The South Korean startup Hashed Emergent and Alpha Wave led a $23 million Series A funding round for the social media startup Hunch.
With the money, the Dubai-based business will fortify its digital infrastructure, enhance feed personalization, and quicken its entry into the US and Indian markets. It already has offices in Singapore and India.
The company previously raised $3 million in a seed round in June 2022.
Hunch, a website founded in 2022 by Ish Goel, lets users make polls on various subjects, including pop culture, video games, finance, dating, relationships, and anime, and it also collects votes and comments. The polls close the curiosity gap by enabling users to find others who share their opinions and validate their own.
According to Hunch, more than 1.15 lakh polls have been recorded, garnering over 1 crore opinions through user votes nationwide. The company reports that almost 85% of its users are from India, with the remaining users coming from the US.
During the next 12 months, Goel said in a media statement, the company hopes to grow to low single-digit millions of MAUs, with 40% to 50% of its user base originating from the US.
The second Indian-origin startup led by a founder, Hunch is based in Dubai and raised capital in 2023. The proptech startup Marrfa, co-founded by Jamil Ahmad of Fashinza, announced last week that Foundamental, a Berlin-based venture capital firm, led the pre-seed round.
