Mumbai: New Age Content Startup WYN Studio has raised a round of funding from India Angel Fund led by Sanjeev Sinha: India Japan Partnership Fund based in Tokyo, Pranay Anthwal: Media & Entertainment industry leader, Narendra Firodia: Founder, Soham Unicorp and Rahul Narvekar: Co-Founder, India Angel Network.
WYN- What’s Your Narrative is a content startup founded by Souniya Khurana and Bijay Gautam. Creating new-age content or narratives for brands, startups, and individuals, WYN Studio has created video content for brands such as HP and also produced podcasts for individuals and brands.
Their latest Audio Original production, ‘Can Inspire’ with RJ Pallavi Rao (ex- Radio Mirchi) jumped straight to number one on Apple Podcasts.
They plan to use these funds to further strengthen their team with new hiring and also create more original content. While currently they are more focussed on all things audio, with a bit of video content for brands, they are also working on a pipeline of original digital content for various platforms. Currently Revenue Positive they have seen an uptick in podcasting requests by brands and individuals to help them create and monetize their content.
Speaking on this fundraise, Souniya Khurana, Co-founder, WYN Studios said, “While we were cash positive from day one and extremely frugal with our spends, we have realized that this phase has been a boom for content especially audio. Also, thanks to the massive sales of in-ear hardware such as the Apple AirPods, the demand for listening to original content has shot up dramatically and as WYN Studios we hope to create and curate great content audio or video”.
India Angel Network has made its debut investment of Rs. 50 lakhs into WYN Studios, even while it’s working on setting up its presence. Speaking on this deal Rahul Narvekar, Co-founder IAF said “While we are still in the process of setting up a formal team, I was very impressed with the traction WYN has achieved so far, as also their frugal spends and sharp revenue focus. With IAF we hope to provide not just some smart money, but access to relevant mentors and also bring in partnerships and alliances which will help WYN studios scale quickly”.
Speaking on his investment Pranay Anthwal, said, “We love content that entertains us. Comedy is not the only content that entertains. Documentaries make you question. Makes you think. Thrillers, true to name give you the thrills. I was searching for a content company that has a strong purpose at its core guiding belief. Layers of interest and contextual entertainment can always be added, but the core intent is non-negotiable. In the core founders of WYN Studio, I see that integrity, hence glad to partner them on this journey”.
Angel investor Sanjeev Sinha said, “While I have been in Japan for more than 20 years, I am still very much connected to my roots i.e. India, and have known Souniya for quite some time. I feel that with some good focus on the right technology such as AI and ML, which are my focus areas I can help WYN enter new areas of content. Interestingly, there is a huge appetite for content in Japan, and superstar Rajnikant has many fans in Japan. Since we helped Inmobi enter Japan and raise $200 million, we are keen to bring in more startups from India like WYN Studios, into Japan and explore synergies with Japanese companies.”
