5ideas Startup Superfuel invests in live TV interaction and engagement app WooMe

Delhi-based Telefusion Mobile TV Pvt Ltd, the company behind WooMe.mobi, a mobile-based live TV interaction and engagement app, has secured an undisclosed amount in funding from 5ideas Startup Superfuel, an early-stage venture capital initiative launched by Pearl Uppal and Gaurav Kachru who earlier headed the e-commerce ventures of the Delhi-based Smile Group. Uppal and Kachru also invested in their personal capacity.

The startup was founded in 2012 by siblings Maxel & Sanju Rapheal. A MBA from University of London, Maxel had worked as an investment banker prior to setting up WooMe, while his brother Sanju had worked with Motorola after completing his Engineering degree. The duo had earlier founded an unnamed mobile TV startup in Silicon Valley.

WooMe is a mobile app that enables interactivity among TV channels, music, movies, movie trailers, radio, multiplexes and advertising. With its audio content recognition (ACR) technology, the app listens and recognises what a user is watching or listening and serves additional relevant content such as exclusive videos, pictures, news and trivia to the users' mobile screens. This allows brands to interact with their users in a contextual and meaningful manner using the mobile screen.

WooMe claims that it has already indexed over 30 million songs across Bollywood, Tamil, Telugu, English and other global music. Currently WooMe has enabled interactivity on around 25 TV channels including music channels like 9XM, 9XO, Jalwa, ETC and is planning to scale to 100 TV Channels by the end of this year.

WooMe has also an exclusive partnership with Sportz Interactive, a STATS Global company for engaging sports fans with engaging branded content. WooMe is also integrating its technology with multiplexes across India for making pre-show trailers and commercials more interesting and engaging.

"With our patent pending technology any TV channel, music, movie trailer or ad anywhere in the world can be activated with interactive content in less than 15 minutes. Advertisers can directly communicate to the consumers like pushing an exclusive deal, extended product video, more info or even conducting a poll as they watch the ad on TV, multiplex or even listening to Radio," said Maxel.

"India is fast becoming a mobile-centric country. We tend to consume more content on our mobile screens than via conventional access points and that trend will continue to strengthen with larger screens, better bandwidth and more computing power. Woome is an innovative & relevant product at the forefront of that wave, helping Indian brands and entertainment powerhouses connect with their customers in a meaningful, contextual & relevant format," said Uppal.