Indian Startup Pratilipi Launches in the US, Raises $20M Led by Jungle Ventures
- Ankur Sachdev
- Apr 4
- 2 min read
Key Highlights
Indian startup Pratilipi has raised $20 million in Series E Funding round led by Jungle Ventures.
Pratilipi has expanded into the US.
Funds will be used to broaden international presence and explore new storytelling formats.
Donald Trump has imposed tariffs on nations. Stock markets are down worldwide. Investors are worried due to uncertainty and several businesses are bracing themselves for the potential international trade war. Amid all this, there is positive news coming from an Indian start-up, Pratilipi. The online digital literature library has secured investments and has entered a new regional territory.
Pratilipi is available as a mobile application for Android and Apple devices. Co-founded by Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Indian startup Pratilipi offers written and audio content to its users in 12 languages including, but not limited to, English, Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Punjabi. Interestingly, it has two more operational departments, namely Pratilipi FM and Pratilipi Comics. But, the one that is under the limelight is its core literature business.
Indian Startup Pratilipi Raises Funds and Expands to the US
Pratilipi has raised funds in a Series E round and has expanded its presence in America. The digital literature platform’s funding round was led by Jungle Ventures, assisting the team in accumulating $12 million in primary investment and $8 million in secondary investment. Thereby, bringing the total to $20 million worth of funds.
For reference, primary investment happens when investors directly purchase newly issued securities from the issuer - company or government. Secondary investment happens when investors purchase existing interests from other investors. This is the same concept that will now lead to Chinese investors exiting from Pratilipi by effectively selling their interests.
Also Read: Is Stagflation Imminent for the US Economy?
The Indian startup plans to use the recently acquired funds for two purposes - to explore different formats of storytelling and to undertake international expansion. The goal, however, will remain the same which is to connect storytellers and the audience. Notably, the Series E Funding round has now taken the total investments to $108 million with the likes of Nexus Venture Partners, Krafton, and Omidyar Network on the list.
Future Plans of Pratilipi
There is a lot that is yet to come for the national startup. Pratilipi aims to launch its IPO by 2026 at the latest. It could happen sooner and Ranjeet Pratap Singh, Co-Founder, has expressed their intention to do the same. He has said that they intend to go for an IPO sooner rather than later.
Pratilipi is also aiming to launch two new formats of storytelling. These are animation and vertical drama shows. It will continue to hold licensing for TV and film production. According to Ranjeet, almost 25-30 TV shows are in different stages of production.
Over 2.5 crore readers are on Pratilipi, more than 2.7 lakh writers are on the platform, and more than 27 lakh stories have been published. The Indian startup wants these numbers to go up without compromising quality and its fundamental nature of storytelling in different formats.
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