Lebanese celebrity shout-out platform aims to raise $1m in funding

Lebanese celebrity shout-out platform aims to raise $1m in funding

A Lebanese-founded celebrity shout-out platform is aiming to raise $1 million to fund expansion into emerging markets such as India, Pakistan or Turkey.

Oulo had raised $450,000 from angel investors ahead of its soft launch in May and has been growing 30-50 percent month on month since October, said its founder Kamal Nazha.

Oulo's celebrity pool includes influencers, YouTubers, B-list Hollywood stars such as the chef who famously said “No soup for you” on Seinfeld and regional actors or comedians.

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Prices for 30-second shout-outs from these celebrities start at $30 and reach $200. Oulo makes 25 percent profit per video, said Nazha.

The company relocated to Dubai following the Beirut port explosion on August 4 and took some time off to refocus its efforts.

What distinguishes Oulo from its competition, and fuels its growth, according to Nazha, is the localisation-based technology it has developed through which it can create market-specific celebrity listings.

“Upon accessing our page, a pop-up window asks users to select between Lebanon, Jordan, GCC and International editions. They are then redirected to a homepage which shows the celebrities that