TikTok-like Indian short-video app nets $13m in funding round

Mobile entertainment firm OnMobile Global has led a US$13 million funding round into TikTok-like app Chingari.

Photo credit: Chingari

Other investors in the Indian short-video app include Republic Labs US, Astarc Ventures, White Star Capital, JPIN Venture Catalysts, ProfitBoard Ventures, TaxiForSure co-founder Raghunandan G, and some family office funds from the UK.

The fundraise also saw the inclusion of Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Chingari’s capitalization table, according to regulatory filings accessed by Entrackr. Khan, who is the startup’s brand ambassador, was allotted shares worth 135 million rupees (US$1.8 million) for consideration other than cash.

Chingari will use the fresh funds to increase its user base from 56 million to over 100 million registered users. The deal will also help OnMobile integrate and distribute its direct-to-consumer gaming platform Onmo on the Chingari app as well as allow the companies to collaborate on other mobile product integrations.

The investment will also bankroll Chingari’s plan to develop its content portfolio and hire more staff.

Headquartered in Bangalore, OnMobile offers videos, tones, games, and contests for mobile phones. It claims to engage over 1.68 billion mobile users and more than 100 million active subscribers on its platform.

Launched in 2018, Chingari has positioned itself as a content media super app for India’s local language users, offering features such as social video commerce.

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Last year, Chingari raised US$1.4 million from investors including LogX Ventures, AngelList’s Utsav Somani, NowFloats’ Jasminder Singh Gulati, and Village Global.