MUMBAI: Mars is reaching for the stars in beauty. The fast-growing Indian cosmetics brand has appointed Anmol Sahai Mathur as its new vice president of marketing, signalling its intent to move from challenger to household name.
A seasoned marketer with more than a decade of experience, Mathur has built a career at the crossroads of digital storytelling, influencer partnerships and brand strategy. He has worked with platforms such as Triller and Eloelo, and most recently led digital marketing at the open network for digital commerce (ondc).
Speaking on his appointment, Mathur said, “Mars has always stood out with its bold, inclusive approach to beauty. I look forward to creating campaigns that mirror the spirit of our consumers and strengthen the brand’s position as a go-to choice across India.”
Having worked with Mars before, Mathur is no stranger to the brand’s core ethos of affordability, innovation and quality. His return, according to the company, is about deepening consumer bonds and driving digital-first growth.
Mars cosmetics, business administrator, Rishabh Sethia said, “With Anmol’s deep understanding of our brand and his digital expertise, we are confident he will lead the next phase of growth and help us connect even more meaningfully with consumers.”
In his new role, Mathur will focus on sharpening brand identity, building out Mar’s digital presence and crafting emotionally resonant campaigns under the company’s “make-up for everyone” vision.
MUMBAI: If India’s social media scene were a dancefloor, Eloelo just dropped the bass. The interactive livestreaming platform has raised Rs 114.3 crore (13.5 million dollars) in Series B funding led by Play Ventures, with participation from Kalaari Capital, MIXI Investments, Gameskraft Technologies, Griffin Gaming Partners, Waterbridge Ventures, Courtside Ventures, and Rocket Capital.
Eloelo, which describes itself as the “digital third place for Bharat,” is blending gamified livestreams, vernacular creator tools, and AI-led community-building into a potent entertainment cocktail and the party’s just getting started. This latest round takes the platform’s total funding to over 50 million dollars, following a 22 million dollars raise just last year.
Eloelo founder & CEO Saurabh Pandey says, “Eloelo is bringing the ‘Social’ back in consumer social platforms at a time when most platforms are built for passive content viewing. We believe that feeling connected to others is a primary human need of belongingness, and we are solving that across 8 languages by connecting Indians over interactive livestreams with games, chat & virtual gifting to express their emotions. With close to 400 Million aspirational middle India consumers, we believe this is a massive underserved market which needs India-first solutions. Extremely proud of our team that has built a platform that handles large scale concurrency in live streams in 8+ languages along with building gen-AI tools to empower creators. The Series B round shows us the belief that our existing and new investors place on our vision and execution ability”
And engage they have. With over 1.5 million paying users, the platform has already hit an annual revenue run rate of Rs 200 crore (23M dollars) within a year of switching on monetisation in May 2024.
What makes Eloelo stand out is its zero-ad, no-paywall strategy. The platform thrives entirely on microtransactions, virtual gifts, fan support, and gamified features allowing creators to directly monetise their audiences. Over 20,000 creators are already earning through the platform, streaming in over eight Indian languages.
Speaking on Eloelo’s revenue, Saurabh added, “We switched on monetization in May 2024 after 2-3 years of building the platform capabilities and scaling rapidly to hit PMF. In less than a year of launch, we are now hitting a 200 crore Annual revenue run rate ($23M ARR) with 1.5 Million paying users and are one of the fastest growing platforms in India at this scale. Consumer Tech in India is going through a massive shift away from ad-first models to micro payments, and we are happy to be powering this shift. Gone are the days when India was the MAU farm of the world – we are here to prove that the Bharat-first models have massive monetization potential as we track towards a 60M dollars run rate by end of this year. Beyond just numbers, the impact I am truly proud of at Eloelo is that more than 20,000 creators are now earning a livelihood by streaming and building their own digital communities”
With India’s interactive entertainment and gaming space now worth 12 billion dollars (out of a 25 billion dollars total M&E market), and growing at a 16 per cent CAGR according to Lumikai, Eloelo is positioning itself as a frontrunner in a post-advertising digital world.
The fresh capital will fuel the company’s next leg of growth: deeper generative AI use cases, further monetisation innovation, and international expansion targeting the Indian diaspora.
As Eloelo scales, it’s not just playing to win, it’s rewriting the rules of how India’s social entertainment is consumed, created, and cashed in.
Mumbai: Eloelo, India’s homegrown live social media platform, is excited to announce the appointment of Sagar Gaonkar as its new chief technology officer (CTO). With over 16 years of video streaming and OTT technology expertise, Sagar will spearhead innovation, technological strategy, and compliance at Eloelo.
Sagar Gaonkar brings a wealth of experience from his previous roles at ShareChat and Disney+ Hotstar. At ShareChat, he excelled as an engineer lead, driving product conceptualisation and technical initiatives for Live streaming. His tenure at Hotstar & 100ms further solidified his reputation as a leader in the live streaming domain.
Commenting on the appointment, Eloelo founder & CEO Saurabh Pandey said, “We are thrilled to welcome Sagar as our chief technology officer for advancing our mission of being the digital companion for India’s youth via Interactive streaming & games. His deep understanding of the live streaming industry aligns perfectly with our focus on building a vertical social entertainment platform focused on live streaming across video & audio. Sagar’s expertise will be pivotal in scaling our platform and enhancing both user & creator experience.”
Speaking about joining Eloelo app, Sagar Gaonkar expressed his delight and added ”Joining Eloelo during a time of rapid growth in live streaming in India is incredibly exciting. I am deeply inspired by Saurabh’s mission to create a secure and interactive digital third place for India. My focus will be on expediting feature rollouts, enhancing platform stability, and ensuring a seamless and secure experience for our users & creators.”
Eloelo currently ranks in the top three on Google Play Store in the entertainment category and serves over 75 million users in India with content available in six Indian languages. The platform has raised over $37 million from global and national investors, including Courtside, Waterbridge Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners, Lumikai Fund and Kalaari Capital.
Mumbai: Homegrown live social media platform Eloelo app has introduced a new ‘Status’ feature on its platform in collaboration with Bigg Boss 17 winner Munawar Faruqui. The status feature helps user on the app to express their mood, feelings and state of mind through celebrated quotes and shayari with their name and photo. Munawar, known for his shayari, has been a hit with users on Eloelo app. The app has also reached over 50Mn users on its platform, reaching top rank on Google Playstore in the entertainment category.
The collaboration comes after a banter on social media between Munawar and Eloelo app, with the brand revealing it as a way of announcing the new feature through a personality like Munawar. The announcement buzz was created with the Bigg Boss winner expressing his disapproval on Eloelo using his fame and shayari to gain traction. It was soon followed by the Eloelo Founder and CEO Saurabh Pandey issuing a formal apology on the same & inviting Munawar to come live.
Eloelo will be organising a live session for its users with Munawar himself on 15 February at 7 PM.
Eloelo App CEO & co-founder Saurabh Pandey said, “Eloelo stands as a brand dedicated to providing individuals with a virtual space for belongingness & expression, hence, we are thrilled to collaborate with Munawar to launch or new ‘Status’ feature. As the winner of Bigg Boss, Munawar embodies the spirit of authentic self-expression, aligning seamlessly with our brand values. We believe his strong persona and commitment to individuality makes him the perfect choice for the launch of this exciting new feature.”
The new Status feature will include a variety of shayaris and quotes which will feature content across genres like love, breakup and motivation and more. The app will also allow ‘status share’ options for its users to further share quotes and shayaris on other platforms along with free personalizations like adding name, photo, etc. The app is currently hosting a contest for users to share these quotes and shayaris as their status.Additionally, Top 10 winners of the contest will interact with Munawar in a live video session on 15 February at 7 PM.
Mumbai: Eloelo, a homegrown live social-media app, launched an anti-Valentine’s campaign with Big Boss fame, Abhishek Malhan aka Fukra Insaan. The company filed a nation-wide petition on change.org to rename Valentine’s Day to #KunwaraDiwas.
Eloelo founder & CEO Saurabh Pandey said, “We saw a barrage of comments and clips online by the new age Indians expressing annoyance and distress with Valentine’s Day. Singles have been calling out for their own day and celebration amidst all the noise around Couples on Valentine’s Day. We at Eloelo decided to stand by all ‘Kunwaras’ this Valentine’s and to demand for their equal rights, we have started a petition on change.org to rename Valentine’s Day to #KunwaraDiwas.”
Eloelo partnered with Abhishek Malhan to help voice the callout for renaming Valentine’s Day. Abhishek in his own inimitable style proclaimed his feelings to his fans and supporters on X(twitter). Eloelo is also promoting the campaign in various colleges of Delhi-University.
Commenting on the association with Eloelo, Abhishek Malhan said, “ I have always advocated for love and laughter and I strongly believe nobody should feel left out on Valentine’s Day! Being single isn’t a curse, it’s a comedy of errors, and we should celebrate this day for being single also. I’m really excited to partner Eloelo and launch the petition to rename Valentine’s Day to #Kunawara Diwas.”
Eloelo is a homegrown live social media platform established in 2020, is defining a digital third place for the new age Indian. A live social entertainment app, Eloelo appeals directly to the need of young Indians to communicate with each other, express themselves, and fulfill their desire to participate in digital communities with like-minded people. Ranked in the Top 1 in India on the Google Play Store for Entertainment, it seamlessly integrates audio and video live chatrooms with interactive games and shows, fostering connections between over 40 million users and 400K creators.
For Valentine’s Day last year, Eloelo had launched India’s first online reality show, Love House. The show was streamed live for 144 hours, passing the world record for a continuous live stream on a mobile phone. The show observed four million views on livestream across six days, with a peak concurrency of over 200k viewers. Love House also served as a distribution channel for Bollywood movie Shehzada’s promotion.
Mumbai: Eloelo, India’s leading homegrown live social media platform, is proud to announce a partnership with Zee Media, one of the country’s foremost media and entertainment networks. Instead of this collaboration, they introduced a new category, ‘Best Eloelo Live Streamer of the Year’, at the Zee Newsmaker Awards 2023 which aims to champion and recognise live streamers in India.
In recognition of the growing influence of live streaming in India, Zee Media and Eloelo have introduced India’s first dedicated awards category for live streamers. This strategic move further demonstrates the mainstream acceptance of live streaming and highlights Eloelo’s role in shaping the landscape of live social entertainment in India.
Commenting on the partnership, Eloelo COO Nisheeth Pandey said, “We are thrilled to partner with Zee, a trailblazer in the media and entertainment industry. This collaboration not only validates the significance of live streaming but also builds on our vision to make Eloelo the platform of choice for aspiring and established live streamers alike. We are immensely proud of our homegrown creators and their nominations alongside known names in the industry. This special category is an opportunity for both emerging and established creators to showcase their talents, resonate with shared passions, and build connections among diverse creators.”
What sets Eloelo apart is the platform’s ability to nurture homegrown talent, putting them on par with more established names in the industry. The fact that Eloelo’s creators are not only participating but also being nominated alongside well-known personalities augments the platform’s commitment to providing equal and unique opportunities for creators to thrive in the sphere.
Eloelo has become a platform of choice for creators across India, with over 120K content creators. The Eloelo app is currently ranked among the top 4 in the Entertainment category on the Google Play store in India.
Mumbai: Eloelo live entertainment app, has launched a digital campaign for its live game show, ‘Diwan-e-Cricket.’ The campaign video highlights the craze of the cricket World Cup in India. Eloelo’s game show ‘Diwan-e-Cricket,’ is an engaging cricket quiz show hosted by celebrated cricket analyst, Aakash Chopra. Cricket enthusiasts can prepare for a thrilling experience and compete for Rs one lakh in cash prizes and the chance to meet Aakash Chopra live.
Brands like Meesho, Ajio, Pizza Hut, Zee5, boAT, AbhiBus, Asian Paints, Coin Switch, Parle-G, and Zepto also reacted to the campaign on X (Twitter).
Starting on 8 October 2023, ‘Diwan-e-Cricket’ will captivate viewers during the innings break of every India match in the ODI World Cup. Aakash Chopra, former Indian cricketer, renowned commentator, popular YouTuber, and esteemed columnist, will kick off the dynamic live show with insightful match commentary and offer an opportunity for Eloelo app users to interact with him on the live show. The quiz will follow, featuring four options per question and a countdown timer. The contestant with the most accurate responses will have the opportunity to claim enticing cash rewards.
Host of the game show Aakash Chopra said, I am excited to host Diwan-e-cricket exclusively LIVE on the Eloelo App which is one of the leading live streaming platforms in India. Cricket is of course a sport that unifies the entire nation and the way Eloelo has envisioned the show, with both live interactivity with users and a fun game show combined into a first-of-its-kind concept is what really got me interested. It combines the nation’s interest in the ongoing World Cup with a deewangi for cricket in general, in a unique and fun way. Cricket lovers are sure to love the show.
Eloelo CEO Saurabh Pandey emphasised the company’s unwavering commitment to creating interactive entertainment that aligns seamlessly with Indian sensibilities. He commented, “At Eloelo, our aim is to tap into the shifting consumer behaviour from TV-based content consumption to mobile-based content consumption. With the World Cup fever across the country, we want to extend our app users a chance to not only engage with their favourite game live with an expert but also stand a chance to win big. ‘Diwan-e-Cricket’ is in line with our social games offerings that have cultural resonance with a core layer of interactivity to them.”
Get ready for an exhilarating experience throughout the ICC World Cup Tournament as ‘Diwan-e-Cricket’ blends entertainment with exciting cash rewards. This exclusive event, hosted on the Eloelo platform with 37 million users and 120K creators, invites participants from every corner of India to seize the opportunity to win INR 1 lakh in cash prizes!
Eloelo recently secured $22 million in a Pre-Series B funding round, co-led by Courtside Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners Mixi Inc, Waterbridge Ventures, Lumikai Fund, Kalaari Capital, Convivialite Ventures, and Rocket Capital. The app continues to offer a diverse range of shows, including Lovehouse, Tambola, Ludo, the latest addition, Tol Mol Ke Bol, and the exclusively designed “Diwan-e-Cricket” for the upcoming ICC World Cup Tournament. This recent funding and continuous addition of interesting shows are intended to propel Eloelo’s business growth to new heights.
Eloelo recently secured $22 million in a Pre-Series B funding round, co-led by Courtside Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners Mixi Inc, Waterbridge Ventures, Lumikai Fund, Kalaari Capital, Convivialite Ventures, and Rocket Capital. The app continues to offer a diverse range of shows, including Lovehouse, Tambola, Ludo, the latest addition, Tol Mol Ke Bol, and the exclusively designed “Diwan-e-Cricket” for the upcoming ICC World Cup Tournament. This recent funding and continuous addition of interesting shows are intended to propel Eloelo’s business growth to new heights.
Mumbai: Eloelo live entertainment application is thrilled to announce the return of ‘Tol Mol Ke Bol’, an engaging live game show built on the “Price is Right” format, exclusively on the Eloelo app. The show will be hosted by the celebrated comedian & Shark Tank host, Rahul Dua.
Commencing on 3 October 2023, viewers can catch the show every Tuesday at 8 PM IST on the Eloelo app. This interactive live show presents an item on-screen for participants to guess its exact price. The player with the closest estimate wins the opportunity to take home exciting cash prizes.
“Tol Mol Ke Bol” is set to offer an exciting 8-episode interactive experience that combines entertainment with rewards in cash prizes. Hosted on the Eloelo platform which has an extensive user base with over 37 million users and 120K creators. It’s an inclusive Invitation for participants from every corner of India, offering them the exciting prospect of being rewarded with cash prizes worth Rs one lakh.
Rahul Dua, Host of the gameshow, said, “I am immensely excited to bring the classic Tol Mol ke Bol back to the people of India. Eloelo App is one of the leading live streaming platforms and this partnership with them is going to be a game changer for digital live entertainment. It’s going to be an extravaganza, where I will directly engage with participants and have a blast with them in real time. This is a new adventure for me, and I just can’t wait for the fun to kick off on Eloelo!”
Eloelo COO Nisheeth Pandey said, “We are committed to building interactive entertainment which people can participate in with their friends and families, and is deeply ingrained in Indian sensibilities. Tol Mol ke Bol brings back an Indian classic in a new digital, live format, and will definitely engage people across age groups. Rahul Dua hosting the gameshow will be seen in a new avatar, and we are excited to partner with him”
Eloelo has recently raised a Pre-Series B funding round of $22 million, co-led by Courtside Ventures, Griffin Gaming Partners Mixi Inc, Waterbridge Ventures, Lumikai Fund, Kalaari Capital, Conviviality Ventures and Rocket Capital. Eloelo app further offers a diverse range of shows, including Lovehouse, Tambola, Ludo, and the latest addition, Tol Mol Ke Bol. The recent funding and continuous addition of interesting shows are intended to propel Eloelo’s business growth to newer heights.
Mumbai: Eloelo, India’s leading live entertainment and social gaming platform, announced raising $22 million in its pre-series B round. The round was jointly led by Courtside Ventures and Griffin Gaming Partners, joined by MIXI Inc along with existing backers Waterbridge Ventures, Lumikai Fund, Kalaari Capital, Convivialite Ventures and Rocket Capital investing in the round.
With this fresh funding, Eloelo has now raised a total of $37.5 million. The funds from this round will be utilized to forge partnerships with creators, develop innovative tools across AI & AR for them, attract a broader pool of tech and product talent, and strengthen revenue generation and monetisation initiatives. The round comes 14 months after its Series A round of $13 million in June 2022.
“Courtside is thrilled to co-lead the investment in Eloelo alongside Griffin Gaming Partners,” said Courtside Ventures Partner Kai Bond. “Eloelo is pioneering a new form of entertainment in India. Through a unique combination of game participation within live streaming, they are building the next generation of social networking that enables true interactivity within their community”.
Eloelo, ranks among the top three apps in India on the Google Play Store in Entertainment, combining audio and video live chatrooms with interactive games and shows that enable millions of users and creators to connect with each other. The platform has over 37 million users and 120K creators.
Eloelo CEO & founder Saurabh Pandey said, “Eloelo wants to be a “party in your pocket”, where users are not just watching a livestream but are part of the experience. Social Media is supposed to help you belong but most alternatives let you consume content solitarily. We are pioneering a new category of Live Social Entertainment– almost like a ‘Digital Third Place’ where young Indians are always connected. Our growth of 400% Y-o-Y showcases the love users have given the product. This fundraising in such a testing macro environment further enforces the belief our investors have in our vision”.
Eloelo is leading with a unique blend of Live Entertainment with Games and Communities — a contemporary social network tailored to the communication preferences of young Indians. The company’s primary distinguishing features include its ability to get users to simply push-t0-talk inside various chat rooms, in-house games integrated into live streams and its focus on clean entertainment for family audiences.
“At Griffin, we’re inspired by India’s rapidly evolving market landscape, led by innovative companies like Eloelo. Through the magic of gamification, Eloelo is transforming live streams into captivating experiences that translate to deep audience engagement. The platform has attracted a vast community of content creators, driving its growth to nearly 40 million users — a striking testament to the potential ahead for Eloelo”, said Griffin Gaming Partners managing director & co-founder Nick Tuosto.
A CYG report estimates the global live-streaming market at $46 billion, with India’s current share at $2 billion. Eloelo is steadily launching various ways for creators to generate revenue, including gifting inside chatrooms, participation in group audio calls, and hosting game shows.
“As EloElo’s first VC partner, we are impressed with their scale and evolution from a live gaming app to a platform bringing audiences together in multiple live formats. Its immersive, engaging, product-led approach has made it the go-to app for audiences and creators alike. With this funding, Eloelo is set to further establish itself as the preferred digital destination for India’s social and entertainment needs”, said Waterbridge Ventures partner Anjali Sosale.
Lumikai Fund’s founding general partner Salone Sehgal said, “Saurabh and Team Eloelo’s bold vision to design a truly India-first, participatory social entertainment platform, is disrupting existing entertainment mediums like TV. Eloelo’s category-leading interactive formats have transcended gender, age and language barriers to become a true digital destination.”
The App is live in six languages and aims to add many more in the next few months seeing the adoption from Tier two, three audiences. It uses a blend of AI and manual content moderation to maintain a secure environment for all users.
