The Triller Social Media Company Is About To Go Public

Here’s why investors and tech aficionados are paying attention to Triller’s imminent public offering.

Presented by Sara Smith

Since its inception in 2015, Triller, a social media app that uniquely integrates music, lifestyle, and culture, has emerged as an exciting prospect in the tech industry. With its scheduled public listing in 2023, it has piqued the interest of investors and tech aficionados alike, proving itself as one of the most anticipated public offerings of the year.

This anticipation is not ungrounded. Behind the scenes, Triller has quietly expanded its reach, leveraging Artificial Intelligence (AI), combat sports, influencers and influencer marketing to reach across the globe.

Understanding Triller requires examining it through several lenses. Below, delve into its unique ecosystem, impressive metrics, and the leadership team steering this exciting ship.

The Unique Triller Ecosystem

Triller has been often compared with TikTok due to its similar focus on short-form videos and music integration. However, this comparison only scratches the surface. Triller has developed an ecosystem that combines social media, AI, combat sports, influencer marketing, and advertising tools in an unprecedented blend.

This AI-driven ecosystem spans almost every major social media network, enabling it to register over 550 million users worldwide. The AI permeates its platform, driving interactions and transactions, aiding its impressive expansion.

In combat sports, Triller has carved a niche for itself. With the acquisition of FITE TV and Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship (BKFC), it has created an unparalleled combat sports network, combining league ownership and in-home distribution.

These acquisitions allowed Triller to leverage its AI in driving growth for both BKFC and FITE TV, thereby creating a significant revenue stream, making BKFC the fastest growing combat sports league and FITE TV the largest in-home combat sports streamer—the service which will distribute over 2000 events this year alone.

Together BKFC and Fite.TV represent the only 360 combat sports vertical—the entity owns the league, the fighters, the “pipe” and the in-home distribution, which reaches over 7 million households.

BKFC, with the help of Triller’s AI, has exceeded even the UFC, a $10 billion combat sports juggernaut, in ticket sales and total viewership. In many cases BKFC is seeing double the social media impressions on sites like YouTube. 

Triller’s integration into the influencer marketing space is powered by Julius, an influencer marketing platform. Julius connects over 1.5 million influencers with 25,000 brands, all facilitated through Triller’s AI.

This enables Triller to play a central role in the influencer economy and provide a robust platform for influencers and brands. Julius has become a fully automated portal where brands and influencers not only connect, but are able to create campaigns, select specific influencers, launch a full campaign and manage the campaign. 

Impressive Metrics

When it comes to numbers, Triller outperforms many. By Q4 2023, it profiled 193 billion social media events, facilitated 1.86 billion user actions and engagements, and garnered 218 million video views across all its platforms. Its AI systems engaged in over 20 billion conversations with more than half a billion users over the past five years.

The company reported an impressive 120 million users on platform, with 2.2 million creators and 2,544 brands. With these impressive figures, Triller has established its position as a formidable player in the industry.

The Triller Leadership

An essential aspect of Triller’s success is its leadership team. Spearheaded by CEO Mahi de Silva and CTO Joseph Smarr, the company benefits from a wealth of industry experience.

De Silva, co-founder of Amplify.ai, has an extensive background in mobile advertising, digital content services, and mobile messaging. Having built AdMarvel, a global leader in mobile advertising platforms, and spearheaded wireless and digital content services at VeriSign, which generates revenues exceeding $600M per year, Silva brings a strong commercial acumen to Triller.

Joseph Smarr, on the other hand, is a seasoned AI specialist. As one of the former Principal Engineers at Google, Smarr co-created the Google+ Circles sharing model and oversaw Google Assistant and Google Photos. His expertise in web technology and AI will undoubtedly be instrumental in driving Triller’s AI-focused strategy.

Cross-Pollination of Triller’s Ecosystem

The core of Triller’s strategy lies in the elegant cross-pollination of its diversified businesses. Each entity works together, amplifying the other and leading to synergistic growth. For instance, Triller’s AI sits at the heart of its platform, influencing user behavior and driving engagement across various channels. This sophisticated AI system then dovetails neatly with their owned businesses, such as FITE TV, BKFC, and Julius, to bolster growth and revenue.

Verzuz, a wholly owned subsidiary, also plays a significant role in Triller’s ecosystem. Originally born online, it now utilizes Triller’s AI capabilities to achieve immense success, including the unique distinction of hosting four of the top ten Instagram Live events to date. Through Triller’s AI and its 550 million registered users, Verzuz interfaces directly with users, influencers, and brands, creating a unique blend of music and lifestyle content that resonates strongly with audiences.

Tangible Results

This interconnected ecosystem has resulted in tangible, positive results for brands, influencers, and celebrities. Brands engaging with Triller benefit from insights and returns that reportedly surpass those from big players like Google and Facebook. Influencers, on the other hand, have access to a large pool of brands and potential collaborations, thanks to Julius’ vast network. These brands include Pepsi, L’Oreal, Boost Mobile and McDonald’s.

More impressively, Triller’s AI systems have enabled over 20 billion conversations with more than half a billion users in the last five years. This not only showcases the vast reach of Triller but also highlights its immense potential for user engagement and monetization.

The numbers speak volumes. Triller’s Conversational AI systems generated an astonishing 2.1 billion user actions in Q4 across various platforms. Moreover, it logged 1.86 billion user actions/engagements and had 193 billion social media events profiled in the same quarter.

Looking Ahead

Multiple sources confirmed that Triller is also close to making another strategic acquisition, one that could potentially multiply its revenue and EBITDA by double. This move demonstrates Triller’s ongoing commitment to expanding and integrating its ecosystem even further.

As the anticipated public listing approaches, it’s clear that Triller is poised to make significant strides in the tech industry. The company has not only successfully built a powerful and diversified ecosystem but has also demonstrated the potential to deliver substantial returns on investment.

While Triller started as a competitor to TikTok, it has rapidly evolved, integrating AI, combat sports, music, lifestyle, and influencer marketing into its platform. Triller’s journey is a testament to its forward-thinking strategy, solid execution, and the strength of its leadership team.

The upcoming public listing is set to unveil Triller’s achievements and its potential to the broader market. As Triller continues to innovate and drive its multi-faceted strategy forward, the world will undoubtedly be watching.