Lucia Moses

Disney-backed DramaBox is seeking new funding as it tries to win the micro drama race in the US

by with No Comment Xpandfy

The battle to become the top micro-drama app in the US is heating up.

DramaBox, one of the leading producers of the short-video format filled with soapy tropes, has been seeking fresh funding from US backers, according to two people with direct knowledge of its efforts.

One said DramaBox’s fundraising goal was $100 million with a $500 million valuation.

DramaBox is part of Singapore-based StoryMatrix, and is behind titles like “A Deal with the Hockey Captain” and “The Lost Heir: A Christmas Reckoning” that it monetizes through one-off payments, subscriptions (usually $20 a week), and ads.

DramaBox did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Executives at DramaBox told Business Insider in September that the company was profitable and that their ambition was to become the most popular micro-drama platform for Americans. They aimed to do so by working with Hollywood filmmakers and diversifying into new storytelling styles and genres, such as series for families and choose-your-own-adventure-style dramas.

Industry reports regularly list DramaBox as one of the top two micro-drama apps, alongside fellow Asian import ReelShort. Analytics firm Sensor Tower estimated that DramaBox generated $120 million in global in-app revenue in the first quarter of 2025, just behind ReelShort’s $130 million. DramaBox countered in the September interview that its numbers were higher, without sharing specifics.

The streaming consulting firm Owl & Co. estimated that the format had generated $1.3 billion in the US in 2025, mostly from direct payments from viewers.

DramaBox already has a connection to Hollywood’s most blue-chip company, Disney, which has invested in DramaBox through its selective accelerator program. Disney said in late 2025 that it was in talks with DramaBox to adapt young adult fantasy novels into original micro dramas and was exploring adapting music albums into vertical short videos.

Investors have been placing bets elsewhere in the space as well:

  • This past fall, Bill Block, the former CEO of Miramax, raised $14 million from investors including Alexis Ohanian, Kris Jenner, and Kim Kardashian, among others, to launch GammaTime. He called it the first “premium micro drama streaming platform.”
  • Fox invested in Holywater, a Ukrainian company behind the micro drama app My Drama.
  • LA-based Bitz Films, which says it’s focused on creating elevated micro dramas in genres like comedy and horror, has raised $1.2 million in pre-seed funding.

Big Tech has also dived in.

Meta’s Instagram is testing the micro drama format in India with a series. TikTok, which is already widely used by short dramas for marketing, added a section called TikTok Minis where you can binge on bite-sized series without leaving the app.

Despite the format’s burgeoning popularity, there are those who question its long-term viability. Some investors told Business Insider they had held back from the space because of concerns that the format wouldn’t succeed in areas beyond its core of female-targeted romances.




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I invented a new type of landline for kids, and my daughter’s friends tested it out. This year, we’ve raised $3.5 million in funding.

by with No Comment Xpandfy

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Chet Kittleson, founder of Tin Can. It has been edited for length and clarity.

About three years ago, I was picking my daughter up from school and started chatting with parents about how arduous it is to run the kids’ social lives. One mom said that she felt like an executive assistant for her daughter. There was a lot of frustration and angst toward the kids, and as a dad of three, I understood it.

But that day, I played devil’s advocate. What else are the kids supposed to do, I asked. My first social network was the landline, but my kids didn’t have that. Most of the parents I knew were delaying cellphones, but that left the kids reliant on us for coordinating meet-ups.

I got to thinking: wouldn’t it be cool if there was a landline my kids — who are now 10, 8, and 5 — could use to organize their own social dates?

The phone led to my daughter walking to school with friends

I had been working at the tech and real estate company Redfin, which I loved because the company environment allowed me to be a rising executive and an active dad. Still, I had this itch to build a company of my own. I left to start another real estate-related company, but ultimately, we didn’t have a product-market fit, and had to call it quits after about two years.


Kids on the phone

The cofounder’s daughter started walking to school with friends thanks to her landline.

Courtesy of Tin Can



The same week I wrapped up that venture, I brought my co-founders over to talk about making my landline idea a reality. We spent a week at my kitchen table, making prototypes. By the end of the week, we had five phones.

Two of the prototypes went to my daughter’s friends. Right away, we started noticing the kids organizing more playdates and sleepovers. My favorite moment came when the phone rang at about 8:15 in the morning. My daughter’s friend was inviting her to walk to school for the first time.

I want to use tech to build better in-person connections

Right away, I started getting texts from other local parents, asking if they could get a phone. I made about 50 prototypes and installed them myself. I asked customers what they liked about the phone and what they were worried about when it comes to kids and tech, which helped me refine the product.

We officially started selling Tin Cans in April of this year. For parents, the phone is a symbol of a simpler time. For kids who have often never experienced independent communication, it delivers a new superpower they didn’t know they wanted.


Tin Cans

The company has raised $3.5 million in funding.

Courtesy of Tin Can



Today, we have Tin Cans in every state and Canada. We’ve raised $3.5 million. I’m excited to build a different type of technology company: one that uses tech to build connections and healthy relationships.

We’re trying to foster independent kids

Personally, that’s extremely meaningful to me because I’ve always struggled with anxiety and had my own challenges with screen addiction. I stopped using social media a few years ago after noticing that it was distracting me from moments with my kids.

Today, my family has two Tin Cans: one in a shared area of the home and another in my oldest’s room. These days, my kids frequently get calls from friends asking them to walk to school. They have more sleepovers or just chat with their grandparents.

There are also more subtle changes. When we pick up takeout, my kids are often the ones to go in and claim the order. That confidence is a symbol of the strong, autonomous children my wife and I are trying to raise.

One mother told us that Tin Can helped her daughter find her voice — literally. The girl started off talking quietly and timidly, but within weeks, was louder. That confidence translates to the real world, and the Tin Can lifestyle we’re hoping to foster.




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