# Trell

> Trell was an India-founded lifestyle social commerce platform where users shared roughly three-minute vertical videos about their interests - travel, beauty, food, fashion and wellness - across eight regional languages. Started in 2016 by four IIT-Bombay friends, it grew a large community skewed toward Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, then pivoted in 2020 into in-app shopping through 'Trell Shop.' It raised about $66 million from investors including Sequoia/Peak XV, KTB Network, Samsung Ventures, Mirae Asset and H&M, before a 2022 governance probe and cash crunch triggered mass layoffs and a steep revenue collapse.

- **Founded:** 2016
- **Headquarters:** Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- **Founders:** Pulkit Agrawal (Co-founder & CEO), Prashant Sachan (Co-founder), Arun Lodhi (Co-founder), Bimal Kartheek Rebba (Co-founder)
- **Team size:** ~290 employees reported; workforce was cut by roughly 75% (about 300 people) during the 2022 cash crunch.
- **Products:** Trell App, Trell Shop, Trell Live / Live Commerce, Brand & Influencer Marketing
- **Notable:** Grew to a reported ~50 million monthly active users across eight regional languages., Raised about $66M total, including a $45M Series B backed by H&M and Samsung Ventures., Built a creator community skewed ~60% toward Tier-2 and Tier-3 India.

## Products & services

- **Trell App** — A lifestyle discovery app where users post and watch roughly three-minute vertical videos across categories like travel, beauty, food and fashion, available in eight regional languages.
- **Trell Shop** — An in-app marketplace launched during Trell's social commerce pivot, letting users buy beauty, personal care and wellness products discovered through creator videos.
- **Trell Live / Live Commerce** — Live video shopping experiences where creators and brands sold products in real time to viewers.
- **Brand & Influencer Marketing** — Sponsored content, brand collaborations and influencer campaigns matching D2C and consumer brands with Trell creators.

## Achievements

- Grew to a reported ~50 million monthly active users across eight regional languages.
- Raised about $66M total, including a $45M Series B backed by H&M and Samsung Ventures.
- Built a creator community skewed ~60% toward Tier-2 and Tier-3 India.
- Onboarded 500+ brands onto Trell Shop during its social commerce push.
- Positioned early as a homegrown lifestyle short-video platform before Instagram Reels launched in India.

## Latest updates

- **2021-07** — Raised $45M Series B led by Mirae Asset with participation from H&M and Samsung Ventures.
- **2022-03** — Board-ordered probe into alleged financial irregularities; fundraise stalled amid a cash crunch.
- **2022-04** — Exited its stake in AppsForBharat amid the funds crunch; large-scale layoffs followed.
- **2023** — Pivoted away from social commerce, rebranding as a lifestyle short-video app; FY23 revenue fell ~94%.
- **2024** — Peak XV (formerly Sequoia India) reported to have exited its Trell investment at roughly a 78% loss.

## Links

- Website: https://trell.co
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/trell
- Twitter/X: https://www.twitter.com/trellapp/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trell.app/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trelltale/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/trell
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-07-10