Kuku Technologies, the parent company of Kuku FM and Kuku TV, is building a 1,000-member AI-led content production unit as it looks to expand its microdrama business globally. The company has already hired nearly 200 people for the Mumbai-based unit and plans to increase the team to around 1,000 employees by the end of the current financial year, according to people familiar with the development.
The expansion comes as Kuku prepares for its proposed public-market debut. The company has confidentially filed draft IPO papers with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for a public issue of up to ₹3,500 crore. Through the proposed IPO, Kuku is targeting a valuation of around $1.8 billion.
The new AI-focused unit is being built with a mix of writers, filmmakers and engineers. Writers will work on developing stories and dialogues, while filmmakers will handle visual direction. Engineers, meanwhile, will develop AI systems for applications such as maintaining narrative continuity across long-running microdrama series.
Kuku expects the use of AI to significantly reduce the cost of producing microdramas. According to sources cited by Entrackr, the company expects its production costs to come down to 30%–50% of China’s levels. The company estimates that production could cost less than $100 per minute, compared with more than $150 per minute in China.
The company also expects AI-led production to improve content creation productivity. According to the sources, one person using AI-led production could produce around 20 minutes of usable video per day, compared with approximately one minute through traditional filming processes. Kuku declined to comment when contacted about the development.
Founded in 2018 by IIT alumni Lal Chand Bisu, Vinod Kumar and Vikas Goyal, Kuku operates across multiple digital-content platforms. Its portfolio includes Kuku FM, a vernacular audio platform; Kuku TV, a short-video streaming platform; and Guru, an edutainment platform. The company claims to have more than 10 million active paying subscribers, 400 million app downloads and a content library exceeding 60,000 hours across several Indian languages.
Kuku has raised more than $150 million from investors including Fundamentum Partnership, Krafton, Vertex Ventures, Granite Asia, IFC, Paramark Ventures, India Quotient and 3one4 Capital. Former Indian cricket captain MS Dhoni is also among the company’s backers.
The company has also recorded significant growth in revenue. According to sources cited in the report, Kuku’s revenue increased nearly sevenfold to more than ₹1,400 crore in FY26, compared with ₹240 crore in the financial year ended March 2025.
Kuku’s planned expansion of its AI-led content team comes as the company seeks to scale its microdrama business while preparing for a potential public listing. The combination of AI-driven production, a larger content team and the proposed ₹3,500 crore IPO marks the next phase of Kuku Technologies’ expansion across digital entertainment.
