New Delhi, Feb 8 (IANS): Launched less than a year ago by two Stanford University alumni, Rohan Seth and Paul Davison, voice-based app Clubhouse is already a craze among social media users worldwide, but its adoption in India is somewhat limited because it is currently available only to iPhone users and it is still in the invite-only mode.
Globally, around two million members are using Clubhouse, while in India, the app has seen over 12,000 downloads.
But things could change fast once the app becomes available to Android users and opens up for everyone, as interest for joining Clubhouse is growing across the country. This was evident when many people could not join the event when SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk hosted an audio-chat on the platform only about a week ago.
"I figured many people couldn't join @elonmusk clubhouse room," CRED Founder Kunal Shah wrote on Twitter, as he shared some notes from the event.
However, the platform, which now has over 180 investors, will soon shed its exclusivity.
"Our focus is now on opening up Clubhouse to the whole world. With that goal in mind for 2021, we have secured a new round in funding, led by Andrew Chen at a16z, who also led our Series A," the platform wrote in a blog post late last month.
"From the earliest days, we've wanted to build Clubhouse for everyone. With this in mind, we are thrilled to begin work on our Android app soon, and to add more accessibility and localization features so that people all over the world can experience Clubhouse in a way that feels native to them," it added.
As of now, those who have got access to the app can enter rooms on the platform to meet people, listen to music, discuss the latest episode of 'Bigg Boss', or take part in other serious discussions depending on one's interest.
Clubhouse admitted that it has grown faster than expected over the past few months, causing too many people to see red error messages when their servers are struggling to meet the demands.
"A large portion of the new funding round will go to technology and infrastructure to scale the Clubhouse experience for everyone, so that it's always fast and performant, regardless of how many people are joining," it added.