Jadooz, which owns and operates entertainment zones with cinemas, gaming pods, and virtual reality (VR) centres in towns and villages in India, is opening 10 new attractions and hopes to expand further.
The company has raised Rs 1.85 crore ($270,000) in seed funding led by Artha Venture Fund, and will use the money for the 10 new entertainment zones.
Jadooz, which was founded in 2017 by Rahul Nehra and Kanika Singal, has three entertainment zones at Pindra in Varanasi and at Thumuluru and Kakinada in Andhra Pradesh.
It plans to open 25-35 centres by the end of this year and 250 centres by the end of the next year.
Jadooz bills itself as the ‘next generation entertainment destination’ across urban, semi-urban and semi-rural stretches in India and similar economies.
Edutainment and sportainment
Jadooz primarily features edutainment and sportainment, and hopes to set up 1,200 zones in the next five years across the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and Southeast Asia.
“Jadooz’s markets include towns with a population of 25,000 to 250,000 people, with an average per family income of Rs 15,000 to 35,000 per month,” said Anirudh Damani, Managing Partner, Artha Venture Fund.
“Nevertheless, their business and design team do a thorough recce to determine the suitability of the location. So, they are not only an ideal candidate to operate as a franchise model but also provide a quality service at an affordable price.”
Actor and politician Ravi Kishan is a celebrity partner, while actor Shobana Chandrakumar, TV personality Rannvijay Singh and producer and director Chandran Rutnam are mentors.
Tech trends and VR
As technology becomes increasingly integral in creating unique and memorable visitor experiences, Blooloop has predicted six attraction tech trends as ones to watch in 2019.
Image: Jadooz
