Khabri Raises Pre-Series A Round of $2.1 Mn Funding The funds will be used in strengthening the tech capabilities, such as improving the recommendation and search engine for easing content discovery
By Prabhjeet Bhatla •
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Vernacular audio platform Khabri on Wednesday announced that it has raised $2.1 million in a pre-Series A funding round to strengthen its product and tech offerings aimed at empowering the next half a billion Internet consumers.
Having spread its wings in the Hindi-speaking markets, the future plans entail launching multiple languages like Tamil, Telugu, Kannadda, etc., in that order in the coming two quarters.
"Around 850 million Indians, below the age of 35, are looking at financial stability. This is achievable via learning, upskilling, and upgrading in the language of their comfort. What better way to do it through a medium that is completely non-intrusive that is, audio. As a leading digital audio content platform in a local language, Khabri has been instrumental in creating an influencer-user ecosystem for Hindi language speakers, so far, aiming at adding multiple languages soon with the new influx of funds. Our app is playing a pivotal role in providing learners with more passive learning opportunities, and teachers to get a bigger outreach. Khabri users have also been enjoying seamless access to content even in the areas with weaker internet bandwidth," said Pulkit Sharma, co-founder, and chief executive officer, Khabri.
Also, funds will be used in strengthening the tech capabilities, such as improving the recommendation and search engine for easing content discovery. For creators, we would be focusing on easing content creation further by enhancing noise cancellation and volume normalization with ML techniques.
"We're excited to be early investors in Khabri. My partner Steve Huffman, the co-founder of Reddit, met with the Khabri founding team in March 2021 and noted how impressed he was with their early user traction, fast growth, and strong App Store ratings. We feel the company is poised for significant further growth and look forward to supporting it along the way," shared Jared Heyman, managing partner, Rebel Fund, seed stage, Y Combinator-focused venture fund.
"By honoring the audio aspect of content, the Khabri team removes the heavy time and expense tax creators pay for audio-visual content production, freeing creators to instead invest more deeply in their message and meaningful ongoing engagement with their listeners. Khabri's elimination of heavy production barriers -- combined with the team's deep expertise in content distribution and community-building -- means incredible access for both experienced and new creators from all over India, allowing creators and listeners the intimacy of connecting within and among vernaculars like never before. Khabri is today India's fastest-growing vernacular audio platform; given the team's commitment to serving the next billion internet users and excellence in supporting the diversity of hundreds of vernaculars in India, Khabri will soon be a driving force in helping communities connect with and learn from one another in vernaculars and countries around the world," commented Anya Hayden, general partner, ANIM Fund.
In tier-II and III cities of India, there are millions of ambitious youths who aspire to achieve greater career heights. Thus, this has been a major goal for Khabri since its founding, to offer better learning opportunities to deserving youngsters. The app has been providing millions of users with podcasting experiences on their mobile devices. With close to 4 million downloads, thousands of influencers are taking to the platform to create content for their audiences in the Hindi language.
"I have been a big believer in the power of audio to expand access to digital services. And now I can say that I have found the team and the company that is delivering on that promise in Khabri. Pulkit and Sandeep are product-first founders who have built a vernacular first audio platform that gives all Indians access to a path to employment and a better quality of life by focusing on skill development and access to jobs," added Shailesh Rao, advisor/investor, Venture Highway and BigSpring.
Recently, the leading Hindi language podcasting platform also launched over 40 audio courses in Hindi for aspirants who are preparing for government job exams.
