A daily newsletter summarizing interesting Indian startups and recent activity both in India & globally.
INTERESTING STARTUPS
Instore (2017, Bangalore), AI enabled retail analytics solutions. Founders are ex-Microsoft, Citigroup, 42hertz, Connect Cafe, Tummala Electronics, Properji and are alumni of IIM Bangalore and University of Texas. Local comparables are Corseco (2016, Delhi, $225k) and Madbits (2017, Delhi, unfunded). Global comparables are RetailNext (2007, San Jose, $190M) and Hoxton Analytics (2014, London, unfunded).
INDIA INTERESTING NEWS
Wow Momo (2008, Kolkata), restaurant chain serving momos and fast food, raises $6.8M in Series B round of funding led by Lighthouse Funds. Link
Goodera (2009, Bangalore), cloud-based platform for corporates to manage their CSR activity, raises $5.5M in Series A round of funding from Nexus VP & Omidyar Network with participation from Varsha Rao. Link
VistaRooms (2015, Mumbai), branded marketplace for budget hotel accommodation, raises $776k in pre-Series A funding with participation from seed-stage investor Artha India Ventures, Singularity Holdings and online funding platform LetsVenture and others. Link
Hyper Track (2015, Delhi), API to track and trace deliveries, raises an undisclosed amount in Series A round of funding from Nexus Venture Partners and Founders Fund. Link
Loan Meet (2015, Bangalore), P2P lending platform raises an undisclosed amount in seed round of funding from Cao Yibin and Huang Wei and Madhusudan E. Link
Reliance General Insurance (2000, Mumbai), insurance arm of Reliance Capital – an NBFC, plans for an IPO. Link
Paytm Mall (2010, Noida), online horizontal e-commerce marketplace, has appointed Amit Sinha as the new COO. Link
GLOBAL ROUNDUP
Vertos Medical (2005, Aliso Viejo), developer of solutions for treatment of lumbar spinal stenosis, closes $28M in undisclosed round of funding led by MVM Life Science Partners with participation from Leerink Revelation Partners and others. Link
Rokt (2010, Sydney), digital referral marketing platform, closes $26M in Series B round of funding from Moelis Australia Ltd. with participation from John Ho, Lachlan Murdoch, Greg Roebuck, Square Peg Capital and Time Inc. Link
Exari (2000, Boston), provider of contract lifecycle management solutions, raises $24M in debt round of funding from Wellington Financial. Link
Script Dash (2015, SF), online prescription delivery service, raises $23M in Series B round of funding from undisclosed investors and rebrands to Alto Pharmacy. Link
CrowdFlower (2008, SF), enterprise crowd-sourcing platform for data processing jobs, raises $20M in Series D round of funding from led by Industry Ventures, with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Canvas Ventures, Microsoft Ventures and Trinity Ventures. Link
Drone Racing League (2015, NYC), organizer of drone-racing league and manufacturer of drones, raises $20M in Series B round of funding from Sky, Liberty Media and Lux Capital with participation from Allianz and others. Link
Centana Growth Partners, a NYC-based growth equity firm, closes fintech venture capital fund, at $250M. Link
NRV, a Virginia-based venture capital firm, closed its early-stage growth fund, at $33M. Link
