Ullu's Rise In India's Untamed OTT Underworld, Pine Labs Turns Public & More

Ullu’s Rise In India’s Untamed OTT Underworld

The Indian OTT space may be a tough nut to crack for many, but for 2018-founded Ullu, things are working like a charm, thanks to its “unconventional” content, which should carry a disclaimer — “Best consumed at night”.

Well, looking at the current scheme of things when the government is breathing down the necks of OTT platforms for showing obscene content, the homegrown IPO-bound streaming platform has managed to clock INR 100 Cr in revenues (in FY24) and 2 Mn subscribers, all while being profitable from day 1, by hinging its entire strategy on just one thing – sexual content.

So, what’s going on behind the scenes…

Baiting Users With Soft P**n: The biggest draw for viewers is Ullu’s array of shows and series flashing erotic posters and titillating titles. Alongside, the OTT platform actively uses performance marketing to push “free” short clips of its episodes on social media with cliff hangers, tempting viewers to the platform to buy cheap membership plans.

The Dark Side Of Ullu’s Production: Industry insiders are of the view that the only ingredient that Ullu relies on is “clingy sex scenes”. There is chatter in the market about how Ullu sources its crew and potential exploitation, providing heft to the question of how the streaming platform is able to produce its shows on a shoestring budget of INR 25 Lakh to INR 50 Lakh.

A Pushy Employer? From producing shows that show the host despite their refusal to targeting school kids with explicit plotlines, Ullu has come under fire multiple times and yet continues to outrage the morality on many fronts. Many of these concerns came to the fore when the .

While its erotic content has alike, Ullu continues to expand, fuelled by a thriving underground audience in India’s shadow OTT economy. For now, .

From The Editor’s Desk

: After filing an insolvency plea against the EPC company, IREDA has now approached the Delhi debt recovery tribunal to recover about INR 729 Cr from the company. Meanwhile, PFC is also exploring recovery through the DRT route.

: The Microsoft-backed SaaS startup has commenced insolvency proceedings and has appointed an administrator to manage its affairs. Builder.ai attributed the move to historic challenges and past decisions that strained its financials.

: Mythik, an AI-powered entertainment startup launched by Jason Kothari, has secured the capital in its seed round. The startup utilises AI to recreate Indian epics and folk stories into short videos.

? Having begun sales only in October 2023, the EV maker closed FY25 with the sale of 6,100 units and a massive revenue of INR 104 Cr. But, with deep-pocketed giants on its tail, can River stay ahead of the curve in the intense two-wheeler EV space?

: The logistics unicorn has filed its draft red herring prospectus with the SEBI via the pre-filing confidential route. The company, which proposes to list its shares on the BSE and the NSE, is eyeing up to INR 2,500 Cr via the public issue.

? Ahead of its much-awaited public listing, the fintech major has turned into a public entity. This comes after its shareholders greenlit a proposal to change the name of the company to “Pine Labs Ltd”. The startup is planning to float its $1 Bn IPO in late-2025.

: Under the Aggregator Cabs Policy 2025, a driver will have to pay INR 100 or 10% (whichever is lesser) of the fare for cancelling cab rides. This follows the Maharashtra cabinet issuing a government resolution on the new policy.

The consumer protection body has sent a notice to the ride-hailing platform over its “advance tip” feature for faster ride confirmations and pickups. Union Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi flagged the practice as “unfair”.

Inc42 Startup Spotlight Can Cura Care Become The Urban Company For India’s Dental Woes?

A significant portion of the population in India struggles with various oral health issues. Some studies suggest that 60-90% of school children and nearly 85-90% of adults in the country have dental cavities. Realising that dental care was the need of the hour, Abhinav Kumar, Chinmay Mittal and Dr. Paminder Singh founded Cura Care this year.

Dental Care At Home: The startup offers at-home dental services by sending qualified dentists and trained assistants to customers’ doorsteps. They arrive equipped with a portable dental chair, a teeth cleaning machine, and fully sterilised tool kits, ensuring safe and professional care without the need to visit a clinic.

Cura Care At Work: Cura Care offers services like cleaning, scaling, polishing, and teeth whitening. It caters to customers in major cities such as Delhi NCR and Bengaluru. Since its launch, the startup claims to have treated over 1,000 customers through home visits and oral wellness camps in Bengaluru alone.

While Cura Care is still in its infancy, it faces a healthy challenge from incumbents like Care24, Orange Health and Kyno Health. But, with the Indian dental care market projected to become a $3.2 Bn opportunity by 2030,

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