New Delhi | May 14, 2025 — ReelSaga, a next-generation mobile entertainment startup, has announced a $2.1 million Seed funding round 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. Founded in 2024 by serial entrepreneurs Shubh Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey, the ReelSaga app is now officially live.
The fresh capital will be used to accelerate app development and scale the production of high-quality, localized content as the company aims to carve out a new category of mobile-native entertainment across India, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East—markets projected to collectively surpass $10 billion in digital entertainment by the end of 2025.
“Vertical short dramas are the future of entertainment. They’re fast, emotionally gripping, and addictive. Today’s viewers don’t need 40 minutes to feel moved,” said Shubh Bansal, Co-founder and CEO of ReelSaga.
“We’re leveraging data science and cutting-edge product innovation to create hyper-personalized, mobile-first storytelling that truly connects,” added Shanu Vivek, Co-founder and Head of Product & Data.
The founding team brings a strong track record, having previously co-founded Truebil, a used-car marketplace acquired by Spinny. With expertise in consumer tech, storytelling, and scaling platforms, they’re now targeting what they believe will be the next billion-dollar opportunity—mobile-first fiction.
“ReelSaga is creating a whole new storytelling format for Indian audiences,” said Abhijay Thacker, Senior Vice President at Picus Capital. “The team’s clarity, hustle, and creative ambition stand out. Microdramas aren’t a trend—they’re the new normal for an entire generation raised on mobile.”
“The future of entertainment is short, story-rich, and rooted in culture,” said Mohit Gulati, Managing Partner at ITI Growth. “ReelSaga is perfectly positioned to lead that shift in India.”
Microdramas are already booming globally. In China alone, more than 5,000 microdrama series are produced every year, with revenues now eclipsing traditional box office earnings. ReelSaga is bringing this global wave to India, with 50–100 episode arcs of highly engaging, hyper-localized content designed for today’s mobile-native audience.
