Vuz, a startup known for providing overwhelming video experiences from Red Carpets and Cotball Football, has collected $ 12 million as its presence in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates doubles, as well as accelerating the expansion of Africa, Asia and the United States.
The company said that the financing round before the series C, led by the International Financial Corporation (IFC), also sparked the participation of Al Jazira Capital, the CrossWork VC success fund, many current investors, and many prominent Saudi family offices.
IFC investing is particularly noticeable. A member of the World Bank Group, more known for investing in financial infrastructure and logistical services across emerging markets, is based on a rare bet on consumer technology, specifically, the so -called “overwhelming internet”.
“They focus on emerging markets and we saw as a company that focuses on the global expansion and also in those markets. We worked in creators and the content space made them very excited and based on our progress and our development Khaled Za`ra He said in an interview with Techcrunch.
Vuz, formerly 360vuz, not just competing locally; It is against global giants such as YouTube, Tiktok, Twitch and Instagram, and platforms that already dominate the huge user bases and strong loyalty to creators.
But Vuz believes that he has an exact offer: overwhelming content, at an angle of 360 degrees that puts users “inside the experience”, whether it is Grammys in La, or La Liga match in Spain, or a fashion show in Dubai. Users can consume content through mobile applications, web, and VR headphones such as Apple Vision Pro and Oculus, as well as smart TVs.
The company that raised a 20 million dollars from the series B In 2022, exclusive deals occurred to the amazing broadcast with La Liga and The Professal Fighters League (PFL), and works with more than 100 content creators whose shared audience reaches 100 million.
The local broadcast flows, but it is still universal
VUZ expansion boost comes at a time when global broadcasting growth is in mature markets. YouTube and Tiktok dominate the first mobile video consumption in the United States, while fighting Netflix and Disney+ Churn fighting and focusing on profitability.
However, in emerging markets such as Egypt, Nigeria, Indonesia and Kenya, the growth of users is still accelerating, especially among the younger fans, self and mobile phones with appetite for video and direct content.
Al -Za`ra says that a victory is ready to meet this request. The platform crossed 15 million worldwide users, an increase of 10 million in 2022, and now recorded nearly 3 billion views on the screen, an increase of one billion at that time (when we covered the last time starting). The base of its users extends to the Middle East, the United States, Asia and Africa.
To accelerate its payment in the United States, the company turns from organic growth to paid marketing, with the aim of converting events viewers such as the Academy Awards ceremony and showing music into long -term users. Meanwhile, in Africa and Asia, Vuz invests in local partnerships, especially with telecommunications operators, to expand their distribution. It has more than 40 of these partnerships worldwide.
The VUZ liquefaction model has evolved from its previous days, when the platform offered about 70 % of its content for free revenues and generation through ads. Now, this percentage has turned into 60 % for free and 40 % of the distinct content, and can be accessed through an annual subscription or collected communication offers.
The company says it has doubled its revenues over the past two years and has an 80 % increase in total profits last year. While she refused to share precise numbers, Zaara says that the company reached profit profit before interest, taxes, destruction and consumption in 2024.
This is partially thanks to the Uber content model: instead of publishing large production sets, VUZ trains and increases independent correspondents and creators, often with ownership cameras, to photograph and download content. Creators often have the cost of allocated equipment from their future profits.
In addition, it supports creative startup via “Vuz Studio”, an internal team that helps freely editing and packing it quickly. According to zaatarah, this provides creators hours of liberation time. It also provides creators with live commercial features, allowing influencers, especially creators, by selling cosmetics or fashion elements directly during live tables.
To succeed, VUZ must convince users that overwhelming content is not just a way to circumvent and persuade creators that the income of Vuz is better than Tiktok or YouTube. In the Middle East and parts of Africa, where the Creator’s economy is still early and distribution partners are important, this may be possible.
But in the United States and other advanced markets, competition is tougher.
However, Zaraa believes that Vuz, which targets more than 5 billion by 2026, can sculpt a place by going to where others do not do.
He said: “YouTube and Netflix are great, but they do not build for creators in Nairobi or his head.” “We are building a product and network unit of excessive income-with the infrastructure to expand its scope worldwide.”
This scale focuses on focus: The company now has offices in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and the United States actively building teams in India and Indonesia. In Africa, a victory already lives in Egypt, Kenya and Nigeria, and says it will be launched in South Africa later this year.
“Vuz’s Tech Edge and Global Reach are well well with our state to support the developmentable platforms that enable creators,” said Farid Fizoa, Global Director of Technologies, Services, Funds and Boxes.
https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/IMG_1082.jpeg?resize=1200,625
Source link