Audio storytelling platform Pocket FM has elevated its founding team member Lalit Gangwar to the role of Chief Operating Officer (COO), marking a significant leadership move as the company sharpens its global ambitions.
In his expanded role, Gangwar will take charge of the company’s international audio business, overseeing key areas such as market expansion, revenue growth, monetisation strategies, and overall execution. His appointment reflects Pocket FM’s intent to build a more structured and scalable operating framework, especially as it accelerates its presence in overseas markets like the United States.
Gangwar has been instrumental in shaping Pocket FM’s journey from its early days. He played a pivotal role in designing the company’s India growth strategy, helping the platform scale rapidly to 150 million users within its first year. He later spearheaded the brand’s entry into the US market, where he built teams from the ground up and drove initial traction.
Speaking on his new role, Gangwar highlighted the company’s continued focus on expanding globally, strengthening monetisation, and investing heavily in AI-powered storytelling. Pocket FM has been increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance content creation and user engagement.
The platform today claims a global listener base of over 250 million users and continues to diversify its content offerings. It also boasts a massive creator ecosystem, with more than 300,000 writers contributing to a library of over 100,000 audio series.
Financially, Pocket FM has shown strong momentum. The company reported a 68% jump in revenue, reaching Rs 1,768 crore in FY25, and recently stated that it has crossed an annual recurring revenue (ARR) of Rs 4,167 crore while achieving EBITDA profitability.
Meanwhile, competition in the audio content space is heating up. Rival platform Kuku FM posted a nearly threefold increase in revenue to Rs 242 crore in FY25. However, its losses also widened significantly, rising 60% to Rs 153 crore.
With a stronger leadership structure and continued investments in AI and global markets, Pocket FM appears poised to deepen its position in the fast-growing digital audio entertai.
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