Alugha Takes $1M USD Funding to Create Multi-Language Video Tool
Alugha, a startup based in Mannheim, Germany, has received $1 million USD to create a simple online video playback solution for multiple languages. The company has already created a public, pre-release version of the software which allows video creators to upload a single video file and have it be available to viewers in multiple languages. The funding came from Gregor Greinert, a member of the supervisory board for Duravit AG, and his father Klaus Greinert, chairman of the supervisory board of Rheinmetall AG, as well as the former patriarch of the Roechling group.
The tool is intended for global enterprises that create online video and need to have it available for multiple markets. In the past, that has meant creating and storing multiple copies of a video. Alugha's solution checks to see what language the viewer's browser uses, then starts playing the video in the correct language using the Alugha player. In the backend, the Alugha video uploader keeps track of the video and audio assets and makes them accessible with one click.
The Alugha team has taken office space with the Greinert management company. Those interested can test the pre-release version at the Alugha site. The company's name comes form the Swahili word for "one language."