Three Ex-Bankers Win Netflix Backing to Shake Up Bollywood
- Digital studio Pocket Aces’ Little Things now streams globally
- The Mumbai-based content creator snagged $15 million funding
A tiny digital studio is making a name for itself in the world’s most prolific movie industry, scoring funding from a marquee Silicon Valley investor right after nailing a deal to stream its most popular show on Netflix.
Pocket Aces Pvt has raised $14.7 million from Sequoia Capital, DSP Group, 3one4 Capital and others to bankroll content aimed at pushing Indian shows beyond hackneyed Bollywood formulas -- like “saas-bahu” or mother-in-law versus daughter-in-law dramas. It’s one of a band of startups moving away from familiar staples to try and hook an exploding population of mobile viewers. Pocket Aces plans to use the funds to get into gaming content, make strategic acquisitions and boost production to 30 shows a year from the current dozen.