to clarify his business language.

Ironmouse Doubles the Stolen Donation Amount

VShojo, Ironmouse, CDawgVA — Photo credit: Immune Deficiency Foundation

Due to VShojo’s malpractices, Ironmouse needed to recover the donation losses. She informed her audience to donate to the Immune Deficiency Foundation through her Tiltify link at the end of her resignation video. The fundraiser’s goal was originally $10,000. In three days, the campaign raised over $1,100,000.

Organization President Jorey Barry posted a thank-you video on the Foundation’s YouTube channel:

“It shouldn’t have surprised me that Ironmouse has created a Tiltify fundraiser for us, because that’s who she is. Even amid the challenges, she thought of us before herself. And what has been raised in less than 48 hours is surreal, overwhelming in the best possible way.”

Cyclathon 4 Donations

Earlier this year, Colquhoun hosted their 4th Cyclathon, raising $1,069,561. He followed up with a $5,000 donation to Ironmouse’s latest charity. Here are the top 6 entertainers and companies who also contributed to the mouse’s cause: