App incubator MEDL Mobile has raised a $2 million Series A investment for its Hang w/ live-streaming app, which has been growing in popularity among celebrities. The funding round, which was led by Mishaal Alireza, values the service at $20 million.
Hang w/ allows users to broadcast live video to followers in three-minute chunks. Anyone can register and start streaming, but the app is intended to help celebrities reach their fans while attracting sponsorships.
When The Next Web first covered Hang w/ back in May, the app had attracted 100,000 users and 2 million user sessions six weeks after launch. Recent figures provided by MEDL tout 7.5 million user sessions and 1.3 million broadcasts without updating the number of users.
The app launched first on iPhone this spring before arriving on Android last week.
The 💜 of EU tech
The latest rumblings from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise ol' founder Boris, and some questionable AI art. It's free, every week, in your inbox. Sign up now!
Celebrity adoption is crucial to Hang w/’s hope for success. Featured celebrities using Hang w/ include Chief Keef, Souljaboy, Kaskade, Timbaland and Terrell Owens.
I’m skeptical that Hang w/ will ultimately be able to drive the user growth needed to make the platform sustainable, but this latest infusion of cash should at least better its chances.
➤ Hang w/ | App Store | Google Play
Image credit: Brand X Pictures
Disclosure: This article contains an affiliate link. While we only ever write about products we think deserve to be on the pages of our site, The Next Web may earn a small commission if you click through and buy the product in question. For more information, please see our Terms of Service.
Get the TNW newsletter
Get the most important tech news in your inbox each week.