Kuku, an Indian storytelling platform backed by Google, has raised $85 million in fresh funding as it aims to scale its audio and video content offerings amid intensifying competition in the South Asian nation’s mobile-first content market.

The Series C round, led by Granite Asia (formerly GGV Capital), values Kuku at more than double its previous valuation to around $500 million, Kuku founder and CEO Lal Chand Bisu confirmed to TechCrunch. The round also saw participation from Vertex Growth Fund, Krafton, IFC, Paramark, Tribe Capital India, and Bitkraft.

The latest round also included secondary transactions, with some of Kuku’s early investors partially exiting by selling their shares to new investors. This includes Google, which held under a 2% stake and is now exiting entirely, Bisu t

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