Shorta raises US$6 million to revolutionize mobile entertainment in Latin America

Shorta burst onto Latin America’s startup ecosystem with a proposition that combines technology, audiovisual storytelling, and mobile consumption. The Argentine startup has closed a US$6 million pre-seed round and aims to lead a new category of entertainment built around short series designed for phones.

The trip to China that sparked the creation of Shorta

In May 2025, Ariel Arrieta, NXTP co-founder, and Tomás Escobar, the entrepreneur behind digital projects such as Cuevana and Acámica, traveled to China and took a close look at the growth of the short drama.

industry. What they found was an opportunity with global potential.

“The new Hollywood isn’t being born in the United States,” Escobar said, explaining how that experience reshaped the project’s vision.

Upon returning to Argentina, the two saw an opportunity to adapt the Asian model for Latin American audiences. However, they needed creative and production expertise to bring the idea to life.

Armando Bo joins the project

To complete the founding team, they brought on Oscar winner Armando Bo, who was about to begin filming his movie Las Malas.

According to Escobar, Bo saw Shorta as an opportunity to bring audiovisual storytelling to new generations and connect the industry’s needs with today’s audience preferences.

That’s how Shorta, a company that now has a core team of 25 people and aims to blend premium cinematic storytelling with the speed and accessibility of digital creators, was born.

A model that challenges traditional fiction

In the founders’ view, the traditional fiction model is in crisis, hampered by high costs and lengthy production times.

“Shorta is here to blow up that structure,” Escobar said.

The startup proposes a threefold transformation:

• How content is created, by reducing costs and cumbersome structures
• How it is distributed, prioritizing direct consumption on mobile phones
• How it is monetized, through new digital formats

Its initial goal is ambitious: to release more than 100 original productions in the first year and reach 500 series in the region in less than two years.

US$6 million pre-seed round backed by leading tech names

To drive this expansion, the company closed a US$6 million pre-seed round, exceeding initial expectations for investor interest. Escobar noted that this is a capital-intensive industry, requiring simultaneous investment in content, technology, and marketing.

The cap table includes prominent figures from the tech ecosystem, such as:

• Guillermo Rauch (Vercel)
• Martín Varsavsky
• Matías Woloski (Auth0)
• Emiliano Kargieman (Satellogic)

Funds such as Newtopia VC and Monashees.

With this backing, Shorta operates as a technology company capable of producing content up to 50 times more cheaply than Netflix, giving it greater leeway to take creative risks.

More than 48 original series and communities of 25 million users

The platform already has more than 48 original series in genres such as horror, thriller, and romance.

The talent on board includes well-known figures such as Mario Alarcón and El Purre, alongside digital creators such as:

• Jero Freixas
• Juli Savioli
• Kevsho
• Juli Coria

This combination allows it to connect with communities totaling more than 25 million users on social media.

A boost for Argentina’s audiovisual industry

Shorta explained that it directly finances productions, while execution is handled by third parties such as production companies, creators, or showrunners.

This model creates new opportunities for an audiovisual industry hit by the decline in traditional television production.

More than 50 series have already been completed or are in production. The strategy is not focused on building up a catalog, but on maintaining a steady release schedule.

“We want to be part of the conversation by premiering two new series every week,” Escobar said.

Hybrid model: advertising and premium subscriptions

Monetization combines free, ad-supported content (AVOD) with a premium subscription option, mirroring models used by global platforms such as Spotify.

While regional fiction faces cuts, the company sees an opportunity backed by international figures: China’s industry generates US$12.000 million, while Asian companies are already capturing US$4.000 million in the Americas.

Next step: expansion and the path to unicorn status

With Buenos Aires established as a creative hub, Shorta is preparing to launch in Mexico, Spain, and Brazil.

It is also already planning a Seed round of between US$5 million and US$10 million.

“Now, with metrics, views, and paid conversions, we can talk to funds at a different stage,” Escobar said.

The long-term goal is to exceed US$100 million in revenue and become the next unicorn in mobile-first entertainment.

“People’s attention has shifted to TikTok and Instagram, but cinematic storytelling was missing there. We bring those two worlds together,” the founder concluded.