ReelSaga Raises $2.1 million in a Seed Funding Round
• Mobile entertainment company ReelSaga has raised $2.1 million in seed funding
• Founded in 2024 by entrepreneurs Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey
• The startup draws inspiration from China's microdrama industry
Mobile entertainment company ReelSaga has secured $2.1 million in seed funding led by Picus Capital, with funding from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund, Nazara Technologies, 8i Ventures, Waveform Ventures, Warmup Ventures, Bombay54, Bharat Founders Fund, and a number of angel investors.
It will be invested in augmenting app development and increasing production of hyper-localised, high-quality short-form dramas for mobile viewers in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Launched in 2024 by entrepreneurs Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey, who together had founded auto platform Truebil, which was subsequently acquired by Spinny, ReelSaga is creating what it terms a new category of "mobile-native storytelling."
The startup's app, launched now, serves up vertical, short-form dramas in the form of 1–2 minute episodes, optimized for smartphone viewing and designed for fast bingeing.
"Vertical short dramas are a cultural revolution. More and more users are turning to short-form video for entertainment. It’s quick, emotionally resonant, and binge-worthy drama doesn’t need to be 40 minutes long to move you," said Shubh Bansal, Co-founder and CEO of ReelSaga.
"We're leveraging data science and product innovations to redefine the limits of short-form video, providing hyper-personalized, mobile-first storytelling that connects highly with our viewers," said Shanu Vivek, Co-founder & Head of Product and Data.
ReelSaga's concept is borrowed from China's flourishing microdrama industry, which churns out more than 5,000 titles a year and has been said to overtaking the nation's mainstream box office in revenue. The company hopes to do the same with content specifically suited to Indian and local tastes, using serialised storylines in 50–100 episode story arcs.
We're thrilled to invest in ReelSaga because they're setting up a brand new genre of storytelling in India," said Picus Capital's Senior Vice President Abhijay Thacker.
"The talent has an exceptionally good mix of hustle, lucidity, and creative vision. Microdramas are no flash in the pan they're going to become the standard format for the next generation of mobile audiences. We think that ReelSaga can drive the change."
"ReelSaga is constructing where the market is heading mobile-first, story-driven, and culturally anchored. The format is new, the vision is ambitious, and the team is capable of delivering. We believe that they are creating an entire new category for Indian entertainment," said Mohit Gulati, Managing Partner at ITI Growth.
• Founded in 2024 by entrepreneurs Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey
• The startup draws inspiration from China's microdrama industry
Mobile entertainment company ReelSaga has secured $2.1 million in seed funding led by Picus Capital, with funding from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund, Nazara Technologies, 8i Ventures, Waveform Ventures, Warmup Ventures, Bombay54, Bharat Founders Fund, and a number of angel investors.
It will be invested in augmenting app development and increasing production of hyper-localised, high-quality short-form dramas for mobile viewers in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
Launched in 2024 by entrepreneurs Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey, who together had founded auto platform Truebil, which was subsequently acquired by Spinny, ReelSaga is creating what it terms a new category of "mobile-native storytelling."
The startup's app, launched now, serves up vertical, short-form dramas in the form of 1–2 minute episodes, optimized for smartphone viewing and designed for fast bingeing.
"Vertical short dramas are a cultural revolution. More and more users are turning to short-form video for entertainment. It’s quick, emotionally resonant, and binge-worthy drama doesn’t need to be 40 minutes long to move you," said Shubh Bansal, Co-founder and CEO of ReelSaga.
"We're leveraging data science and product innovations to redefine the limits of short-form video, providing hyper-personalized, mobile-first storytelling that connects highly with our viewers," said Shanu Vivek, Co-founder & Head of Product and Data.
ReelSaga's concept is borrowed from China's flourishing microdrama industry, which churns out more than 5,000 titles a year and has been said to overtaking the nation's mainstream box office in revenue. The company hopes to do the same with content specifically suited to Indian and local tastes, using serialised storylines in 50–100 episode story arcs.
We're thrilled to invest in ReelSaga because they're setting up a brand new genre of storytelling in India," said Picus Capital's Senior Vice President Abhijay Thacker.
"The talent has an exceptionally good mix of hustle, lucidity, and creative vision. Microdramas are no flash in the pan they're going to become the standard format for the next generation of mobile audiences. We think that ReelSaga can drive the change."
"ReelSaga is constructing where the market is heading mobile-first, story-driven, and culturally anchored. The format is new, the vision is ambitious, and the team is capable of delivering. We believe that they are creating an entire new category for Indian entertainment," said Mohit Gulati, Managing Partner at ITI Growth.
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