MAM
Virurl raises $1.2 mn in seed financing
MUMBAI: Viral advertising platform Virurl announced the closing of a $1.2 million seed funding round and launch of its public beta.
The financing was led by Tice Capital LLC, a Dallas investment company focusing on the technology and media categories, and Los Angeles Syndicate of Technology.
The platform allows brands and media owners to instantly launch viral campaigns by incentivising Web users to share links with their friends.
MSNBC.com’s founding director Merrill Brownwill be joining Virurl as its chairman. Brown is a New York-based consultant and advisor. He has helped launch numerous early stage ventures and is advisor to various companies in the advertising, marketing and digital media fields.
Brown said, “Virurl users have already delivered more than 1.7 million clicks to media across the web while collecting over $20,000 in earnings for themselves. With our seed financing closed, we look forward to continuing our rapid growth while investing in tools to help give publishers, brands and entrepreneurs an opportunity to quickly syndicate their content on the Web.”
Additionally, Virurl has also roped in diverdified media and entertainment company Indomitable Entertainment to help out in developing strategic partnerships and engaging customers and clients. As a result, the entertainment firm’s CEO Dominic Ianno will join the board while its digital media head Boyd Bishop will work closely with Virurl on its business development efforts.
Virurl CEO and co-founder Francisco Diaz-Mitoma said, “We know that people are social, and that the Web is social, so it makes sense that ads should be social as well. The holy grail for brand advertisers is having a piece of their content go viral — it really is about peer-to-peer sharing and with Virurl, we‘ve created an online marketplace that makes that possible in under 60 seconds.”
Indomitable Entertainment head of corporate development Mathew Guliner said, “We believe Virurl has a unique and effective vision for viral marketing that will significantly impact advertising and web analytics. In the past few years, we have seen how peer-to-peer sharing is vital for a brand‘s success in the marketplace, and as a result, we are firm believers that Virurl will ultimately alter the future of advertising both domestically and internationally.”
Virurl was founded by Francisco Diaz-Mitoma, who also founded the social gaming company Titan Gaming (now Playsino), and web entrepreneur Tim Symington. It is an online marketplace that allows brands to create instant viral marketing and advertising campaigns on the web. The platform enables marketers to launch global viral campaigns by compensating Internet users to share videos, articles, music, promotional material and other media with their friends via digital formats such as email, or social networks.
Virurl launched their alpha version in late 2011 and currently serves more than 40,000 registered users enabling brands to leverage web users to begin the online social sharing process.
Brands
KKR sixes to power EV charger rollout under VIDA campaign
Cricket meets clean mobility as big hits spark India’s charging growth
NEW DELHI: VIDA, the electric mobility arm of Hero MotoCorp, has teamed up with Kolkata Knight Riders to launch a campaign that turns cricketing flair into real-world impact.
Titled ‘6 for 6’, the initiative promises to install a 6kW fast EV charger for every six hit by KKR during the ongoing Indian Premier League season. The idea is simple but powerful, as each big hit on the field contributes directly to expanding India’s fast-charging infrastructure.
The campaign builds on VIDA’s growing network, which already spans over 5,300 fast-charging points across more than 430 cities. With EV adoption gaining pace, the brand is using cricket’s mass appeal to accelerate both awareness and infrastructure growth.
Explaining the thinking behind the move, Hero MotoCorp emerging mobility business unit chief business officer Kausalya Nandakumar said, “Cricket has an incredible ability to unite and inspire millions across the country. With the ‘6 for 6’ campaign, we are turning every big hit on the field into a step towards a cleaner and a more accessible mobility future.”
She added that VIDA’s expanding fast-charging network and removable battery technology are designed to make EV ownership more convenient and practical for everyday users.
From the franchise’s side, the campaign is also about giving on-field moments a larger purpose. Kolkata Knight Riders chief executive officer Venky Mysore said, “The ‘6 for 6’ campaign exemplifies the potential of sport as a platform for meaningful, real-world impact. By linking every six to the expansion of EV charging infrastructure, this partnership transforms fan excitement into tangible progress.”
As part of the rollout, VIDA has introduced co-branded charging stations in KKR’s signature colours, with a flagship installation unveiled alongside team players. The chargers are designed for quick top-ups, powering VIDA scooters from zero to 80 percent in about an hour, while also being positioned along key highways to support longer journeys.
The initiative also taps into VIDA’s removable battery system, which allows users to charge using standard household plug points, adding flexibility to the charging ecosystem.
By blending the thrill of cricket with the urgency of clean mobility, VIDA and KKR have found a neat way to make every six count twice, once on the scoreboard and again on India’s road to an electric future.
