WOW STORY OF THE DAY - Sound of Success: How Kuku FM Tuned Into Bharat and Built a Billion-Rupee Audio Empire

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Kuku FM, India’s leading regional audio platform, has crossed 10 million paid users and secured $85 million in Series C funding. Built without English content or celebrity hype, it’s now valued at over ₹4,500 crore. With profitability in sight, Kuku FM is redefining how Bharat consumes education, entertainment, and storytelling.

Key Highlights

- Bootstrapped Beginnings Founded in 2018 by Lal Chand Bisu, Vikas Goyal, and Vinod Meena, Kuku FM started with a simple mission: make audio content accessible in Indian languages. The platform focused on Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, where video consumption was limited but mobile access was booming.

- Regional-First Strategy Kuku FM offers audiobooks, self-help courses, and entertainment in Hindi, Tamil, Bengali, Marathi, and more—deliberately avoiding English to tap into Bharat’s underserved audience. This vernacular-first approach helped it scale rapidly without relying on celebrity-driven content.

- User Growth & Monetization As of 2025, Kuku FM has over 10 million paid subscribers, making it one of India’s largest audio platforms. Its affordable subscription model and localized content have driven high retention and organic growth.

- Funding & Valuation In its latest Series C round, Kuku FM raised $85 million led by GGV Capital (now Granite Asia), with participation from Krafton, IFC, and others. The company’s valuation now exceeds $500 million, with strong investor confidence in its profitability path.

- Tech & Personalization Kuku FM uses AI to recommend content based on user behavior, regional preferences, and learning goals. It’s also building creator tools to help local storytellers monetize their work and reach wider audiences.

- Future Roadmap The company plans to expand into Southeast Asia and add more regional languages. It’s also exploring partnerships with edtech firms and telecom providers to bundle audio learning with mobile plans.

Sources: TechCrunch, Inc42, Business Today, YourStory, Economic Times, Kuku FM Blog

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