Business Remedies | Rajshree Upadhyaya | July 01,2025 | Due to his deep interest in business, Vinay Singhal launched his startup “STAGE” with regional content and achieved a significant position by bringing a revolution in the Indian OTT space. The first time he made his mark was in 2014, when he co-founded WittyFeed with his brother Praveen and friend Shashank Vaishnav. Their viral content platform grew rapidly, attracting over 120 million monthly users and around 420 million page views. However, by the end of 2018, success came to a sudden halt when Facebook unexpectedly took down their page, wiping out their distribution channel and severely impacting both revenue and morale.
Due to salary uncertainty for the team, Vinay and his co-founders had to make a tough decision. They paid the employees from their depleting funds, offered delayed salaries in exchange for equity, and refused to give up, determined to rise again. After six months of introspection, they focused on filling a gap they believed was being ignored. At the end of 2019, Vinay relaunched his startup as STAGE-a local language-based OTT platform featuring regional content created in India’s countless dialects such as Haryanvi, Rajasthani, Bhojpuri, and more, designed to reach non-metro users. Where mainstream entrepreneurs saw little value, he saw fertile ground.
STAGE engaged over a thousand local contributors, produced over 300 hours of original programming, and acquired 130,000 subscribers at Rs. 400 per year. Strong metrics-94% retention and 10% trial-to-paid conversion-validated their insight.
Experienced Surge After Show Broadcast
In 2022, Vinay brought STAGE to Shark Tank India Season 2, seeking Rs. 3 crore for 1% equity at a Rs. 300 crore valuation. The pitch won hearts, resulting in offers from Aman Gupta, Namita Thapar, and Peyush Bansal. The final deal included Rs. 1.5 crore in equity and Rs. 1.5 crore in debt at 18% interest, bringing the company’s valuation to Rs. 250 crore. While some considered the valuation high, it marked significant validation by turning skepticism into credibility. After the show aired, STAGE experienced a massive surge-app downloads crossed 5 million, content expanded to 700-800 hours, and revenue jumped to Rs. 15 crore per month (around Rs. 50 lakh per day). The annual recurring revenue (ARR) grew from Rs. 250 crore to Rs. 600 crore in less than two years, a 60x increase.
Growth as a Layer of Cultural Confidence
Vinay attributes this resurgence not just to funding but to cultural resonance and strategic focus. He deliberately built STAGE in smaller cities like Indore and Noida, kept costs low, and deeply developed content in local dialects. By prioritizing regional languages and talent, STAGE evolved as a “layer of cultural confidence” in India, empowering creators and communities. The momentum continued to attract support. In early 2025, a $12.5 million Series B funding round was closed, led by Goodwater Capital and Blume Ventures. This pushed the subscriber base to 4.4 million paying households and ARR to around Rs. 180 crore. With live events, web series, interactive formats, and expanded engagement in Singapore, the U.S., and a partnership with ZEE5 Global, STAGE’s reach extended into more dialects.
India’s First Dialect-Focused OTT Platform
Reddit acknowledged that investors were “betting on the founders, not the product,” indicating there was still some skepticism around dialect-based content. Yet, most saw STAGE as a smartly underserved niche with immense potential. Today, STAGE is India’s first dialect-focused OTT platform, celebrating the country’s linguistic heritage while delivering strong business performance. Vinay’s journey-rising from the ruins of WittyFeed, facing downfall, and building a Rs. 600 crore company-reflects his resilience, cultural insight, and ability to transform failures into a platform that amplifies traditionally unheard voices.
Written & Edited By:
Rajshree Upadhyaya
