Kumu (streaming service)

Kumu is a Filipino video sharing and e-commerce social networking service owned and developed by Kumumedia Technologies, Inc. The social media platform is used to livestream curated programs created by app users and partner brands and as an e-commerce platform for app users and partner brands who want to sell their merchandise online. It was founded in 2017 and launched on Android and iOS devices in February 2018 that caters mainly to the Philippine market and overseas Filipinos. In October 2020, the app topped the download charts of both the Apple App Store and Google Play in the free apps category. The app aims to become a "super app" that combines the functionalities of other apps like YouTube, TikTok, Shopee, Instagram and Facebook Messenger into one. Kumu is considering adding offline events to its platform, such as fan meetings with popular livestreamers and a convention inspired by Comic-Con called Kumu-Con, and expand beyond livestreaming to e-commerce and payments.
History.
Kumu was developed by Roland Ros, Rexy Dorado, Andrew Pineda, and Clare Ros, who are Filipino entrepreneurs based in the United States and have worked in fields of technology and social enterprise. It was initially developed as a messaging app with a livestreaming feature targeted toward millennial and Generation Z Filipino users. The app's name was derived from the Filipino word "kamusta" (or "kumusta"), meaning "How are you?", which is a common greeting among Filipinos.
Kumu's livestreaming feature proved to be more popular among its users and the developers eventually shifted their focus on this functionality as well as introducing other features. Registered users can also earn through brand sponsorships in their livestreams, similar to revenues that YouTube users can earn from ads on their videos. Kumu content creators can earn at least ₱20,000 (or about US$400) through livestreaming. With over 25,000 livestream broadcasts each day, Kumu has 3 million registered users each clocking an hour of daily average usage.
Aside from user created livestreams, Kumu also livestreams its own curated shows, mainly game shows such as "Game Ka Na Ba?" and "Quiz Mo Ko". It has also partnered with various celebrities and brands to promote products through livestreaming. These include former actor and now Manila Mayor Isko Moreno, journalist Ces Drilon, TV host Boy Abunda, TV executive and actress Charo Santos, Sydney Crespo, Ruby Ibarra, Mica Javier, Apple Chiu, Brent Manalo, as well as Star Magic Philippines, Cornerstone Entertainment Group, and MOR Philippines. 
With the sudden popularity of podcasting amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Kumu added a podcasting feature in February 2020 to attract more users and content creators to use to app. The feature allows audio streamers to accommodate guests and co-hosts in ‘public’ and ‘friends only’ options; as well as ‘mute’, ‘kick’ or ‘block’ listeners.
In April 2020, Kumu announced that it had secured around $5 million in Series A funding which will be used to develop new features and grow its operations. Openspace Ventures, an early investor in Indonesian unicorn start-up Gojek, along with Kickstart Ventures, ABS-CBN, Gobi-Core Philippine Fund, and returning investors Summit Media and Foxmont Capital Partners all participated in the funding round.
In October 2020, Kumu also partnered with Philippine media conglomerate ABS-CBN to launch the ninth season of reality TV show "" amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The app hosted online auditions for the reality show, which attracted over 100,000 new users, and it also currently livestreams activities inside the Big Brother House when the show premiered.