#Asia Kamcord raises US$10M Series C led by Time Warner, launches Appcasting

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The new feature will allow users to live broadcast their smartphone screen, and every activity going on there

Appcasting_Asset

Mobile game live-streaming app Kamcord today announced that they have received a US$10 million Series C funding led by Time Warner, with participation from Tencent, Translink Capital, XG Ventures, and Wargaming.

The funding puts the company at more than US$100 million valuation.

“One of the reasons why this round came together so quickly is that we actually had our entire Series B in the bank. We didn’t need all that money. Time Warner came to us preemptively and took this round because they are so interested,” said Kamcord Co-Founder Adithya Rathnam in an interview with e27.

Rathnam cited that the potential value of the personal live-streaming platforms as the main reason why Time Warner is interested in the company, and that Kamcord also has a strong access to the teen audience, which every major media company is after.

The funding will be used to support Kamcord’s international expansion to Southeast Asia and Europe.

Also Read: Betting it all on mobile: Kamcord Co-founder Aditya Rathnam

Kamcord also took the opportunity to announce their new feature Appcasting.

“Live-streaming space in the US is just crazy right now. I can’t remember the last time four of the biggest consumer tech companies in the world — Facebook, Twitter, Google, Snapchat — are just so interested in one thing, which is live,” Rathnam said.

“At the same time, these four companies are also making the same strategic mistake of treating live streaming like a social network,” he added, further explaining that it is really hard to be an entertaining streamer on this kind of social media platform.

The solution that Kamcord offers would allow users (‘content creator’) to live-stream their phone screen, along with their voices and their faces – revealing to audiences the apps and sites that a content creator is using and browsing through. Audiences will be able to see and comment on the activity.

“Your phone actually has three cameras. The back camera which you use to take photos of the world. The front camera or the selfie camera. And the third camera on your phone is your phone screen itself,” said Rathnam.

Also Read: Kamcord to continue growing in Asia with US$15M led by GungHo

“What happened on people’s phone screen is the most interesting of all, that’s why they’re staring at it four to six hours a day,” he added.

Rathnam gave example on how people would react to a news about Donald Trump on their timeline, and how they would share their comments or reaction to their friends on social media platforms.

He believed that it is easier compared to having to create an original content from scratch, the pain point that many users of live-streaming app such as Periscope are currently experiencing.

To promote the new feature, Kamcord is teaming up with Australian-Chinese make-up and fashion critics Wengie, who will be regularly broadcasting her comments and advice on make-up and fashion trends.

The new feature will also use the same monetising feature as with Kamcord’s game-streaming feature, but it will be able to reach to a wider audience beyond online gamer communities. The company claimed to have approached a US$2 million ARR and growing 40 per cent month-over-month off their virtual goods business model.

Rathnam claimed that people who have tested the app have been using it to broadcast activities on their food delivery app. Audiences will recommend food for the content creator to have, and they are going to see the process as the creator takes the order, await the food delivery, then proceeds to eating.

Image Credit: Kamcord

The post Kamcord raises US$10M Series C led by Time Warner, launches Appcasting appeared first on e27.

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