Koovs co-founder Rajesh Kamra launches video messaging app WEIV

Rajesh Kamra, the co-founder of lifestyle e-tailer Koovs.com, has launched another venture, albeit this time in the messaging space. Christened WEIV, the new offering is a cross-platform, cross device video communication application for smartphones and other smart devices.

The app allows users to send video messages even to their offline counterparts, anytime and anywhere. To do so, it requires a basic internet connection on the smart device.

WEIV, which is currently available as a free mobile app on Android and Windows platforms, will also be launched on iOS by the end of this month. According to the company, the app has already had around 10,000 downloads.

"In addition to smartphones, we also plan to make the app compatible to devices like Google Glass and Samsung's smartwatches," says Kamra, co-founder of WEIV Technologies.

The startup was founded last year by IIT Kanpur alumni Kamra, Ashvin Sharma and Peeyush Jain. The trio have made an initial investment of close to $100,000 to set up the company and the product, and are now looking for additional funding for infrastructure, cloud storage as well as the addition of new features on the product.

For the same, it is in talks with a few VC firms to raise up to $1 million by the year-end.

Koovs Marketing Consulting Private Limited (Koovs India) was established in May 2010 by Rajesh Kamra, Manish Tewari, Kanishk Shukla and Amit Shukla as a general e-commerce business. In August 2011, Infotel E-Commerce Private Limited, a company controlled by the Nahata family in India, acquired a controlling interest in Koovs India, initially focusing on the sale of mobile phones and other electronic goods. It later pivoted to become e-tailer of fashion apparel and accessories.

In September 2012, Silvergate Retail Limited (now known as Koovs plc), which was founded by British businessman turned politician Waheed Alli and retail industry executive Robert Bready, who has previously worked at ASOS and Arcadia, got associated with Koovs India. In April last year, Alli and Bready joined Koovs as chairman and creative & retail director, respectively.

Koovs plc recently listed on London Stock Exchange's AIM market and subscribed to shares of Koovs India to become its majority owner. Under Indian foreign investment norms, foreign direct investment (FDI) in B2C e-commerce retailing is prohibited.