In a world dominated by video, Pocket FM chose to bet on audio streaming—and not just any audio, but fictionalised entertainment content that fits right into your pocket.Since its inception in 2018, Pocket FM has witnessed explosive growth, clocking over 100 billion minutes of streamed content, crossing ₹1,000 crore in revenue, and building a user base that has surpassed 200 million—and continues to grow.
In this episode of Young Turks Reloaded, Shereen Bhan sits down with the visionary co-founders of Pocket FM—Rohan Nayak (Co-founder and CEO), Nishanth KS (Co-founder and COO), and Prateek Dixit (Co-founder and CTO)—to uncover their incredible journey, from rejections and pivots to building one of India’s most exciting, globally scaled start-ups.
Q: Let’s talk about the Pocket FM story. This started with your daily commute between Gurgaon and Noida. You were sitting in the metro, frustrated at how long it was taking, and then noticed that while video content was everywhere, no one was doing audio?Nayak: I was working at Paytm, commuting between Gurgaon and Noida. I don’t know why—I just decided I’d commute three hours. Then I’d sit and ask myself, “What am I doing with my life?” Wasting all this time. Of course, I kept debating with Nishanth and Prateek about what to do next. I really wanted to build something, and at that point I was obsessed with content.Read Here | Pocket FM Playback 2024: From Gen Z to milennials, here’s what Indians listened to this yearEven before Paytm, I was building a short video app. We missed the short video wave, though—the start-up I was working with got acquired by Paytm. So there I was, waiting in the metro. I couldn’t take a cab—it took longer. And I couldn’t watch videos because I’d feel nauseous watching on my phone. I was just bored. I started listening to audiobooks and podcasts. Frankly, podcasts work when you want to learn something, but 15 hours a week? You’ll get bored. Audiobooks were even worse—bland narration, no emotion. I was getting bored.And Nishanth was at Saavn, which was an audio platform. I told him, “You’re at Saavn—do something!”Nishanth: He called and pitched the idea—a non-music audio platform, offering a wide range of genres. I looked at the data and was amazed. At Saavn, we were already seeing traction in podcasts and non-music categories, so it clicked. That’s when conviction really set in. Rohan had the personal journey, I was seeing the data at scale—15 million users. We knew this was going to work.Q: Who made the call to Prateek?Dixit: I was actually interviewing for Meta at that time.Nayak: He was in Meta in London, and we had to pull him back.Q: You gave up Mark Zuckerberg for these two?Dixit: I was convinced when they spoke to me. For me, it was about serving underserved content. With video, you can’t produce content for every genre. Take fantasy, for example—it’s rare in video. From a content creation perspective, audio can cater to underserved genres where content doesn’t exist yet.Nayak: He called one day and said, “Are you guys serious? Otherwise I have to accept this offer.” He needed to know we were in.Q: That’s a high-conviction bet—to give up Meta. What made you do it?Nishanth: Prateek was one of the best Android developers in India at the time. He was harder to catch than investors!Dixit: From the start, I was fascinated by how tech could impact millions of lives at scale. Deep down, I always wanted to build a start-up. Rohan and Nishanth gave me the conviction to take the leap.Q: How did the name come about?Nayak: We brainstormed a lot. The first name was “Radioly”—inspired by “Musically”. Then we thought of using “FM” since it’s linked to radio. We ran polls, discussed endlessly. Then someone said, “It’s entertainment in your pocket—why not call it Pocket FM?” It had a nice ring to it. We all liked it, so we went ahead.Now, in hindsight, I can say it’s accessible entertainment. But back then, it was about bringing mobile-first content—not TV, not video—to your pocket.Nishanth: I even pitched the idea to an auto driver—told him, “This is what the app will be.” He said, “Yes, I’d keep that in my pocket while driving.”For the entire discussion, watch the accompanying video
