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Business Standard

AI entertainment startup Dashverse raises $13 mn to power GenAI content

Dashverse, an artificial intelligence (AI) entertainment company that develops platforms for mobile-first entertainment, on Tuesday announced it has closed a $13 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from Z47 (formerly Matrix Partners India) and Stellaris Venture Partners. With the fresh capital, the company plans to strengthen its core AI technology and drive product innovation for AI-generated, mobile-first storytelling. DashReels crosses five million downloads in a month The funding comes as DashReels, the company's new micro drama application, surpassed five million downloads within a month of launch. According to Dashverse, demand for mobile-native episodic content such as micro dramas has been growing globally, creating a significant opportunity for storytelling in this emerging entertainment format. From digital comics to integrated video platforms The Bengaluru-headquartered company first proved its model with Dashtoon, an AI-powered platform for creating and distributing digital comics. Building on that success, it adopted an integrated approach to video with enabling creators to generate high-quality serialised content, followed by DashReels to distribute mobile-first micro dramas. Together, Dashverse's platforms have more than 20 million users worldwide. Founded in 2023 with a focus on creators Established in 2023 by Sanidhya Narain, Lalith Gudipati, and Soumyadeep Mukherjee, Dashverse enables creators to develop, publish, and monetise stories across formats such as comics and micro dramas. Generative AI to unlock the next wave of storytelling Commenting on the fundraise, Narain, co-founder and chief executive officer, said: 'We are entering a new era where content creation is no longer gated by resources but by imagination. Just as camera phones turned everyone into a creator and unlocked platforms like Instagram and TikTok, generative AI will do the same for storytelling — but with far more powerful formats. This funding fuels our mission to build the creative infrastructure for this shift, where mobile-first, serialised content becomes the default, not the exception.'