Castbox
{{Short description|Hong Kong–based podcast company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Castbox
| logo = Castbox-logo.png
| industry = Podcasting
| type = Private
| foundation = 2016
| founder = Renee Wang
| location = San Francisco
| website = {{url|https://castbox.fm/}}
}}
Castbox ({{lang-zh|鑄造箱}}) is a Hong Kong–based podcast company. The company both hosts, and produces its own podcasts.
Founding
Castbox was founded in 2016 by company CEO Renee Wang in Beijing, China.{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/castbox-ceo-renee-wang-funding-netflix-of-podcasting-2018-4|title=An ex-Googler sold her home to fund her startup — and she just got $13 million to build the 'Netflix of podcasting'|first=Melia|last=Robinson|website=Business Insider}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/90227764/helping-indie-podcasters-get-paid|title=Helping indie podcasters get paid|date=September 28, 2018|website=Fast Company |last1=Gagne |first1=Yasmin }} It also has offices in San Francisco and Hong Kong.{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/12/after-raising-16m-in-funding-castbox-plans-to-fix-podcast-discovery/|title=After raising $16M in funding, CastBox plans to fix podcast discovery|date=12 October 2017}}
App
Castbox is an app that distributes free podcasts. By 2019, one million podcasts had been made available through Castbox,{{Cite web|url=https://www.androidauthority.com/best-podcast-apps-for-android-223536/|title=10 best podcast apps for Android! (Updated 2019)|date=April 5, 2019|website=Android Authority}} including about fifty million podcast episodes. Castbox also has a premium platform.{{Cite web|url=https://www.fastcompany.com/40589660/these-companies-are-trying-to-build-the-netflix-of-podcasts|title=Is the "Netflix of podcasts" moment finally here?|first=Scott|last=Porch|date=June 27, 2018|website=Fast Company}} In June 2019, Castbox integrated with Waze, allowing playback controls to pause, skip, or restart episodes.{{Cite web|url=https://www.macobserver.com/news/castbox-waze-support/|title=Castbox is Latest Audio App With Waze Support|date=June 19, 2019|website=The Mac Observer}}
Podcasts
In addition to its library of podcasts from other distributors, Castbox also produces its own shows. In 2018, Castbox partnered with Heard Well on the podcast series Heard Well Now, which highlights early career musical artists.{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/pride/8283873/heard-well-now-launches-new-podcast|title=Heard Well & Castbox Launch New Podcast Bringing Musicians and Online Creators Together|magazine=Billboard}} {{As of|2018}}, Castbox produced 25 different original podcasts,{{Cite web|url=https://venturebeat.com/2017/10/12/castbox-raises-16-million-as-the-podcasting-investment-surge-continues/|title=CastBox reveals $16 million in funding as global surge in podcast investment continues|date=October 12, 2017}}{{Cite web|url=https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/07/castbox-turns-to-blockchain-to-help-podcasters-get-paid/|title=Castbox turns to blockchain to help podcasters get paid|date=7 July 2018}} with This Sounds Serious, being released in 2019.{{Cite web |url=https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/this-week-in-podcasts-nicole-and-sasheer-are-best-friends.html |title=This Week in Podcasts: Nicole and Sasheer Are Best Friends |access-date=2019-08-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190620161406/https://www.vulture.com/2019/06/this-week-in-podcasts-nicole-and-sasheer-are-best-friends.html |archive-date=2019-06-20 |url-status=dead }}
Funding
In 2017, the company raised $16 million,{{Cite web|url=https://observer.com/2017/10/castbox-search/|title=Podcasting App Transcribes Shows for Better Search|website=The New York Observer |date=October 12, 2017}} and an additional $13.5 million in 2018.
References
{{reflist}}
{{Podcast distribution platforms}}
Category:Chinese companies established in 2016