Graphic India raises $2.8 million seed round : economic times

BENGALURU: Character entertainment company Graphic India has raised a $2.8 million

seed financing round from CA Media, the Asian investment arm of The Chernin Group, and

New York­based media investment group Start Media, along with other angel investors.

"This new financing will expand our content offering and allow us to create India's premier

mobile platform for comics and animation ­ engaging and building a passionate community

of superhero, sci­fi and mythology fans through Graphic's content and characters," said

Sharad Devarajan, CEO and co­founder of Graphic India, who had previously co­founded

Liquid Comics (formerly Virgin Comics) with Sir Richard Branson.

Graphic India, a two­year­old startup, produces digital comics and animations based on

Indian mythological characters. So far, it has paired up with acclaimed cartoonists and

filmmakers such as Stan Lee, Shekhar Kapur, and Grant Morrison to create homegrown

superheroes such as "Chakra the Invincible," which is currently under development as a

Bollywood movie.

It has also signed licensing deals and content partnerships with Cartoon Network, Rovio, and YouTube, and is currently developing three Hollywood films. The company had previously raised $2.5 million seed funding from CA Media.

Over the next few months, the Bengaluru­based company expects to unveil a number of digital products and apps in India to directly engage with comic and animation fans in the under­25 demographic. The free offerings will be available in six languages, including English, Hindi, and Tamil.

"The characters, heroes and stories from Graphic India tap into the unique ingenuity and culture of India, but appeal to audiences worldwide," commented Rajesh Kamat, COO Chernin Asia Media Group. 

"With smart phones increasingly becoming the preferred medium of entertainment for the youth and the ever increasing consumer reach of mobiles in India, the move towards expanding their offering and creating content for smart phones & tablets will give them with a significant boost and enthuse the next generation of comic buffs." 

link to the webpage