14-05-2025
ReelSaga Raises USD 2.1 Mn to Redefine Mobile Entertainment with Microdramas
The seed round was led by Picus Capital, with participation from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund, Nazara Technologies, 8i Ventures, Waveform Ventures, Warmup Ventures, Bombay54, Bharat Founders Fund, and a host of angel investors.
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ReelSaga, a mobile-first entertainment startup, has raised USD 2.1 million in a seed funding round led by Picus Capital. The round also drew participation from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund, Nazara Technologies, 8i Ventures, Waveform Ventures, Warmup Ventures, Bombay54, Bharat Founders Fund, and several angel investors.
The funds will be used to scale app development and create high-quality, localised microdramas tailored for mobile audiences in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. The startup is doubling down on vertical short-form dramas, aiming to redefine how users consume fiction on their phones.
Founded in 2024 by Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey—all ex-co-founders of used car platform Truebil (acquired by Spinny)—ReelSaga is a dedicated microdrama platform. It offers emotionally rich, vertically shot series with episodes lasting just 1–2 minutes, designed for quick, immersive binge sessions.
"Vertical short dramas are a cultural revolution. Drama doesn't need to be 40 minutes long to move you," said Shubh Bansal, Co-founder and CEO. "More and more users are turning to short-form video for entertainment. It's quick, emotionally resonant, and binge-worthy."
Co-founder and Head of Product and Data, Shanu Vivek, added, "We're using data science and product innovations to push the boundaries of short-form video, delivering hyper-personalised, mobile-first storytelling that resonates deeply with our audience."
With its unique format and mobile-first focus, ReelSaga is tapping into the next big category in digital entertainment.
"We're excited to back ReelSaga as they pioneer an entirely new category of storytelling in India," said Abhijay Thacker, SVP at Picus Capital. "Microdramas are poised to become the default format for an entire generation of mobile viewers."
Echoing the sentiment, ITI Growth's Mohit Gulati said, "The format is fresh, the vision is bold, and the team knows how to execute. ReelSaga is building where the market is going."
