In a big leap for regional digital entertainment, Chai Bisket, the popular Telugu content startup, has raised $5 million in seed funding to launch Chai Shots—a mobile-first OTT platform exclusively dedicated to microdramas. The round was led by Info Edge Ventures and General Catalyst, with backing from some of India’s most prominent tech and entertainment entrepreneurs.
Chai Shots will focus on two-minute fictional episodes designed for binge consumption—tapping into the rising demand for snackable, high-emotion storytelling among Gen Z and audiences in India’s Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities.
Founded in 2015 by Sharath Chandra and Anurag Reddy, Chai Bisket has built a strong Telugu digital footprint with over 2 billion views across its network and more than 50 million monthly views. With a 100+ member team, the startup is now looking to scale this success into a new category altogether.
Chai Shots will first launch in Telugu and gradually roll out original series in Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada, promising over 100 original shows within the first six months. The platform’s technology and product vision are being led by Krishna Mohan Varma, who joins as a cofounder.
Adding star power and startup wisdom to the mix, the round includes angel investments from Rana Daggubati, Swiggy’s Sri Harsha Majety and Nandan Reddy, RedBus founder Phanindra Sama, Darwinbox’s Rohit Chennamaneni, PhysicsWallah founders Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari, Virgio’s Amar Nagaram, and Rapido’s Aravind Sanka, Rishikesh SR, and Pavan Guntupalli.
With smartphones becoming the new TV and attention spans getting shorter, microdramas—tight, fast-paced, and emotionally charged episodic fiction—are becoming the next big thing. The genre has exploded in China through platforms like iQIYI, DramaBox, and ReelShort, and now Chai Shots is ready to lead the Indian wave.
“We’re extremely bullish on microdramas as a format, especially in regional languages like Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Kannada, where there’s both strong demand and a high willingness to pay for original content,” said Kitty Agarwal, partner at Info Edge Ventures.
With strong investor backing, a proven team, and an untapped regional market, Chai Shots is set to redefine how India’s next generation watches fiction—one bite-sized cliffhanger at a time.
