Indian microblogging platform Koo to shut down after funding challenges

Koo, a social media platform designed for Indian languages, has announced the closure of its operations after failing to secure a buyer. The news was shared by co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna in a detailed LinkedIn post.

Koo aimed to bridge the gap between English-dominant platforms like Twitter and the multilingual reality of India. With 80% of the world speaking languages other than English, Koo offered a space for expression and connection in local languages.

The platform achieved early success, boasting a 10% like ratio (significantly higher than Twitter) and attracting over 2 million daily active users and 10 million monthly active users at its peak. It even included over 9,000 VIPs from various fields.

However, Koo struggled to secure long-term funding. As Radhakrishna explained, building a social media platform requires significant scale before generating revenue. Koo needed a "five to six year" investment window, but the current funding climate ("funding winter") made this impossible.

Despite the closure, Koo leaves a legacy of innovation. "We've built a globally scalable product in a fraction of the time" compared to Twitter, Radhakrishna stated, highlighting Koo's "superior systems, algorithms, and strong stakeholder-first philosophies." He expressed gratitude to the team, investors, creators, and users who supported Koo.

The future of Koo's technology remains uncertain. Radhakrishna hinted at the possibility of selling assets or even making the technology open-source to benefit global social conversations in native languages.

The closure underscores the challenges faced by Indian startups, particularly those requiring long-term investment. Radhakrishna emphasized the need for "patient, long-term capital" to build world-class products from India. He also hinted at future entrepreneurial endeavors, concluding, "As for us, we are entrepreneurs at heart, and you will see us back in the arena one way or another."