Livehouse.in, Taiwan’s homegrown answer to Twitch, nets $350k from Cherubic

iKala, the parent company behind Livehouse.in, an online service that lets anyone record and broadcast live videos, has raised US$350,000 in venture capital from Cherubic Ventures.

Launched from Taiwan January 2014, Livehouse.in shares some conceptual similarities China’s YY, as well as Twitch, before the latter firm shifted its focus to gamers. Ordinary people looking to get their voices out and build fan followings can register for a channel and host regular sessions. People who watch these broadcasts can interact with the hosts via live chatrooms.

Over the past 11 months, Livehouse.in has attracted a strong following across the island. Keynes Cheng, director of product design at iKala, tells Tech in Asia that its Alexa ranking is 496 within Taiwan, and that the site sees 1 million unique visitors monthly. In addition to attracting pop music acts and Michelle Fan-esque figures, the company has inked content partnerships with major broadcasters like PTS and CtiTV. The company also earned some time in the spotlight amid the island’s contentious regional elections. DPP candidate for Taipei’s mayorship Ko Wen-je broadcast his events on his very own Livehouse.in channel.

Cheng tells Tech in Asia that iKala will use the funding to grow the team behind Livehouse.in, which is currently 35 strong. He says he believes Livehouse.in has lots of potential for monetization, but won’t share further details.

Taiwan’s media industry, like the English-language media industry, remains ripe for disruption as legacy outlets struggle to adapt to internet-centric business models. The News Lens marks another example of a Taiwanese media company that secured funding from global investors for its forward-thinking media proposition. The site borrows from the HuffPo media model and tweaks it to fit the sensibilities of educated young adults.