OTT

Chai Bisket Raises $5M Seed Round to Launch Microdrama OTT App ‘Chai Shots’

• ByStartupStory     |    July 9, 2025

Chai Bisket, a leading regional content powerhouse based in South India, has raised $5 million in a seed funding round to launch its new OTT platform, Chai Shots. The round was co-led by InfoEdge Ventures and General Catalyst, with participation from an impressive group of angel investors including actor Rana Daggubati, Swiggy’s co-founders Sri Harsha Majety and Nandan Reddy, redBus founder Phanindra Sama, and PhysicsWallah’s Alakh Pandey, among others.

Chai Shots aims to redefine how India’s next billion users consume fiction by introducing a new mobile-first format — premium microdramas in two-minute episodes, delivered in regional languages. Launching initially in Telugu, the platform plans to expand into Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and other languages in the coming months. Built specifically for Gen Z and Bharat audiences, Chai Shots prioritizes fast, emotional, and culturally-rooted storytelling for mobile consumption, breaking away from traditional, family-oriented OTT models.

Founded by Sharath Chandra and Anurag Reddy in 2015, Chai Bisket has grown into a significant player in India’s regional media landscape with a reach of over 2 billion views, 50 million monthly video views, and a strong presence across YouTube and digital platforms. The company has produced hit web series, short dramas, and theatrical films, including the critically acclaimed Major. With the addition of Krishna Mohan Varma as co-founder to lead the platform’s technology vision, the team is now focused on scaling Chai Shots as a full-stack content-tech brand.

The investors backing the venture believe the timing is right for this storytelling revolution. “Chai Shots is elevating short-form video by combining the emotional power of fiction with the convenience of mobile viewing,” said Kitty Agarwal, Partner at InfoEdge Ventures. “This team understands storytelling like few others.” Rahul Garg, Partner at General Catalyst, added, “They’re not just reacting to cultural trends—they’re creating them.”

Chai Shots is set to launch in early access soon, with plans to release 100+ original shows in the first six months. With its blend of storytelling, regional depth, and mobile-first tech, the company hopes to become the default entertainment destination for India’s short-attention economy — a space currently dominated by user-generated content. The long-term vision is to build a platform where regional narratives thrive and storytelling meets scale.

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