A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Sendx (2016, Chennai) Email marketing automation platform. Founder is from IIIT Allahabad and has worked in Indix, Rovi and Snapstick. Local competitors are Nudgespot (2012, Bangalore, $650K) and PepiPost (2015, Mumbai). Global comparables are CampaignMonitor (2004, Sydney, $250M) and ReturnPath (1999, NYC, $97M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Droom (2014, Gurgaon) Online marketplace to buy and sell automobiles raises $29.5M in series B round of funding led by BEENEXT, Digital Garage, LightBox Ventures and Beenos Link

Cremica (1978, Delhi) Producer of packaged and processed food including biscuits, ice creams and toppings, ready to cook packs raises $15M from Rabo Equity Advisors Link

Vyome Biosciences (2010, Delhi) Dermatology products producer raises $2M from Boston’s Romulus Capital in maiden India deal Link

Atomberg (2013, Mumbai) Technology products maker in data acquisition, vehicle tracking & industrial machine monitoring raises $1M from Parampara Capital Link

CoutLoot (2015, Mumbai) P2P marketplace to buy and sell pre-owned fashion raises an undisclosed amount from Venture Catalysts Link

BRIDGEi2i (2011, Bangalore) Big data analytics services provider raises an undisclosed amount in series A round of funding from Edelweiss Private Equity Link

Jugnoo (2014, Chandigarh) Mobile app for booking and hyperlocal delivery through autorickshaws acquires SabKuchFresh (2014, Chandigarh) Online store offering fruits and vegetables for an undisclosed amount Link

One Internet (2015, Delhi) Shared office space provider for startups and entrepreneurs launches accelerator centres in Gurgaon and Delhi Link

Flipkart (2007, Bangalore) Online retailer offers zero interest finance option for big size items Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Uber (2009, SF) Mobile app that connects passengers with vehicle drivers for hire raises $3.5B from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund as a part of  $5B round Link

Spredfast (2008, Austin) Social media monitoring and customer relationship management platform raises $50M in funding led by Riverwood Capital, Austin Ventures, Interwest Partners, OpenView Venture Partners and Lead Edge Capital Link

Ionic Security (2010, Atlanta) Provider of a data protection and control platform raises $45M in funding led by Goldman Sachs, Hayman Capital, Google Ventures, Icon Ventures and others Link

uSens (2013, San Jose) Augmented reality and virtual reality developer of natural hand and head tracking technologies raises $20M in series A round of funding led by Fosun Kinzon Capital, Maison Capital, Great Capital and others Link

Docupace (2002, Los Angeles) Financial tech, digital compliance and cyber security company raises $16.5M in funding led by Palisades Growth Capital and TVC Capital Link

Verto Analytics (2013, Espoo) Digital media measurement company raises $16M in series B round of funding led by EQT Ventures, Conor Venture Partners, Open Ocean Capital and othersLink

Signals Group (2009, Netanya) Decision analytics company raises $10M in funding led by Qumra Capital, Sequoia Capital and TPY Capital Link

Tubular Labs (2012, Mountain View) Video management and analytics platform  raises $10M in funding led by Marker LLC and others Link

Clear Ventures, Palo Alto based VC firm closes first fund at, $120M Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

SiftApp (2015, Bangalore) Security app for apartments. Founder worked in Ericson, Skyhigh Networks, Bluestone, founded Hi4Fi matrimony services & Victual Systems and is a graduate from IIT Delhi. Local competitors are DigitalGorkha (2014, Mumbai, $165K) and MakeMySociety(2014, Bangalore). Global comparables are Envoy (2013, SF, $16.5M) and Welkio (2014, San Luis Obispo, $400K)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Amazon India raises additional $200M from Amazon (1994, Seattle) International e-commerce website to accelerate growth Link

icliniq (2010, Coimbatore) Web based telemedicine platform connecting doctors and patients raises an undisclosed amount in angel round of funding from Erode-based laparoscopic surgeon MadhanKumar Madathupalayam Link

Zapluk (2015, Hyderabad) Mobile app for booking at home beauty and wellness services acquiresPamperazi (2015, Chennai) Online platform for booking spa and salon service at home Link

GenY Medium (2011, Hyderabad) Technology solutions and services provider for social media reputation and reach management acquires TailCurrent (2010, NYC) B2B lead generation company for an undisclosed amount Link

Payworld (2006, Gurgaon) Digital payments firm launches Payworld Bazaar to help rural and semi urban consumers to shop via an assisted e-commerce model with the help of a Payworld retailerLink

WudStay (2015, Gurgaon) Branded standardized budget accommodation provider enters into the homestay category with 2000 properties across 15 locations Link

Quadria Capital launches $10M healthcare focused fund HealthQuad to invest in early stage healthcare companies in India Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Udemy (2010, SF) Marketplace for online courses raises $60M strategic investment from Naspers as a follow-on to a $65M series D round of financing from june 2015 Link

WalkMe (2011, SF) Enterprise class guidance and engagement platform raises $50M in series E round of funding led by Insight Venture Partners with participation from Greenspring Associates and Scale Venture Partners Link

EarlySense (2004, Ramat Gan) Contact free patient monitoring solution raises $25M in funding led by Bank Hapoalim with participation from Pitango Venture Capital, JK&B Capital and othersLink

Digit (2013, SF) Mobile app that automatically saves money for the users closes  $22.5M in series B round of funding led by Ribbit Capital with support from General Catalyst and others Link

Loot Crate (2012, LA) Fan-based commerce and community platform raises $18.5M in series A round of funding led by Upfront Ventures with participation from Breakwater Investment Management and others Link

Tile (2012, San Mateo) Smart location tracking company raises $18M in series B round of funding led by Bessemer Venture Partners  with participation from GGV Capital, Khosla Ventures, Tandem and Tencent Link

Flowonix Medical (2005, Mount Olive) Medical device company raises $15.5M in funding from Clarus Ventures, Hercules Capital and others Link

Vyze (2008, Austin) B2C marketplace for financing solutions at PoS raises $13M in series B round of funding led by Austin Ventures and StarVest Partners Link

Strata Oncology (2015, Ann Arbor) Provider of  genetic sequencing for late-stage cancer patients raises $12M in series A round of funding from Arboretum Ventures, Baird Capital and Michigan eLab Link

Vista Equity Partners, Austin based VC firm acquires Ping Identity (2002, Denver) Identity defined security platform for an undisclosed amount Link

Life Sciences Partners, Amsterdam based investment firm closes fund, at $280M Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Lawyer2ca (2015, Delhi), upcoming online legal and financial services provider. Founders worked at Supreme Court of India, Vivek Raj Singh & Associate, Sr Bagai & Co, KPMG, EY, UBS and alumni of Harvard Law School, Faculty of Law-DU, SRCC, ICAI. Local competitors areVakilSearch (2010, Chennai, undisclosed) and LegalRaasta (2015, Delhi, $1M). Global Comparables are UpCounsel (2012, SF, $14M) and Kuaifawu (2014, Beijing, $10M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

SillyMonks (2013, Hyderabad), digital entertainment startup, raises $50K from HNI Sreenivasa Reddy Musani, CMD Ektha Group Link ​

Voonik (2013, Bangalore), fashion marketplace has acquired Zohraa (2012, Thane), online marketplace for designers and boutiques, Picksilk (2015, Bangalore), online private label saree brand and Styl (2015, Bangalore), mobile app for booking beauty services, to build its premium fashion product Vilara Link

Roadrunnr acquires Tinyowl (2014, Mumbai), online food ordering platform and rebrands itself asRunnr (2015, Bangalore). The company has also pivoted its business model to become a food ordering and delivery app Link

GoGo Truck (2015, Chennai), online intra-city logistics provider, has raised $75K in seed funding from a Madurai-based angel investor Link

Gujarat government has announced its first ever IT and Electronics startup policy to promote 2000 new ventures in the next five years Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Glassdoor (2007, Mill Valley), provider of a jobs and workplace review marketplace, raises $40M in funding from T.Rowe Price Associates with participation from existing investors Battery Ventures, GV (Google Capital), SutterHill Ventures and Tiger Global Link

Qumulo (2012, Seattle), provider of data-aware scale-out NAS software, closes a $33M series C funding round from Allen & Company, Top Tier Capital Partners, Tyche Partners and existing investors Link

Digit (2013, SF), mobile app that automatically saves money for the users, closes a $23M series B round of funding led by Ribbit Capital with participation from General Catalyst and other existing backers Link

Whill (2012, SF), personal mobility and wheelchair startup, raises $18M in series B funding in a round led by Eight Roads Ventures with participation from Mirai Creation Investment Limited, Golden Asia Fund and others Link

ExThera Medical Corporation (2007, Berkeley), developer of innovative blood filtering technology, closes a $15M series B financing round from Fresenius Medical Care Ventures with participation from existing investors Link

Reno Sub-Systems (2013, Nova), developer of technologies for the semiconductor and advanced microelectronic industries, closes $14M series B funding in a round led by MKS Instruments Link

InFlectis BioScience SAS (2013, Nantes), biopharmaceutical company specializing in the discovery and development of drugs for the treatment of protein misfolding diseases, completed $7M series A financing round from CM-CIC Innovation and Remiges Ventures with the participation from previous investors Link

Nudge (2014, Toronto), provider of enterprise sales platform, raises $5M in seed funding from Omers Ventures, with participation from existing investors Link

Next Frontier Capital, Montana based venture capital fund, closes first venture capital fund, at $21M Link

Seed-stage venture capital firm SeedPlus, launches in Singapore backed by a network comprising Jungle Ventures, PwC, Google, Accel Partners and Infocomm Investments Link

With a large unbanked population and rising smartphone usage, FinTech startups in India are poised to carve a large mindshare and marketshare in the country. The government is doing its part to move the country to a cashless society – the Reserve Bank of India issued payments bank licences to 11 entities in August 2015, and in 2016, NPCI launched the Unified Payments Interface, which will enable users to transfer bank funds using just a unique ID and a PIN.

76 FinTech companies were funded since July 2015 in 83 rounds, the total funding in FinTech startups during the period was $862.5M. VC funding activity has been centred around a variety of business models, including mobile wallets, loan comparison, insurance aggregators, online lending, payment devices, payment gateway solutions, and personal finance management.  Of the top 50 funded FinTech startups, 23 are headquartered in Mumbai, the financial capital of the country. Alibaba-funded Paytm, the country’s leading mobile wallet in terms of users has ten times the funding of its competitor – MobiKwik.

Most Active FinTech Investors in Top 50 List

Based on the number of investments made, the most active FinTech investors in the top 50 list are Sequoia Capital, Accel Partners, SAIF Partners and Tiger Global and IDG. 

Sequoia Capital – 9 (BankBazaar, ApnaPaisa, Fintellix, Cleartax, Chillr, MobiKwik, Prizm Payment Services, Citrus Pay)
Accel Partners – 6 (Coverfox, QwikCilver, MoneyView, Chargebee, JusPay, Scripbox)
SAIF Partners – 4 (Paytm, Coverfox, Tracxn, Capital Float)
Tiger Global – 4 (Chargebee, Coverfox, Razorpay, MoneyView)
IDG – 4 (Fintellix, CreditMantri, Agile Financial Technologies, Heckyl)

Top Business Models: Mobile Payments, Investment Tech, Alternative Lending 

Mobile Payments – 10 companies in the top 50 have mobile-focused business models – consisting of semi-closed wallets (Paytm, MobiKwik, MoneyOnMobile, PayMate, The Mobile Wallet) that can be used for bill payments and recharge. Other mobile business models include money transfer apps (Chillr), point of sale solutions (Ezetap, Mswipe, Paynear), payment gateway for e-commerce merchants (Juspay).

Investment Tech – Out of the nine investment tech companies, four are robo advisors for public market investing (FundsIndia, MyUniverse, Scripbox, 5nance). Heckyl and Cogencis provide analytics and market data respectively on public markets. Mumbai-based RKSV.in is an online retail brokerage firm, while BankerBay is a web-based deal origination tool for PE firms and investment banks. Tracxn finds a place in the top 50 too.

Alternative Lending – Eight alternative lending startups figure in the top 50 list – business models encompass direct lenders (Capital Float, Lendingkart) small business lending (NeoGrowth), consumer loans for e-commerce (OnEMI) loan comparison (BankBazaar, APNAPAISA, rubique) and P2P moneylending (faircent).

Banking Tech – The seven banking tech startups on the list include a loan management platform (Cloud Lending), a fraud and risk management solution (CustomerXPs) and fraud and risk analytics (Fintellix), loyalty relationship management (Loylty Rewardz), Regulatory compliance (ComplyGlobal), and banking correspondence (FINO PayTech, EKO).

Payments – Payments focused companies in the top 50 include prepaid cash card provider ItzCash, digital and electronic payment solutions (Transerv, Prizm Payment, and Suvidhaa) and  payment gateways (Citrus Pay and Razorpay), and QwikCilver, a multi-brand gift card store.

Insurance Tech – Five insurance tech startups in the top 50 consist of aggregators like Policybazaar, Coverfox, Easypolicy, and software solutions providers (Agile Financial Technologies, HealthHiway)

Consumer/Enterprise Finance – Consumer finance focused companies include CreditMantri, a credit score and analysis portal, MoneyView, a personal finance management app, and Cleartax, an income tax filing portal. Chargebee is an enterprise focused subscription billing service for SaaS companies.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

iDecorama (2016, Delhi),  marketplace platform for home renovation services. Founder is the Poster Gully founder and CEO, who also founded Drooly and is alumni of Hansraj College-DU. Local comparables are PaperToStone (2016, Bangalore, $1M) and Nestopia (2013, Mumbai, Undisclosed). Global comparables are 3Kongjian (2014, Beijing, $10M), To8to (2008, Shenzhen, $216.5M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Cuemath (2014, Delhi), tech enabled after-school learning provider raises $4M in an undisclosed funding round from Sequoia Capital and Unitus Seed Fund Link

Industrybuying (2013, Delhi), B2B marketplace for industrial tools partners with Tradexs (2015, Pune) B2B marketplace for excess inventory to liquidate excess inventory Link

Jugnoo (2014, Chandigarh), mobile app for booking and hyperlocal delivery through autorickshaws launches autorickshaw pooling service ‘Jugnoo Pool’ Link

Housing.com (2012, Mumbai), map-based verified residential property listings platform plans to expand its buy-and-sell discovery platform offline Link

Yepme (2010, Gurgaon), online retailer of garments and accessories to open 400 brick and mortar stores in this fiscal Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore), app-based asset-light cab operator to receive operator’s licence from Karnataka State Road Transport Authority Link

Amazon India ties up with Storeking (2012, Bangalore), e-commerce enabler for offline stores in small towns as part of Project Udaan Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Vedanta Biosciences (2010, Boston), raises $50M from investors Rock Springs Capital, Invesco Asset Management and Health For Life Capital (Seventure) and PureTech Link

Moogsoft (2011, SF), provider of real-time IT Operations Analytics (ITOA) software secures $30M in Series C funding round over two phases led by Northgate Capital, SingTel Innov8, ST Telemedia, HCL Technologies and existing investors Cisco Investments, Redpoint, Wing and others Link

Cloudability (2011, Portland), provider of financial management tools for cloud raises $24M in Series B funding round led by the Foundry Group Select Fund Link

Qadium (2012, SF), provider of internet scale scan technology for detecting threats to public facing enterprise devices raises $20M in series A funding round from Scott Sandell, Peter Thiel & others Link

Applied StemCell (2008, Milpitas), gene-editing company closes $19M Series D funding round led by HerMed Capital with participation from Ping An Ventures, Vi-Ventures and BioSciKin Link

Back to the Roots (2009, Oakland), organic food company raises $10M Series A funding round led by Acre Venture Partners with participation from S2G Ventures and Red Sea Ventures Link

State of Mind Ventures, Israel-based early stage venture capital firm, recently closes its $75M fund Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

The Thought Clinic (2016, Hyderabad), online counselling platform for intellectually disabled. Founder has experience in Snapdeal, Cipla and is alumnus of ISB and IIT-KGP. Local comparables are The Inner Hour 2016, Mumbai) and YourDost (2015, Bangalore, $400K). Global comparables are Breakthrough (2009, Redwood City, $5.9M) and HealthLinkNow (2010, Sacramento, $7.7M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Helpshift (2011, Pune), mobile first customer service helpdesk provider raises $23M in Series B funding round led by Microsoft and Salesforce with participation from Intel Capital, Nexus Venture Partners, True Ventures and others. Link

CreditVidya (2012, Mumbai), alternate credit scoring platform raises $2M in Series A funding round led by Kalaari Capital. Link

Krazybee (2016, Bangalore), student micro-loan platform KrazyBee raises $2M in seed funding from Chinese mobile ad network Yeahmobi and micro-loan/e-commerce player Fenqile. Link

Intgrea (2015, Bangalore), cloud based Merger & Acquisition solution provider, raised $100K in pre-Series A funding round from undisclosed angel investor. Link

Jugnoo (2014, Chandigarh), mobile app for booking and hyperlocal delivery through autorickshaws, launches multilingual interface for auto drivers. Link

LegalDesk (2014, Bangalore), online legal document drafting service, plans to launch an Aadhaar-based e-signing product for verification purpose in legal documents. Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Weka.IO (2014, Tel Aviv), software defined storage startup, closes $32M in Series B funding round from Qualcomm Ventures, Gemini Israel Ventures, Norwest Venture Partners, WRV II, L.P. and others. Link

Signal (2009, Chicago), cross channel marketing technology company, raises $30M in Series E funding round led by I2A with participation from Pritzker Group Ventures, Baird Capital, EPIC Ventures and Silicon Valley Bank. Link

Celonis (2011, Munich), business optimization B2B SaaS company, raises $27.5M in Series A funding round led by Accel Partners and 83North. Link

Zimperium (2010, SF) Provider of a mobile threat management platform closes $25M Series C funding round led by Warburg Pincus with participation from Sierra Ventures, Telstra Ventures and others. Link

DocPlanner (2011, Warsaw), online doctor appointment booking platform, raises $20M in Series C funding round led by Target Global. Link

Jiff (2009, Palo Alto) Enterprise health benefits platform raises $17.7M as an expansion to $23.5M Series C funding round received last year. Link

Embotics (2006, Ottawa), cloud management software company raises $12.1M funding in an undisclosed round. Link

Convercent (2013, Denver), enterprise compliance management software, raises $11M in Series C funding round led by Tola Capital with participation from Sapphire Ventures and others. Link

CrowdFlower (2008, SF), platform for data science teams raises $10M in an undisclosed round led by Canvas Ventures, Trinity Ventures, and Microsoft. Link

Biovotion (2011, Zurich), wearable physiology monitoring company, closes the first round of its ongoing $10M Series A funding round led by Swiss Re with participation from existing investor STMicroelectronics NV. Link

Longitude Capital, biotech & medtech VC firm closes its third fund at $525M. Link

Juggernaut Capital Partners, PE firm closes third fund at $380M. Link

Salesforce launches $50M Venture Capital fund and incubator. Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Numberz (2015, Bangalore), invoice discounting platform. Founders have experience at Intuit, AT&T, Reliance Infocomm and are alumni of Havard Business School, ISB and California State University. Local comparables are Kredx (2015, Bangalore, $750K) and MarketBills (2016, Delhi). Global comparables are FastPay (2009, Beverly Hills, $15M) and  FundThrough (2014, Toronto, $2.2M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Storeking (2012, Bangalore), e-commerce enabler for offline stores in small towns, raises $16M in an unattributed funding round from Malaysian telecom operator Axiata Group Berhad’s wholly owned unit Axiata Digital Link

GreyCampus (2014, Hyderabad), online learning solutions for professional certifications, higher education & test preparation, raises $1M in angel funding from Sarath Sura Link

ListUp (2015, Mumbai), hyperlocal mobile marketplace to buy and sell used goods, raises $500K in an unattributed funding round led by Kae Capital Link

6Degree (2015, Bangalore), online network for fashion artists and creative professionals, raises $200K in an unattributed round from India Angel Network Link

MadRat Games (2010, Bangalore), designer and provider of wholesome games for kids, raises about $200K in funding from Ratan Tata Link

Cookifi (2015, Bangalore), online marketplace platform for chefs, raises an undisclosed amount in seed funding from Kunal Shah, Aneesh Reddy, Tracxn Labs, Venkat Tadanki and other angels through TracxnSyndicate Link

Wired Hub (2016, Jaipur), co-working space provider for startups & freelancers, raises undisclosed amount of seed funding led by angel investors Ankit Maheshwari and Anand SinghLink

Shopwati (2015, Delhi), social platform connecting users with local fashion stores, raises undisclosed amount in seed funding from boutique investment company SRKK Advisors Link

Extraaedge.com (2014, Pune), cloud-based school management platform, raises an undisclosed amount in angel funding from a group of investors Link

OYO Rooms (2013, Gurgaon), marketplace for budget hotel accommodation, partners withItzCash (2006, Mumbai), digital payments firm, to facilitate payments for hotel bookings Link

UTOO Cabs (2016, Chennai), app-based taxi aggregator, mentored by former Aircel owner C Sivasankaran, set to launch in June 2016 Link

Alive Home (2015, Kharagpur), IoT-based operating in the smart home space, incubated at IIT-KGP launches in India Link

Express Bike Works (2013, Mumbai), provider of multiple services for motorcycle maintenance, partners with HPCL to set up outlets at over 12,000 sites across India Link

PayUMoney (2011, Gurgaon), payment gateway solutions to merchants and SMBs, launches a new POS terminal which enables small merchants to start accepting card based payments Link

Payments bank VP Vikas Purohit quits Paytm (2010, Noida), mobile wallet and e-commerce platform Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Ginko Bioworks (2008, Boston), bio-tech startup, raises $100M in Series C funding round from YC’s Continuity Fund, Senator Investment Group, Cascade Investment, Baillie Gifford, Viking Global Investors and Allen & Company LLC Link

Cylance (2012, Irvine), cybersecurity company, completes initial closing of $100M Series D funding round led by Blackstone Tactical Opportunities and Insight Venture Partners with participation from existing investors Link

Buildium (2004, Boston), cloud property management software company, raises $65M funding round led by Sumeru Equity Partners Link

Trax (2010, Singapore), image recognition software, raises $40M in Series C funding round from existing investors Link

SundaySky (2007, NYC), personalized video engagement platform for brands, completes additional $30M Series D funding round led by Viola Private Equity with participation from Carmel Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Comcast Ventures and NTT DOCOMO Ventures Link

Impact Radius (2008, Santa Barbara), digital marketing management platform, raises $30M in an unattributed funding round from Boston-based Silversmith Capital Partners Link

Omicia (2009, Oakland), provider of clinical genome interpretation and reporting software, raises $23M in Series B funding round from investors UPMC Enterprises, Roche Venture Fund, LDV Partners, Ping An Ventures and others Link

Midokura (2010, Tokyo), network virtualization specialist, raises $20M in Series B funding round from Japanese fintech company Simplex and existing investors like Allen Miner and the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan Link

Aktana (2008, SF), decision support platform, raises $17.5M in an unattributed funding round led by Safeguard Scientifics with participation from existing investor Starfish Ventures and othersLink

Amplitude (2012, SF), mobile analytics and business intelligence platform, raises $15M in Series B funding round led by Battery Ventures with participation from Benchmark, Data Collective, Merus Capital and Quest Venture Partners Link

When I Work (2010, St. Paul), mobile workforce management platform, raises $15M in Series B funding round led by Drive Capital with participation from Arthur Ventures and High Alpha Link

Comfy (2013, Oakland), provider of smart building control software, raises $12M in an unattributed funding round led by Emergence Capital with participation from CBRE Group, Microsoft Ventures and others Link

Nuxeo (2000, Paris), open source content management platform, closes $10M funding round from Kennet Partners Link

Monster (1994, NYC), online job board, acquires Jobr (2014, SF), tinder for jobs, for an undisclosed amount Link

SoftTech VC, Venture Capital firm closes two funds totalling $150M Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

GoSnacker (2015, Bangalore), snacks via app-enabled vending machines. Founder worked at Headstrong, Infosys and is an alumnus of IIT-KGP. No local comparables. Global comparable isUbox (2010, Beijing, $85M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Koovs (2010, Gurgaon), online retail for fashion apparel and lifestyle accessories, raises $4.8M funding round from HT Media and Dragon Asia Holdings Link

ePayLater (2015, Mumbai), e-commerce purchase loan company, raises $2M in seed round of funding from three HNIs Link

Kickstart Jobs (2015, Gurgaon), online job board for grey and blue collar job, seekers raises an undisclosed amount of seed funding from ah! Ventures Link

Teabox (2012, Bangalore), producer-to-consumer tea brand and retailer, raised an undisclosed funding round  from Singapore-based angel investor Cameron Jones and also raised venture debt from DBS Bank Limited Link

Kyazoonga (2007, Mumbai) Online ticketing portal for entertainment events raises undisclosed amount of funding from Ratan Tata Link

TVS Automobiles picks up majority investments in JazzMyRide (2011, Delhi), internet-first automobile spare parts and accessories, Autosense (2016, Chennai),big data analytics solutions provider in automotive vertical and RedSun (2013, Chennai), IoT startup for cars solutions in safety, convenience and integrated services Link

Ola Money (2015, Bangalore), mobile wallet powered by Ola partners with Voonik (2013, Bangalore), personal-stylist led online marketplace for fashion, eBay (1995, San Jose), connected commercial marketplace, Yepme (2010, Gurgaon), online retailing of men’s and women’s garments and accessories, AskMeBazaar (2012, Noida), online retail marketplace andHealthKart (2011, Gurgaon), online store for consumer health products Link

Gofro (2016, Delhi), online international travel planning and booking marketplace, launches in India Link

Flipkart (2007, Bangalore), online retailer, hires Micromax CTO Ashish Agrawal Link

TruckSumo (2015, Hyderabad), online marketplace for goods transportation solutions, suspends operations Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Tradeshift (2009, SF), collaboration,electronic invoicing and dynamic discounting solution provider, raises $75M Series D round led by Data Collective (DCVC) with participation from HSBC, American Express Ventures, CreditEase and Pavilion Capital Link

LibertySBF (2011, NYC), commercial real estate lending company raises, $75M Series B funding round led by Exigent Capital and Mainline Investment Partners with participation from other private investors Link

BitTitan (2007, Kirkland), provider of cloud services enablement platform, closes $15M Series A round led by TVC Capital with participation from Tao Capital Partners Link

Hireology (2010, Chicago), provider of employee selection management technology, raises $12M in Series C round led by Baird Venture Partners with participation from Bain Capital Ventures and Lightbank Link

Frequency (2010, LA), online video aggregation service, closes $11M equity financing round from Liberty Global, YOU On Demand and Oakmont Corporation Link

Smaato (2005, SF), mobile ad tech firm, acquired by Beijing-based Spearhead Integrated Marketing Communication Group for $148M Link

Sherpa Capital, private capital fund closes $470M fund and launches two new funds bringing the total now raised up to $630 million Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

CloudKare (2016, Bangalore), cloud-based electronic health records platform. Founders from Groupon, Flipkart,  Housing, Symphony Teleca, Affine Analytics Private Limited, IREF Solutions, and IIM Bangalore, IIT Delhi, IIT Kharagpur alumni. Local companies operating in the same space are HealthGraph (2013, Bangalore) and VNurture (2008, Bangalore). Global comparables are Practice Fusion (2005, SF, $155M) and Kareo (2004, Irvine, $137 M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Bombay Shirt Company (2012, Mumbai), manufacturer of private-label customizable brand shirts with an online retail platform, raises $987K in bridge round of funding from Patni Group and an undisclosed investor Link

PayTunes (2015, Delhi), app to set ad-jingles as ringtone and get paid for incoming calls, raises $500K in pre series A round of funding from CIO Angel Network, IAN and others Link

KhanaGadi (2015, Jaipur), marketplace to order food during journeys, raises an undisclosed amount from 50K Ventures Link

Gaia Smart Cities (2015, Mumbai), provider of IoT solutions and services for smart cities acquires, Netcore (1998, Mumbai), digital marketing company in an equity deal Link

Nida Rooms (2015, Jakarta), budget hotel accommodation marketplace, partners with Via (2006, Bangalore), online travel platform for booking flights, hotels, buses, holiday packages Link

U2opia Mobile (2010, Singapore), mobile tech company launches a startup program ‘Catapult’, and plans to invest $3M over a period of three years Link

Infibeam (2007, Ahmedabad), online shopping website for books, mobiles, electronics and gifts allocates $5.6M to revamp its logistics business Shipdroid (2014, Ahmedabad), logistics aggregation platform, for e-commerce merchants Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

The Virtual Reality Company (2014, LA), content developer for VR, raises $23M as part of a large equity-financing round from Hengxin Mobile Business, Metallica lead singer James Hetfield, Rothenberg Ventures and Elementum Ventures Link

Ascend Consumer Finance (2014, SF), online direct lender for unsecured personal loans, raises $11M in funding from Mucker Capital, OCA Ventures, Partech Ventures, Tekton Ventures and others Link

Bento for Business (2013, SF), prepaid business cards provider for employees, raises $7M in series A round of funding led by Comcast Ventures with participation from existing investors Anthemis Group, Blumberg Capital and LionBird Link

TravelPerk (2015, Barcelona), free platform for companies to budget, book and manage business travel raises $7M in series A round of funding led by Spark Capital with participation from Sunstone Capital and existing backers LocalGlobe Link

Freenome (2014, Palo Alto), platform for detecting circulating cell free DNA, raises around $5.5M in seed round of funding led by Andreessen Horowitz with participation from Founders Fund, Data Collective Venture Capital and Third Kind Venture Capital Link

Lux (2012, Seattle), mobile shopping app for home accessories and gifts, raises $3.5M in funding led by IDG Capital Partners and Frees Fund Link

Gamer Sensei (2016, Boston), provider of a mastery platform for competitive gamers, raises around $2.5M in seed round of funding led by Accomplice and Boston Seed Capital with participation from Sigma Prime, FJ Labs, Corigin Ventures and Timothy & Todd McSweeney Link

AiVita Biomedical (2016, Irvine), therapeutic development company, raises $2M in series A round of funding led by California Technology Ventures Link

Andreessen Horowitz, Menlo Park based VC firm closes its fifth fund at $1.5B Link

As 2016 draws close to the half yearly mark, we take a close look at which Indian cities have been able to grab the most notable rounds, in a funding environment that appears to be more measured and cautious, compared to the exuberance of 2015.

Delhi NCR region accounts for more than half the funding pie in 2016 so far

Indian startups raised a total of $1.8 billion in the first 6 months of 2016, of which more than half the amount was pumped into the Delhi NCR region. The infographic below lists a detailed view of the top five startup cities of India.

The top startup cities not only accounted for highest number of deals, but also managed to grab a large average ticket size. Delhi NCR accounted for the highest overall funding, and leads the list in terms of ticket size, with an average ticket size of $5.8M. The table below is representative of the large average ticket size, with all the top 20 rounds of 2016 coming from one of the top five startup cities.

Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are the new kids on the block
The startup capital Bangalore has been an all time favourite for investors, due to the easily available tech talent in the city, but cities like Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are becoming startups hubs too, accounting for 30 deals in 2016, with a total funding amount of $34M. Below is the investment split across the emerging startup cities of India.

Bangalore bagged 96 Angel & Seed stage rounds in 2016
The Delhi NCR region takes the lead with the most number of rounds across all the funding stages, followed by Bangalore and Mumbai. While Ahmedabad, Chennai and Jaipur are becoming startup hubs, they are not securing late stage rounds, which is evident from the table below. The only notable late stage rounds this year from the upcoming cities were that of Stayzilla in Chennai and CarDekho in Jaipur. Below is a look at the funding by stage in 2016.

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

AlphaPay (2016, Mumbai) Upcoming app for merchant payments and peer-to-peer money transfer. Founders are ex- Kotak Mahindra, SMC Group, Housing.com, Futures First, Deutsche Bank, Ex- Godrej, and NIT Surat, IIT Bombay, IIT Kanpur alumni. Local competitor is Chillr(2014, Mumbai, $7M). Global comparables are Toss (2011, Seoul, $28M), Bump (2008, Mountain View, $20M, Acq. by Google) and Paga (2009, Lagos, $13M)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Pianta (2015, Bangalore) Online marketplace for home health-care providers raises an undisclosed amount in seed round of funding from Freecharge founders Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon Link

Let’s Service (2015, Bangalore) Bike servicing company providing doorstep pickup and delivery raises angel funding from Ajay Prabhu and Deepak Vinchhi Link

GoHero.ai (2015, Mumbai) Mobile app for on-demand travel based concierge services raises an undisclosed amount from Travel Startups Incubator Link

Tata Group enters e-commerce with TataCliQ (2016, Mumbai) Omni- channel marketplace for selling curated brands Link

BrowserStack (2011, Mumbai) Cloud platform for online cross-browser testing appoints Neil Joglekar as vice president of its products division and opens offices in SF and Dublin Link

Ola (2011, Bangalore) App-based asset-light cab operator launches ‘Ola Lux’ offering luxury vehicles like Mercedes, BMW and Jaguars on its platform Link

ZuperMeal (2015, Mumbai) Open marketplace that delivers food from home chefs closes its operations Link

Fashionara (2012, Bangalore) Online fashion retailer pivoted to flash sales model shuts down Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Planetary Resources (2010, Seattle) Asteroid mining company raises $21M in series A round of funding led by Bryan Johnson, Vast Ventures, Idea Bulb Ventures and others Link

Aleva Neurotherapeutics (2008, Lausanne) Developer of implantable deep brain stimulation systems that enables therapies for neurological diseases raises $18M in series C round of funding led by Greatbatch, BioMedPartners, BB Biotech Ventures and others Link

AutoFi (2015, SF) Point of sale solution for financing a vehicle online raises $17M in funding led by Crosslink Capital, Lerer Hippeau Ventures, Bruce Toll and others Link

OncoResponse (2015, Houston) Immuno oncology antibody discovery company closes $12.5M in series A round of funding led by ARCH Venture Partners, Canaan Partners, MD Anderson and others Link

Zebra Medical Vision (2014, Ramat HaSharon) Provider of big data clinical research platforms and imaging analytics services to the healthcare industry raises $12M in funding led by InterMountain Healthcare and others Link

Norsk Titanium (2007, Honefoss) Manufacturer of titanium components for aerospace and industrial applications closes $10M in funding led by Harbert European Growth Capital Fund ILink

Creema (2010, Shibuya) Handmade marketplace raises $10M in funding led by Globis Capital Partners Link

Eddyfi Technologies (2009, Quebec City) Provider of electromagnetic inspection technologies acquires Silverwing (1983, Swansea) Manufacturer of non-destructive testing inspection equipments Link

Qualtrics (2002, Provo) Saas based Information gathering platform acquires Statwing (2012, SF) Statistical analysis software provider Link

Lime Rock Resources, Houston based private equity firm focusing on the global energy sector closes its fourth fund, at $754M Link

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

All Dealzz (2016, Ahmedabad) Upcoming mobile app to discover deals nearby. Founders are from IIM Indore, IIM Calcutta background. Local competitors are Little (2015, Bangalore, $50M) and Nearbuy (2011, Delhi, $20M). Global comparables are Shopkick (2009, Redwood City, $20M, Acq. by SK Telecom) and Scoutmob (2010, Atlanta, $7M).

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Vahanalytics, On-road transportation efficiency startup run by Urbtranz Technologies raises $200K in seed round of funding from Venture Catalysts Link

Play Your Sport (2013, Gurgaon) Online social network for sports lovers raises an undisclosed amount in pre series A round of funding from  group of angel investors Link

1mg (2012, Gurgaon) Drug search engine and pharmacy network raises an undisclosed amount from HBM Healthcare Investments in addition to recently closed series B round Link

Tpot (2013, Delhi) Online platform to buy various flavours of tea raises an undisclosed amount in seed round of funding from  group of angel investors Link

Yes Bank (2004, Mumbai) Private sector lender ties up with Click&pay (2015, Hyderabad) Online payments solution startup Link

Indian Angel Network collaborates with Napino (2000, Gurgaon) Manufacturer of auto electronics and electrical products to launch incubation program ‘CircuitBridge’ for software and hardware startups Link

Freshdesk (2010, Chennai) Customer service support helpdesk opens new office in Berlin Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Chef’d (2013, El Segundo) Recipe and ingredient delivery service for gourmet meals raises $12M in funding led by undisclosed investors Link

Mosaicoon (2009, Palermo) Viral media company raises $9M in series B round of funding from group of investors Link

Searchmetrics (2005, San Mateo) Content optimization platform with SEO and performance analytics raises $8M in funding led by Kreos Capital Link

Molekule (2014, SF) Science and clean technology company raises around $3M in seed round of funding led by SoftTech VC, Crosslink Capital and CSC upshot Link

Tandem (2013, London) Mobile first retail bank raises over $3M in funding led by Peter Herbert, Steve Hulme, Gavin Smyth, Chief Risk Officer and others Link

Jirnexu (2012, Kuala Lumpur) Technology provider for banking institutions raises $3M in series A round of funding led by Celebes Capital, Tuas Capital Partners, Anfield Equities and others Link

Staffbase (2014, Chemnitz) Provider of employee intranet app for internal communications raises $3M in series A round of funding led by Capnamic Ventures and Kizoo Technology Ventures Link

5AM Ventures, Menlo Park based life sciences venture capital firm closes latest fund, at $285MLink

A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally

INTERESTING STARTUPS

Morph (2016, Gurgaon) AI and NLP based chat enabler for customer service. Founders are also founders of SuperText and have worked in the product team of Sprinklr. Local competitors areAirwoot (2012, Delhi, Acq. by Freshdesk), Zommoz (2015, Mumbai). Global comparables areGetJenny (2015, Turku) and CallText (2013, Washington)

INDIA INTERESTING NEWS

Mogae Media (2008, Gurgaon) Creative and VAS content production and distribution company raises $15M to make acquisitions and late stage investments in digital startups Link

Limo (2012, Mumbai) Bus-pooling mobile application for intra city travel raises $1M from Rainmaker Ventures Link

MadRat Games (2010, Bangalore) Designer and provider of wholesome games for kids raises $1M from founders of Flipkart, Snapdeal and others Link

Machadalo (2015, Mumbai) Technology enabler for marketing and advertising raises $175K in seed round of funding from a group of angel investors Link

Chikoop (2015, Bangalore) Free calling app and contextual advertising platform raises an undisclosed amount in seed round of funding from couple of Indore based industrialists Link

Thomas Cook (1841, Mumbai) Holiday packages, tour packages, forex, flights and visa provider partners with Vista Rooms (2015, Mumbai) Branded marketplace for budget hotel accommodation Link

Qyk (2016, Bangalore) Online marketplace for architects, designers and contractors pivots into house building services aggregator Papertostone Link

Icrisat (1972, Hyderabad) Research institute inks an agreement with T-Hub (2015, Hyderabad) Startup incubator to develop an incubation hub for agriculture and sponsor various farm related programmes Link

White Unicorn Ventures, Mumbai based VC firm launches incubation co-working space called ‘Unigrowth Centre’ Link

GLOBAL ROUNDUP

Thermondo (2013, Berlin) Provider of innovative heating solutions raises $25.5M in series C round of funding from Global Founders Capital, Holtzbrinck Ventures, IBB and Picus Capital Link

Vendini (2001, SF) Provider of ticketing, promotion and event management solutions raises $20M in series A round of funding from Level Equity Link

Whill (2012, SF) Designer and manufacturer of electronic wheelchair for elderly and differently abled raises $17.5M in series B round of funding led by Mirai Creation Investment Limited Partnership and Golden Asia Fund II Link

ABA English (2006, Barcelona) Online english language academy raises $12M in funding led by Kennet Partners, Nauta Capital and others Link

Lynx Analytics (2010, Singapore) Big data analytics startup raises $10M from an undisclosed strategic investor Link

Ixaltis (2014, Toulouse) Biopharma R&D company raises $9M in funding led by Sofimac Partners, Pierre Olivier Goineau and others Link

FR8 Revolution (2015, SF) IT solutions provider for the trucking industry raises $8.5M in series A round of funding from MAN Truck & Bus AG Link

Tynker (2012, Mountain View) Gamified courses provider to teach kids programming raises $7M in series A round of funding led by Krishna Bharat, Cervin Ventures, Felicis Ventures, New Ground Ventures and others Link

Robin (2014, Boston) Provider of an enterprise software platform to organize, track, and monitor offices spaces raises $7M in series A round of funding led by FirstMark Capital, Accomplice, Boldstart Ventures and others Link

Parthenon Capital Partners, Boston and San Francisco based private equity firm closes latest fund, at $1B Link