Kuku, an Indian startup specializing in audio content and vertical dramas, has successfully raised $85 million in its Series C funding round, led by Granite Asia, at a valuation of around $500 million. The company, founded in 2018 by Lal Chand Bisu, Vikas Goyal, and Vinod Kumar Meena, has built a robust platform that offers a diverse range of audiobooks, podcasts, and micro-dramas in multiple Indian languages, catering to a rapidly growing user base of over 10 million paid subscribers.inc42+4
Funding Details and Investors
The recent Series C round saw participation from key investors such as Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft. Granite Asia, previously known as GGV Capital, led the funding, signaling strong confidence in Kuku’s growth trajectory. The capital will be deployed toward enhancing AI and data infrastructure, expanding content production, and deepening creator partnerships.dealstreetasia+2
Strategic Focus and Future Plans
Kuku plans to leverage its new funding to optimize its premium content catalog, produce more shows featuring celebrated actors and television personalities, and expand beyond India, with testing planned in the Middle East and the U.S. in 2026. Its in-house generative AI studio has already begun streamlining content creation, making production more cost-effective and efficient, with 70-80% of the process currently AI-powered.techcrunch+1
Market Position and Growth
The startup's focus on vernacular, mobile-first content has resonated well within India’s vast and linguistically diverse population. Kuku’s apps have achieved over 229 million downloads, with Kuku FM alone accounting for 122 million downloads and generating over $4 million in consumer spending in 2025. Its subscriber base and consumption metrics highlight its significant footprint in the Indian digital entertainment ecosystem, with plans to scale globally.techcrunch
Kuku’s successful Series C funding underscores its rapid growth and expanding influence in the digital content space, driven by unique local insights, technological innovation, and strategic content partnerships amidst intensifying competition in India’s booming mobile entertainment market.x+1
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