FRND Raises $6.5 Million in Series A It is a first-of-its-kind dating app, where users can connect via audio in a pseudo-anonymous manner and start conversations through a matchmaker
By Shrabona Ghosh •
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FRND, a Bengaluru-based audio romance and friend discovery startup, has raised $6.5 million in Series A funding led by South Korean gaming giant Kraftton, India Quotient and Elevation Capital.
It is a first-of-its-kind dating app, helping people to connect through live-streamed formats like FRND dating and audio games, with focus on creating one-on-one connections. Users can connect via audio in a pseudo-anonymous manner and start conversations through a matchmaker, said a statement.
"There is a huge untapped opportunity in the Indian romance market. We have been working towards providing a safer platform to the Indian youth, especially girls. The security features and state-of-the-art algorithms make FRND just the right app for these next billion users to have a unique experience in a controlled way," said Bhanu Pratap Singh, CEO and co-founder of FRND.
"This investment is aligned with our efforts to intensify our commitment to the startup ecosystem in India. FRND is a unique product that is disrupting an entire category with a unique local solution that global companies will find tough to adapt to. We see great potential in this high-volume transaction digital startup and are happy to invest in their growth story. We are driven to make a difference to the digital ecosystem in this country and will continue exploring more such opportunities where we can back young and growing start-ups," said Sean Hyunil Sohn, head of India division at Krafton.
Founded by three IIT-Kanpur alumni–Bhanu Pratap Singh Tanwar, Hardik Bansal and Harshvardhan Chhangani–the app is available on Google Play store and an average user spends approximately 25 minutes each day. The platform is a high-engagement romance and friend discovery app for the next billion users. At FRND, human matchmakers break the ice through engaging formats over audio live-streaming like FRND dating and casual games. It has 5 million registered users till date and is headquartered in Bengaluru, added the statement.
