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Social media platform <keyword id="3518161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo" source="Orion">Koo</keyword> — an Indian counterpart to microblogging website Twitter — has now enabled Aadhaar-based self verification feature on its platform. The process is completely voluntary and will eventually accept other government-issued identification cards. Mayank Bidawatka, cofounder of Koo, mentioned that Koo does not store any customer information of the customer’s Aadhaar. The company emphasised that it is currently using only Aadhaar cards as other modes of identification are not widespread. All self verified profiles will host a green tick next to the name. This is not the same as the verification on Twitter, Koo uses yellow tick marks for such verification. The green tick means to verify users on their app as authentic. The company has noted that the whole self-verification tool will take less than 30 seconds. “Users can get self-verified in less than 30 seconds through our safe and secure verification process. This is a huge step towards lending greater authenticity to users and promoting responsible behavior on the platform. Most social media only give this power to some accounts. Koo is the first platform that has now empowered every user to have the same privilege,” Aprameya Radhakrishna, cofounder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Koo, said in a statement. How to get verified on Koo? <ol><li>Click on the self-verification button on the Koo profile</li><li>Enter the government ID number. The platform only accepts Aadhaar at the moment.</li><li>Enter the OTP (one-time-password) you get on your number registered with the Aadhaar card or the government id.</li><li>Once authenticated, the self-verification would be completed.</li></ol>Back in 2019, a petitioner in Tamil Nadu had filed a plea before the Madras High Court seeking verification of all social media profiles with Aadhaar cards. The same year even the Tamil Nadu government had told the Supreme Court of India that all social media profiles should be linked with Aadhaar numbers in order to keep the spread of fake news and misinformation in checks on social media. The state government was also of the belief that such linkage could prevent pornographic, anti-national and other harmful content on these social media platforms. The Supreme Court had rejected the plea. SEE ALSO <a class="tout-title-link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tcs-marico-tata-steel-adani-enterprises-among-stocks-to-watch-out-for-on-april-6/slidelist/90675501.cms">TCS, Marico, Tata Steel, Adani Enterprises among stocks to watch out for on April 6</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/josh-dailyhunt-parent-company-verse-raises-805-million-takes-valuation-to-5-billion/articleshow/90675633.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Josh, Dailyhunt parent company VerSe raises $805 million, takes valuation to $5 billion</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/auto/news/toyota-hilux-price-specification-features-in-india/slidelist/90667350.cms">All you need to know about the new heavy-duty pickup truck— Toyota Hilux</a>

Koo now allows Aadhaar-based verification on its microblogging platform

<ul><li><keyword id="4451422" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart-CEO-Kalyan-Krishnamurthy">Flipkart CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy</keyword>, <keyword id="10944578" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="zerodha-founder-nikhil-kamath">Zerodha founder Nikhil Kamath</keyword> feature in the list of investors that bought out Shunwei Capital’s stake.</li><li>Shunwei Capital had held over 9% stake in Bombinate Technologies, the parent company of Vokal and Koo.</li><li>Koo, the microblogging platform founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, had seen an upsurge in users after the Indian government’s standoff with Twitter.</li></ul>Bombinate Technologies, the parent company of Vokal and Koo, has shown the door to one of its early investors China’s Shunwei Capital as it rides on the ‘Made in India’ bandwagon. While the company didn’t release any financial details, it said that Shunwei Capital had held a bit more than 9% in Bombinate Technologies. With the Indian government’s regulations on Chinese investors and crackdown on Chinese apps in the light of the Indo-China border clash, startups have been conscious. Indian startups that are backed by Chinese investors, have been subject to <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Startups/Indian-startups-face-a-new-normal-amid-China-conflict">backlash</a> on social media platforms, which has deviated from their ‘Made in India’ image. Chinese investors like Tencent, Alibaba who had so far been major investors in India’s startup ecosystem, are now looking at ways to<a href="https://www.livemint.com/companies/news/alibaba-puts-fresh-investment-plans-in-india-on-hold-11598459771981.html"> exit </a>their startup investments in India. The Tata Group’s reported acquisition of Indian grocery startup BigBasket is set to give an exit to one of BigBasket’s early investors – Alibaba. In Koo’s case, for the buyout of the Chinese investor came along Indian entrepreneurs and leaders of the startup ecosystem. Former Indian cricketer Javagal Srinath, BookMyShow founder Ashish Hemrajani, Udaan co-founder Sujeet Kumar, <keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword> CEO Kalyan Krishnamurthy and <keyword id="759851" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zerodha">Zerodha</keyword> founder Nikhil Kamath bought out Shunwei Capital’s stake. Koo, the microblogging platform founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali and Malayalam. “As earlier stated, we had been in discussion with Shunwei Capital to enable a smooth exit after it invested in our company 2.5 years ago while we were raising funds for Vokal and have now fully exited the parent company Bombinate Technologies,” said Aprameya Radhakrishna, CEO and Co-founder, Koo in a statement. In India, the recent standoff between Twitter and the Indian government, which wanted the social media giant to ban <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/twitter-accounts-block-govt-notice-khalistan-sympathiser-pakistan-7179728/">certain handles</a>, had come as a boon for Koo. When Business Insider had spoken with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-indian-rival-koo-has-crossed-3-million-downloads-as-ministers-and-actors-got-down-to-promoting-it-the-founders-are-ecstatic/articleshow/80788087.cms">Bidawatka in </a>February 2021, the ecstatic founder had shared that the barely 10-month old app Koo had crossed over 3 million downloads, registering a 10X growth since December, 2020. Koo had earlier in February raised $4.1 million as part of its Series A funding recently from 3one4 Capital, Accel Partners, Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures and Dream Incubator. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/nazara-technologies-ipo-opens-today-should-you-subscribe/articleshow/81542657.cms">Nazara Technologies will be the first pure-play gaming company to debut on the Indian public markets – analysts are all in for it</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/paytm-is-betting-big-on-upi-and-though-its-still-a-distant-third-analysts-believe-it-could-have-an-edge-over-phonepe-and-google-pay/articleshow/81527588.cms">Paytm is betting big on UPI and though it’s still a distant third, analysts believe it could have an edge over PhonePe and Google Pay</a>

A flurry of Indian A-list entrepreneurs buyout Chinese investor Shunwei Capital’s stake in Koo – the microblogging site that’s taking on Twitter

<ul><li>Koo, an Indian alternative to Twitter, is reportedly exposing personal data of users.</li><li>A French security researcher, Robert Baptiste (@fs0c131y), has posted his findings on Twitter.</li><li>Koo has found support from India’s Hindu right wing, railway minister Piyush Goyal, and PM Modi.</li><li>Baptiste has, in the past, exposed security flaws in the Aarogya Setu app.</li></ul><keyword id="9550495" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Koo-App">Koo app</keyword> is reportedly exposing personal data of users, according to a French security researcher. Koo is a desi alternative to Twitter and allows its users to post short messages just like Twitter. According to Robert Baptiste who goes by the pseudonym Elliot Alderson (@fs0c131y), Koo is exposing sensitive user information like email address, date of birth, gender and marital status. Baptiste has, in the past, exposed flaws in various government apps and websites, including the government-mandated <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/these-are-the-privacy-issues-in-aarogya-setu-indias-covid-19-tracker-app-alleged-by-french-hacker-elliot-alderson/articleshow/75592800.cms">Aarogya Setu app</a>, which the Indian authorities have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/aarogya-setu-claims-its-app-is-secure-denies-privacy-breach/articleshow/75569270.cms">vehemently refuted.</a> He posted his findings on Twitter, including screenshots of the code he analyzed. <div type="twitter" handle="fs0c131y" handlename="Elliot Alderson" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/991657715192750081/tQymlTdJ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="7385" retweetcount="3592" status="You asked so I did it. I spent 30 min on this new Koo app. The app is leaking of the personal data of his users: em… https://t.co/bwYznLDlv5" createdat="1612982634000" id="1359573825579548674"></div> According to him, Koo has a domain registered in the US, but the registrant of the domain is based in China. The founders recently admitted to having a Chinese investor who, they <a href="https://twitter.com/aprameya/status/1359501894779953158">said</a>, would be bought out. We have reached out to Koo for a comment on the matter and will update the story with their statement when we receive it. Koo’s co-founder Aprameya Radhakrishna took to Twitter to downplay the ‘leak’. <div type="twitter" handle="aprameya" handlename="Aprameya R" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/772832843982475265/NX-Wj-Mo_normal.jpg" favoritecount="1258" retweetcount="309" status="Some news about data leaking being spoken about unnecessarily. Please read this:The data visible is something tha… https://t.co/UgDtCnvNUH" createdat="1613026723000" id="1359758747405438977"></div> Koo is being backed by Indian ministers as an alternative to Twitter Koo has gained popularity of late after India’s ministers and pro-government activists started a #BanTwitter campaign on Twitter. They also started promoting Koo, which also saw Indian ministers like Piyush Goyal chip in with a tweet nudging his followers to join him on the app. <div type="twitter" handle="PiyushGoyal" handlename="Piyush Goyal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1242114357682515971/x6zWYqzZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="13495" retweetcount="3693" status="I am now on Koo. Connect with me on this Indian micro-blogging platform for real-time, exciting and exclusive upd… https://t.co/L09sLRtzDM" createdat="1612859791000" id="1359058583934013442"></div> Prime Minister Narendra Modi also promoted Koo in one of his monthly addresses to the people. The app also won the government’s Digital India AtmaNirbhar Bharat Innovate Challenge in 2020. The 10-month-old app has over <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-indian-rival-koo-has-crossed-3-million-downloads-as-ministers-and-actors-got-down-to-promoting-it-the-founders-are-ecstatic/articleshow/80788087.cms">3 million downloads</a> now, registering 10x growth since December, 2020. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/twitter-indian-rival-koo-has-crossed-3-million-downloads-as-ministers-and-actors-got-down-to-promoting-it-the-founders-are-ecstatic/articleshow/80788087.cms">Twitter’s Indian rival Koo has crossed 3 million downloads as ministers and actors got down to promoting it⁠— the founders are ecstatic</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/what-happens-if-the-government-bans-cryptocurrencies-should-i-sell-bitcoin-checkout-experts-views/articleshow/80782941.cms">“Should I sell my cryptocurrencies?” and other questions answered on India’s proposed Crypto Ban bill</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-considering-four-day-work-weeks-but-with-longer-hours/articleshow/80763247.cms">India is considering four-day work weeks but with longer shifts</a>

French security researcher claims Twitter's desi rival Koo is 'leaking' personal data of users

<ul><li><keyword id="3518161" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo">Koo</keyword> is a microblogging platform and is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali and Malayalam.</li><li>The barely 10-month old app Koo has now crossed over 3 million downloads, registering a 10X growth since December, 2020.</li><li><keyword id="6354616" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Twitter">Twitter</keyword> users are jumping on to the Made in India app Koo, as they dismiss the Jack Dorsey-led global social media giant over its recent controversies with the Indian government.</li></ul>The one app that everyone’s talking about on Twitter today is its Indian alternative Koo. India’s Hindu right wing upped its ante against Twitter, with #BanTwitter, they promoted the homegrown alternative, Koo, which led to a windfall. The barely 10-month old app Koo has now crossed over 3 million downloads, registering a 10X growth since December, 2020. Enjoying their moment in the sun are founders Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, co-founders of Koo, which is a microblogging platform and is available in English, Hindi, Kannada, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Bengali and Malayalam. <div type="image" title="koo" msid="80788103" hostid="261"></div> It’s hockey stick for both Twitter and Koo The recent standoff between Twitter and the Indian government, which wanted the social media giant to ban <a href="https://indianexpress.com/article/india/twitter-accounts-block-govt-notice-khalistan-sympathiser-pakistan-7179728/">certain handles</a>, has become a bane for Jack Dorsey and a boon for Koo. Twitter declined the Indian government’s request to ban certain handles of journalists, activists as doing so “"would violate their fundamental right to free expression under Indian law". Soon after, country’s top ministers like Piyush Goyal to bollywood actors like Anupam Kher and Kangana Ranaut, hundreds of verified profiles on Twitter are jumping on to the Made in India app Koo. “Last few days we have seen a hockey stick growth, we have got more users than we expected. It was unplanned, sudden and it’s very overwhelming but we are happy that people are willing to try out this Indian product,” said Bidawatka in an interview to Business Insider in the middle of what he describes a crazy day. <div type="twitter" handle="PiyushGoyal" handlename="Piyush Goyal" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1242114357682515971/x6zWYqzZ_normal.jpg" favoritecount="13089" retweetcount="3572" status="I am now on Koo. Connect with me on this Indian micro-blogging platform for real-time, exciting and exclusive upd… https://t.co/L09sLRtzDM" createdat="1612859791000" id="1359058583934013442"></div> <div type="twitter" handle="KanganaTeam" handlename="Kangana Ranaut" image="http://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1328363769848709120/RYB3_4Fd_normal.jpg" favoritecount="6829" retweetcount="1526" status="Your time is up @Twitter time to shift to #kooapp will inform everyone soon about my account details there. Absolu… https://t.co/lJNwf0zWh8" createdat="1612953243000" id="1359450551126269952"></div> And the <keyword id="10739078" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Koo-founders">Koo founders</keyword>, who admire Twitter’s product, found their app as one of the top trends on Twitter. “It's unfortunate that certain events have unfolded and you know, that things are being questioned. The fact that we can trend on that platform shows how democratic that platform is,” said Bidawatka. Both Bidawatka and Radhakrishna ⁠— are serial entrepreneurs, the latter having previously founded TaxiForSure and sold it to the unicorn Ola⁠— were always working on an Indian alternative to Twitter. But they didn’t think the opportunity would emerge out of a controversy. <div type="image" title="Koo2" msid="80788255" hostid="261"></div> A few months ago, Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself had mentioned Koo in his monthly address to the people. That brought the first big wave of users to the platform. Listen to this podcast with the founders of Koo, recorded after they won the Atmanirbhar app challenge by the Indian government in August, 2020. <div type="javascript" title="Custom" contenttype="Video"><cdata><![CDATA[]]></cdata></div> While they admired Twitter for the product that it was, the founders saw an opportunity. “Indians that don't speak in English were not well represented there, for example, there were very few Kannada, Tamil, tweets. Nothing close to the potential of our internet using population. We wanted to build an immersive experience on the product,” he said. The two men also run Vokal, a vernacular question and answer knowledge sharing app, they understood the languages space and found experts on their platform still missing a place to express their thoughts. “We know the vernacular story and power of Indian languages. The microblogging format is very all encompassing, it's easy to create and consume,” said Bidawatka. And that’s how Koo was formed. Koo also raised $4.1 million as part of its Series A funding recently from 3one4 Capital, Accel Partners, Kalaari Capital, Blume Ventures and Dream Incubator. While the valuation of the company, remains undisclosed, Bidawatka said they found the right set of investors who believe in their product, even if it's just 10-month old. And as users keep pouring into Koo, the 40-member team is on overdrive to keep things running. Even while there are teething issues, like every small company has. “We are dealing with the scale that has been thrown at us,” he said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/what-happens-if-the-government-bans-cryptocurrencies-should-i-sell-bitcoin-checkout-experts-views/articleshow/80782941.cms">“Should I sell my cryptocurrencies?” and other questions answered on India’s proposed Crypto Ban bill</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-is-considering-four-day-work-weeks-but-with-longer-hours/articleshow/80763247.cms">India is considering four-day work weeks but with longer shifts</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/what-is-facial-recognition-technology-and-how-india-is-using-it-to-track-down-protestors-and-individuals/articleshow/80782606.cms">India is ramping up the use of facial recognition to track down individuals without any laws to keep track of how this technology is being used</a>

Twitter’s Indian rival Koo has crossed 3 million downloads as ministers and actors got down to promoting it⁠— the founders are ecstatic

<ul><li><keyword id="3518161" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo" source="Orion">Koo</keyword> has spent 65% of its total Facebook ad spends transactions in the last 90 days.</li><li>The company aims to close 2021 with 100 million users registered to the platform, Koo co-founder said.</li><li>Koo currently has over 14 million app downloads, a 10x increase since September last year.</li></ul>Social media app Koo started with a big bang, garnering interest from users, investors and in some cases even government officials. The company sprung up in March 2020 as Twitter’s Indian alternative and started gaining momentum in June last year, as relations between Twitter and the Indian government started straining. After 18 months, 14 million downloads and $34 million (₹255 crore) in fundraising, Koo is now splurging on Facebook ads to get more users on board and take on Twitter that has <a href="https://www.statista.com/statistics/242606/number-of-active-twitter-users-in-selected-countries/">22 million</a> users in India. The company has spent a little over ₹2.4 crore on Facebook ads in the last 90 days, according to <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&amp;ad_type=political_and_issue_ads&amp;country=IN&amp;view_all_page_id=101044114877636&amp;search_type=page&amp;media_type=all">Facebook Ad Library</a>. That’s ₹80 lakh a month and ₹2.6 lakh a day, making Koo the top spender on Facebook in the last three months. These ads were run across Facebook-owned platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and its audience network. Interestingly, this is 65% of the total marketing expense (₹3.7 crore) Koo has made on the Facebook app since its inception in March 2020. It seems to be working because the Koo app was downloaded over 3.3 million times between July 8 to October 5, as per App Annie report accessed by Business Insider. <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;" class="redcator-table-advance"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Timeline </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Ad spent </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">App Downloads </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">March 2020-October 5, 2021 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹3.78 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14.3 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Last 90 days (July 8-October 5, 2021) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹2.4 crore </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">3.3 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Last 30 days (September 6 - October 5, 2021) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹78 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">1 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Last 7 days (September 29 - October 5, 2021) </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">₹12.7 lakh </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">230,000 </td></tr></tbody><tbody></tbody><tbody></tbody></table> The app was downloaded 3.5 million times between July 1 to October 5, which is 5 lakh lower than April to June quarter. Please note that not all these downloads were generated through ads, some of them maybe organic as well. <div type="image" title="Koo is spending ₹2.6 lakh a day on Facebook to beat Twitter" msid="86868782" hostid="261"></div> Koo was co-founded by Aprameya Radhakrishna and Mayank Bidawatka, who previously founded a Q&amp;A platform Vokal. The company wa founded to enable Indian users to converse freely in their local languages, which is not that widespread on Twitter. Koo currently has over 1.43 crore (or 14 million) downloads on its app, as per the App Annie analysis. This represents over 10 times increase from 17 lakh (1.7 million) downloads in September last year. The company, however, has set up higher targets for itself. “Our objective is to be extremely inclusive as a product and as a philosophy, so that every Indian is comfortable voicing their opinions. We want to get to 250 million users a month. We want to reach 100 million users by the end of the year, and I am as confident as an entrepreneur can be that we will reach there,”<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/advertising/ad-tech/article/i-am-confident-we-will-get-to-100-million-users-by-the-end-of-this-year-mayank-bidawatka-koo/articleshow/81210997.cms"> Bidawatka told</a> Business Insider earlier in February this year. As a part of its strategy, Koo is available in 10 local languages — Hindi, English, Assamese, Gujarati, Kannada, Tamil and Telugu, among others. It plans to add 15 more languages to its platform to attract more customers. The company is backed by the who's who of the tech world including Tiger Global, Mirae Asset Capital, Coinbase’s former chief technology officer (CTO) Balaji S. Srinivasan, Ashish Hemrajani of BookMyShow, Vivekananda Hallekere of Bounce and Zerodha’s Nikhil Kamath. Koo is currently available in India as well as Nigeria, which banned Twitter earlier this year. Some prominent Indian personalities using Koo app are Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. SEE ALSO <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/tata-sons-buy-air-india-for-2-39-billion-from-the-indian-government/articleshow/86867529.cms">Tata Sons buys ‘Maharaja’ for $2.39 billion from the Indian government</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/telecom/news/airtel-announces-cashback-of-6000-free-one-time-screen-replacement-on-purchase-of-new-devices/articleshow/86865821.cms">Airtel announces cashback of ₹6,000, free one-time screen replacement on purchase of new devices</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tata-motors-titan-ongc-bandhan-bank-and-bosch-stand-out-this-week-with-over-10-rallies/slidelist/86866914.cms">Tata Motors, Titan, ONGC, Bandhan Bank and Bosch stand out this week with over 10% rallies</a>

Koo is spending ₹2.6 lakh a day on Facebook to beat Twitter

New Delhi, Homegrown Twitter-like platform <keyword id="3518161" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="koo">Koo</keyword> has garnered over 10 lakh new users in just one week, surpassing the 40 lakh-figure in nearly 10 months of its arrival, as Twitter was caught in crosshairs with the Indian government over its direction to remove nearly 1,400 controversial accounts. Koo, a favourite among several Union ministers, including IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad who is at the forefront of the government's war with Twitter, has reached 4.2 million users within no time. According to data analytics platform Statista, as of January 2021, the micro-blogging platform Twitter had an audience reach of 69.3 million users in the US. Japan and India were ranked second and third with 50.9 and 17.5 million users, respectively. The fast-growing vernacular platform Koo describes itself as a personal updates and opinion sharing micro-blogging service. The app won the Atmanirbhar App Innovation Challenge held in August last year and Prime Minister <keyword id="6354477" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Narendra-Modi">Narendra Modi</keyword> encouraged Indians to use the Koo app in his 'Mann Ki Baat' speech too. However, Koo also found itself in the midst of several controversies including a data leak row and Chinese investment. Koo Co-founder and CEO Aprameya Radhakrishna denied that there was any data leak. "Koo is an India registered company with Indian founders. Raised earlier capital 2.5 years ago. Latest funds for Bombinate Technologies is led by a truly Indian investor 3one4 capital. Shunwei (single digit shareholder) which had invested in our Vokal journey will be exiting fully," Radhakrishna said in an earlier investment. Koo has raised $4.1 million as part of its Series A funding. Infosys veteran Mohandas Pai's 3one4 Capital is the latest addition to the investors on board, according to the company, and <keyword id="144381" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Accel-Partners">Accel Partners</keyword>, <keyword id="1397792" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kalaari-Capital">Kalaari Capital</keyword>, <keyword id="592779" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blume-Ventures">Blume Ventures</keyword> and Dream Incubator also participated in the round. "We have got more love than we expected. Our systems are facing more load than ever. Thank you for placing your trust in us. Our team is working on overdrive to fix it. We request your patience and support through this time. Let's do this together," Radhakrishna had said. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/india-issues-new-guidelines-for-passengers-arriving-from-the-uk-brazil-europe-and-middle-east-countries/articleshow/81083248.cms">India issues new guidelines for passengers arriving from the UK, Brazil, Europe and Middle-East countries</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/not-just-a-tiktok-clone-says-chingari-app-founder-with-their-latest-shop-within-videos-feature-which-he-claims-is-the-next-big-thing-in-social-commerce/articleshow/81084432.cms">‘Not just a TikTok clone,’ says Chingari founder with their latest shop within videos feature which he claims is the next big thing in social commerce</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-f62-review-the-new-mid-range-killer/articleshow/81084382.cms">Samsung Galaxy F62 review – the new mid-range killer</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/cairn-energy-ceo-meets-indian-finance-secretary-as-shareholders-impatiently-wait-for-action-on-the-1-4-billion-tax-dispute/articleshow/81087952.cms">Cairn Energy CEO meets Indian finance secretary as shareholders impatiently wait for action on the $1.4 billion tax dispute</a>

You Searched For "Koo App" and got 6 results

Koo now allows Aadhaar-based verification on its microblogging platform

Kritti Bhalla

A flurry of Indian A-list entrepreneurs buyout Chinese investor Shunwei Capital’s stake in Koo – the microblogging site that’s taking on Twitter

Sanchita Dash

French security researcher claims Twitter's desi rival Koo is 'leaking' personal data of users

Rounak Jain

Twitter’s Indian rival Koo has crossed 3 million downloads as ministers and actors got down to promoting it⁠— the founders are ecstatic

Sanchita Dash

Koo is spending ₹2.6 lakh a day on Facebook to beat Twitter

Kritti Bhalla

As Twitter engages in a firefight with the Indian government, homegrown rival Koo crosses 4 million users within 10 months of launch

IANS

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