Kuku, an Indian storytelling platform, has raised $85 million in Series C funding led by Granite Asia, valuing the company at around $500 million. The funding will be used to scale its audio and video content offerings in India's competitive mobile-first content market.
The round saw participation from Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft. Google exited entirely in secondary transactions.
Kuku operates Kuku TV and Kuku FM, providing content in more than eight Indian languages and has surpassed 10 million paid subscribers. The platform is experimenting with new formats, including microdramas.
The company plans to enhance its AI and data infrastructure, expand its workforce, and deepen creator partnerships. Kuku is also testing its offerings in the Middle East and the U.S., with plans to scale in the U.S. in 2026.
Kuku faces competition from rivals like Pocket FM, which has filed copyright infringement lawsuits against Kuku. Kuku plans to invest in technology to identify copyright violations. In 2025, Kuku saw significant growth in downloads and consumer spending, while Pocket FM experienced a decline in downloads but an increase in consumer spending.