Indonesian live-streaming entertainment site Zeemi.tv grabs $1M in seed funding from DeNA and 500 Startups

Indonesian live-streaming entertainment startup Zeemi.tv announced today that it closed a seed funding round of more than US$1 million led by Japanese DeNA’s venture arm, and followed by 500 Startups.

DeNA runs Showroom, one of Japan’s like-minded live-streaming sites, and Zeemi founder Tom Damek believes the firm will bring valuable knowledge in the space to help Zeemi grow. “Coupled with the 500 Startups’ network, we’re in a great position to make Zeemi a household name for millions of Indonesians,” says Damek, who is also the former CEO of Lazada Indonesia.

Zeemi lets users share their experiences and talents via live video from both mobile and desktop. Damek hopes it will be a place for users to share their experiences, thoughts, and emotions, while also acting as a stage for performers to broadcast to their friends, followers, or the world. As Zeemi’s focus is on live content, users engage in real-time and are able to chat directly with all other live streamers.

See: Zeemi.tv lets Indonesians interact with live entertainment

As a way to show support for live-streamers, viewers can send virtual gifts, which may later be exchanged for cash. This is to motivate users to produce high quality content. Viewers purchase gifts through Zeemi and by sending them to their favorite broadcasters, are able to direct more attention to their questions and requests.

Zeemi is currently available on the web and Google Play. Damek says the iOS application will be released shortly. According to the startup, most users access Zeemi through its Android application, which has been localized for the Indonesian market and allows streaming using the nation’s 3G networks. Damek did not comment on the number of active users Zeemi currently has.

“We’ve been bullish on live-streaming way before the recent hype, and see it as the next frontier in video and social,” says James Riney, principal at DeNA’s venture arm. “We’re excited to get behind Tom and his team, and build the leading creative outlet for Indonesians across the country.”

Other live-streaming firms in Asia include YY in China, Niconico in Japan, and Livehouse.in in Taiwan. In Indonesia, Zeemi will go head-to-head with the Baidu supported startup CliponYu.

See: This live streaming entertainment site wants to turn Indonesians into sexy video DJs

The fresh funds will be used primarily for marketing and technology improvements, according to Damek. He also plans to to drive the mobile app development forward and improve the user experience on both Android and iOS.