The podcast industry saw a boom at the close of last year, with a global listenership surpassing half a billion, as the growth remained consistent. Interestingly, the Arab world emerged as a region with a highly engaged audience, prompting a Dubai-based podcast startup to capitalize on this potential.
Podeo, a podcast distribution platform with roots in the United Arab Emirates, has managed to carve out a niche for itself in the Arab podcasting scene. Having achieved a subscriber count of 50 million, the company believes it has cracked the code for reaching consumers in the emerging markets. To expand its reach further into regions like Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Southeast Asia, Podeo has successfully raised a Series A funding of $5.4 million.
Oraseya Capital, a venture capital division of Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority, led this funding round. Other contributors to the Series A funding included Ibtikar Fund, Cedar Mundi Ventures, Samarium, iSME, and returning investor, Razor Capital.
Podeo was officially launched in 2020, but its inception dates back to 2015-2016, when CEO Stefano Fallaha, then a high school student in Beirut, conceptualized an audio-based social network named Fallound. The startup then pivoted to become a smart podcast aggregator that made recommendations catered to users’ transportation mode, journey length, interests, and moods.
However, the platform initially struggled to gain traction in the Middle East-North Africa (MENA) region due to a lack of captivating Arabic content, Fallaha shared with TechCrunch.
Things took a dramatic turn after the devastating Beirut chemical explosion in 2020, which resulted in over 200 fatalities and massive property damage. People flocked to Podeo to share their experiences, prayers, and messages of hope. This surge in authentic storytelling became the turning point for the startup.
The unfortunate incident solidified Podeo’s role as a platform for expression and a space for people to connect and find comfort in shared stories. This prompted Anthony Essaye and Mario Hayek, software engineers at Fallound since 2018, to join as full-time co-founders. Consequently, the company shifted its base to Dubai and has been operating at full throttle since.
The global reach of podcasting is somewhat limited, with regions like Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa often overlooked in research reports. However, a YouGov study revealed that populous countries in these regions have some of the most engaged podcast listeners. For instance, South Africa topped the list with 68% of its population regularly listening to podcasts. Other countries with above-average listenership included Saudi Arabia (59%), Egypt (56%), UAE (53%), and Morocco (45%).
Fallaha is confident that what Podeo has built so far can serve as a strong model for targeting these overlooked markets.
“As we continue our global expansion across Southeast Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America, Podeo is proving that storytelling is a universal connector, crucial for fostering understanding and connection,” he said.
To maintain its commitment to authentic storytelling, especially in Arabic, Podeo has ventured into producing exclusive podcasts and partnering with creators to offer a diverse range of content to its subscribers.
Fallaha noted that their collaborations with creators highlighted the need for a more streamlined production process. This led Podeo to develop more software, specifically end-to-end products that offer full production support to creators.
Now, creators can perform audio editing, sound design, branding, and mix their audio on Podeo and, within a day, receive a fully edited, ready-for-distribution episode. Podeo’s ad-tech solution also allows for the automatic insertion of ads at various points throughout the episodes, providing creators with an easy way to monetize their content.
With this approach, Podeo managed to onboard over 100,000 creators in less than two years. However, despite the influx of content, the platform faced challenges in attracting listeners, pushing them to partner with various offline and online channels to reach a broader audience.
Unlike some popular platforms such as Podimo, Podeo does not charge its listeners any subscription fee. The company plans to drop subscription charges for creators as well, opting to rely solely on advertising for revenue generation.
“At Podeo, our mission is to grow alongside our creators, and we refuse to let subscription fees stand in the way of unlocking their full potential. That’s why we’re eliminating all creator subscription packages, making Podeo a completely free hosting and distribution platform,” said Fallaha. “We don’t impose a paywall for listeners, and we remain committed to continue adding only revenue models that truly empower creators — like memberships, tipping, and tokenization — so their voices can thrive and be monetized without limitations.”
The decentralized nature of the medium, Fallaha states, offers a unique opportunity to bring podcasts to channels that people already use to consume audio content.
“Our business model aligns perfectly with the needs of creators: we’re not chasing consolidated app audiences to monetize in one space. Instead, we’ve developed ad-tech that distributes ads seamlessly across all these decentralized channels. Creators gain access to new audiences they hadn’t imagined, while brands optimize their budgets across multiple platforms at once, without needing to go directly to a radio or streaming app.”
Fallaha concludes by saying that by taking hyper-local approaches to supply, demand, and monetization, Podeo is addressing the needs of emerging markets, giving them a competitive edge over international players such as Acast, which entered the MENA region last year.
