FutureTech

Ripplr, a Bengaluru-based tech-enabled distribution and logistics ecosystem platform, has raised $12 million in a Pre-Series B funding round comprised of both equity and debt. Japanese conglomerate Sojitz Corporation and Stride Ventures also participated in the round. 3one4 Capital, Zephyr Peacock India Growth Fund, and Chand Family Office – Yukti were among the existing investors. Earlier this year, the company raised $3 million. Ripplr provides a technology platform for large consumer brand authorised dealers to track business metrics, finance options, analytics, and operational support. While there are numerous players in…

Mamaearth, a baby and mother care brand, has raised nearly $80 million in a new round led by Sequoia at a unicorn valuation. This is the Bengaluru-based startup’s second round in 2021. It had raised $50 million in a round led by Sofina in July, at a valuation of $730 million. According to regulatory filings, MamaEarth has approved the allotment of 1,741 Series F preference shares at an issue price of Rs 33,85,049 in order to raise Rs 589.3 crore ($79.5 million). Sequoia led the round with a Rs 311.8…

SoftBank-backed GlobalBees Brands Pvt Ltd, a Thrasio-style direct-to-consumer (D2C) venture that aggregates and invests in e-commerce brands, announced on Wednesday that it had raised $111.5 million in a Series B funding round led by Premji Invest at a unicorn valuation. Unicorns are private companies that have a market capitalization of $1 billion or more. The funding round was led by Steadview Capital, with participation from existing investors SoftBank and e-commerce baby products company FirstCry, according to the company. GlobalBees is now valued at $1.1 billion, making it the 44th Indian…

Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Tuesday that India has emerged as the world’s second largest startup hub, thanks in large part to students from Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs). The Prime Minister during the 54th convocation ceremony of IIT Kanpur said, “In this 75th year of independence, we have over 75 unicorns, over 50,000 start-ups. Of these, 10,000 have come only in the last 6 months. India has emerged to be the second biggest startup hub in the world, and this feat has been achieved majorly with the help…

Awais Ahmad, co-founder of the Indian geospatial technology startup Pixxel, is excited for the New Year. His startup is finally set to launch the first of its planned low-Earth orbit (LEO) satellites, after multiple delays due to operational issues and a variety of other factors. Similarly, GalaxEye, another startup developing its own satellite constellation, has stated that the first member of its 15-satellite constellation will be launched in early 2023. Back on the ground, the geospatial survey company Genesys International recently announced a plan to create high resolution 3D maps…

Neobank Jupiter has raised $86 million as part of its Series C fundraise according to regulatory filings accessed through Tofler, The round was led by US-based QED Investors and Sequoia Growth Fund, and other existing investors such as Tiger Global, Matrix Partners, 3one4 Capital, and BEENEXT participated. This is Jupiter’s second round of funding in 2021, a year that saw an unprecedented surge in startup funding. Jitendra Gupta, the startup’s founder and CEO, confirmed the funding and stated that the company’s valuation has now increased to $710 million. This represents…