Exclusive: Shark Tank Fame Vobble Bags Funding From Lumikai, Others To Provide Audio Content For Kids

Bengaluru-based kids audio content platform Vobble has raised $1 Mn in its seed funding round, led by early stage VC fund Lumikai. Blume Founders Fund and angel investors also participated in the round.

The startup plans to use the fresh funds for product and team development, increasing user retention, and improving its net promoter score (NPS).

Founded in 2023 by Neha Sharma and Sowmya Jagannath, Vobble is an audio content platform focussed on kids aged between 4 and 12 years.

The startup shot to fame after it was featured on the third season of “Shark Tank India” and bagged INR 25 Lakh from Namita Thapar, the executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals.

In the past, Sharma steered multiple brand categories as the global director at EssilorLuxottica. She has also worked at Unilever and PepsiCo in various leadership roles. Meanwhile, Jagannath is a neuroscience graduate and has a master’s degree in Human Centred Design. Earlier, she worked with multiple startups as a product and business development lead and is also a children’s book author.

The startup’s app offers a monthly subscription starting at INR 199. It has a content library of 2,200+ minutes and 700+ episodes, which includes story series, music, podcasts, news and game shows. Vobble claims to add new content every week on its platform.

It also offers a Vobble box, priced at INR 3,500, which includes headphones specially designed for kids, activity books, and a six-month subscription. These headphones have a volume limiter of up to 90 db and are compatible with any device with Bluetooth 5.3, allowing parents to help their kids stay away from the screen.

Vobble currently claims to have more than 2,500 users with subscriptions, while around 500 kids use its headphones.

“We are pre-revenue and still very new. Everything will evolve as we move forward in our journey as we achieve our PMF (product-market fit). As we move forward, we are looking to position Vobble as a content company,” Sharma told Inc42.

Making Way Into The Crowded Audio OTT Market

Talking about the idea behind the startup, Jagannath said, “Listening is extremely beneficial for children. As parents, we take time out to help inculcate reading habits in the kids. A similar effort is required when it comes to encouraging kids to develop a habit of listening. With Vobble, we aim to offer a platform, which can help parents do it effectively.”

According to research firm Statista, the Indian audio over-the-top (OTT) market is expected to reach a size of $1.1 Bn by the end of FY25 and $2.5 Bn by the end of FY30.

No wonder, the country’s audio OTT market is crowded and kids are a key focus area for many of the platforms. For instance, Voot Kids hosts videos, audio, and textual content in the form of books to keep children engaged and entertained. Audible, Amazon Kindle, Spotify Kids, and Google Play Books are some other popular apps offering audiobooks for kids. Besides, there are also podcast platforms like Pocket FM, which offer kids-oriented content. Not to mention YouTube, which is an on-screen OTT platform but offers a large variety of content for kids and is used both as an on-screen and audio platform by parents.

However, according to Jagannath, the content of most of these platforms is extremely monotonous and is created by adults. Vobble’s focus is on making content, which is interactive, engaging, and immersive for the kids and also within their attention span.

Besides, the startup claims that all the content on its platform has kids’ voices. It currently has a team of 100+ kids, most of whom work pro-bono. According to Sharma, these kids get free subscriptions and gift hampers and their parents look at it as an additional skill, thereby encouraging them to actively participate.

Apart from producing in-house content, Vobble also has partnerships with publications like Harper Collins India, Amar Chitra Katha, and Scholastic Tulika.

The Road Ahead

Going forward, Vobble aims to increase the size of its content library while figuring out key content trends followed by the kids to add more genres of content. For instance, the startup is working on a series of content around the video game “Minecraft” where kids would discuss the tricks and the game plays, rather than any adult YouTuber.

Vobble is also looking to add a feature where kids can record their voices as part of various series, thereby giving them a platform to create their content.

“We believe that every kid has a voice and that voice needs to be heard. As a platform such as Vobble, we need to enable that and we would love more children to be part of it,” Jagannath said.

The founders are confident that despite the market being crowded, Vobble will be able to scale up and achieve the PMF.

“Audio is a very new category, especially in India and especially for kids. So, it is a very uphill task to do. But we both believe in the benefits of audio for this generation of kids and we are very motivated to make this happen. We are very confident that within the next two years, we will be able to crack this category,” Sharma said.

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