MUMBAI: Microdrama startup Reelsaga has raised $2.1 million in a seed funding round led by Picus Capital, marking India’s formal foray into the booming global trend of short-form serial storytelling. The round drew backing from ITI Growth Opportunities Fund, 8i Ventures, Nazara Technologies, Waveform Ventures, Bharat Founders Fund, and angel investors.

Reelsaga’s app, now live, delivers vertically shot, mobile-first fictional episodes in 50 to 100-part arcs—a genre popularised in China where short dramas now outperform traditional box office returns. With hyper-local storytelling and AI-driven personalisation, Reelsaga plans to scale across India, southeast Asia, and the middle east—markets projected to cross $10 billion in digital entertainment revenue by 2025.

“Vertical short dramas are a cultural revolution. Drama doesn’t need 40 minutes to move you”, said Reelsaga co-founder & CEO Shubh Bansal. “We’re using data science to deliver hyper-personalised stories at speed”.

Founded by ex-Truebil trio Bansal, Shanu Vivek, and Ritesh Pandey, the startup taps deep roots in consumer tech, creative media, and digital platforms. All three co-founders previously scaled and exited the used car marketplace Truebil, which was acquired by Spinny.

“We’re excited to back Reelsaga as they pioneer a new genre of storytelling”, said Picus Capital SVP Abhijay Thacker. “The team’s creative ambition and market clarity is rare. We see them leading the microdrama revolution in India”.

Microdramas have already gone mainstream in China, with over 5,000 series produced annually. Reelsaga aims to localise this model, offering narrative depth in bite-sized bursts tailored for India’s mobile-native gen z audience.

ITI Growth managing partner Mohit Gulati added, “They’re building for where the market is going—story-rich, culturally rooted, and mobile-first. The format is fresh and the team knows how to execute”.

With the fresh capital, Reelsaga plans to ramp up content production, refine its recommendation engine, and expand its creator network.