Mobile-first entertainment startup Rusk Media bags Rs 103-crore funding led by IvyCap Ventures

Rusk Media team picture

Rusk Media has raised Rs 103 crore in Series B funding to accelerate international expansion and create new Gen-Z entertainment IPs, the mobile-first digital entertainment startup announced on October 9.

Who led the funding round?

The round, which was a mix of primary and secondary capital, was led by early-stage venture capital firm IvyCap Ventures, with participation from existing and new investors LC Nueva, InfoEdge Ventures, Woori Venture Partners, as well as the company’s promoters and family members.

With this round, Rusk Media has raised over $30 million, including a $9.5 million round in August 2022. Its backers also include diversified gaming and sports media company Nazara Technologies and esports firm Nodwin Gaming.

Where will the money go?

Rusk Media co-founder Mayank Yadav said this investment will help the company build new IPs, drive expansion of formats to global audiences and grow the micro-drama viewership on its Alright TV app.

The capital will also be used for its expansion to the United States, Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) markets.

"We will continue to build an entertainment company that is driven to create sustainable value for our audience and partners for the coming decades," Yadav said.

What does Rusk Media do?

Started by Yadav, Karanvir Sofat, and Shantanu Singh in 2019, Rusk Media is a full-stack digital entertainment company that conceives, produces and distributes content across social and video-streaming platforms.

The company says it has produced and released more than 50 seasons across more than 20 titles spanning fiction, unscripted/reality, and live formats, owning most of the intellectual property created in the process.

What are some of Rusk Media's shows?

Rusk Media’s unscripted and reality titles include Battleground and Playground (Amazon MX Player), Engaged, The Society, Hafta Vasooli and Truth or Trouble (JioHotstar).

Scripted series include School Friends, Couple Goals, Heartbeats, Dude, and Roomies (Amazon MX Player), Date with Senior, and Delhi vs Mumbai (Alright TV).

Rusk Media's distribution network includes more than 40 channels and pages across major social media and video sharing platforms such as YouTube, Facebook and Instagram, and Snapchat, which generate nearly 1 billion monthly views, the company said. The startup also owns a B2B casual gaming platform Rumble.

“Rusk Media has demonstrated remarkable innovation in building new-age entertainment for Gen-Z audiences. Their ability to combine India’s storytelling heritage with global-first execution makes them a category leader. We are delighted to partner with Rusk as they scale their IPs worldwide and lead the evolution of digital-first entertainment," said IvyCap Ventures founder Vikram Gupta in a statement.