Smule raises $20M from Times Bridge, with plans to expand India operations
Summary
The latest round follows a $54 million raise in May of last year, led by Tencent, intent on helping the company expand Asia operations. The “strategic investment” comes as Smule pushes to expand its footprint in India, currently the second largest of the app maker’s international markets. “Building the Smule brand in India is a long term process, but a critical facet of realizing our vision to connect the world through music,” CEO and co-founder Jeffrey Smith told TechCrunch. “We are therefore thrilled to expand our reach in India through this significant partnership with Times Bridge.” The round marks the first full social media partnership for Times Bridge, which finds the organization leveraging connections with local artists and helping to provide targeted marketing for Smule. We are delighted to be working with a partner who approaches India with the empathy, conviction and optimism that the Indian market warrants.”