ReelSaga, a new-age mobile entertainment startup founded in 2024 by Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey, has successfully raised $2.1 million in a Seed funding round. The investment 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 several prominent angel investors. The ReelSaga app is now live.
The newly acquired capital will be strategically deployed to accelerate app development and fuel the production of high-quality, localized content. ReelSaga aims to pioneer a new category of mobile-native entertainment across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, a collective market projected to exceed $10 billion in digital entertainment by 2025.
Shubh Bansal, Co-founder and CEO of ReelSaga, emphasized the potential of their format, stating, “Vertical short dramas are a cultural revolution. More and more users are turning to short-form video for entertainment. It’s quick, emotionally resonant, and binge-worthy – drama doesn’t need to be 40 minutes long to move you.”
Shanu Vivek, Co-founder & Head of Product and Data at ReelSaga, highlighted their tech-driven approach, saying, “We’re using data science and product innovations to push the boundaries of short-form video, delivering hyper-personalized, mobile-first storytelling that resonates deeply with our audience.”
All three founders bring prior experience from Truebil, a used car marketplace acquired by Spinny. Leveraging their expertise in consumer tech, creative storytelling, and scaling digital platforms, the team is now targeting the burgeoning mobile-first fiction space.
Abhijay Thacker, Senior Vice President at Picus Capital, expressed his confidence in ReelSaga, stating, “We’re excited to back ReelSaga as they pioneer an entirely new category of storytelling in India. The team brings a rare combination of hustle, clarity, and creative ambition. Microdramas are not just a passing trend – they’re poised to become the default format for an entire generation of mobile viewers. We believe ReelSaga can lead that shift.”
Mohit Gulati, Managing Partner at ITI Growth, echoed this sentiment, saying, “ReelSaga is building where the market is going – mobile-first, story-rich, and culturally rooted. The format is fresh, the vision is bold, and the team knows how to execute. We see them defining a whole new category for Indian entertainment.”
The concept of microdramas has seen significant success in China, with over 5,000 series produced annually, surpassing the country’s traditional box office revenue. ReelSaga aims to replicate this success in India with high-quality, hyper-localized storytelling across 50–100 episode arcs.
Key Highlights:
- Mobile entertainment startup ReelSaga has raised $2.1 million in a Seed round led by Picus Capital.
- The funding will be used for app development and the production of localized short-form video content (microdramas).
- ReelSaga aims to tap into the growing mobile entertainment market in India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East.
- The founders have prior experience from Truebil, and investors are optimistic about ReelSaga pioneering a new category of mobile-first fiction.