Gojek’s investment arm backs $22m round of audio content firm

Noice, an Indonesia-based audio content startup, has raised US$22 million in a series A funding round led by Northstar, with participation from Alpha JWC Ventures, Kinesys, and Go-Ventures – the investment arm of Gojek.

Noice chief business officer Niken Sasmaya (left) and CEO Rado Ardian / Photo credit: Noice

Launched in 2018, Noice’s app offers radio streaming, live audio, audiobooks, and podcasts. It currently has more than two million registered users, which grew more than 4x compared to last year. In a statement, it said that its listeners spend an average of around 80 minutes per day on the platform.

The company is boosting its growth through Noicemaker Studio, which allows content creators to distribute their audio content directly on the Noice platform, as well as a training program to support new audio creators called Noicemaker Club Program. It also continues to expand its library of podcasts through partnerships with popular public figures in Indonesia.

Noice was initially backed by Mahaka Radio Integra, an Indonesian investment company that owns several prominent radio stations in the country. In August 2021, the startup appointed former Google executives Rado Ardian and Niken Sasmaya as its new CEO and chief business officer, respectively.

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The firm plans to use the fresh funding to develop more audio series from local writers, grow its content creators’ communities, and continue product development.