Start-Ups

Oorjaa, a technology-enabled platform for the Intra-City logistics industry, announced today that it has raised Rs 9 crore in a pre-Series A fundraising round headed by Inflection Point Ventures in a business-to-business (B2B) logistics company. According to the statement, a number of high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) participated in the round, both personally and through Vinners’ angel investment platform. Sandeep Patil, Prashant Mohite, and Yogesh Parab launched Oorjaa in November 2019. “Our experience of interacting with IPV has been very fulfilling with complete handholding during the entire process. Their quality of diligence…

CureSkin, a Bengaluru-based artificial intelligence-driven beauty and personal care company, has raised $5 million in a fresh round of funding to extend its technological platform by expanding its customer base and expanding into adjacent categories. Sharrp Ventures, SenseAI, and other previous investors joined JSW Ventures in leading the new series A investment. CureSkin’s platform, which was founded in 2017 by two ex-Google workers Guna Kakulapati and Rama Rajanna, as well as doctor Charu Sharma, uses AI technology to accurately diagnose users’ skin ailments and offer a customised treatment kit and…

Taqanal Energy, a provider of cloud-connected smart modular battery energy storage solutions for the electric vehicle market, has announced a pre-series round of funding of Rs 9.50 crore. JITO Angel Network, KITVEN, Lets Venture, and Wellingdon Advisors are among the investors. The company’s mission is to break down barriers to EV adoption and speed up the switch to electric vehicles. Taqanal Energy’s Intelligent Energy Storage Management System is enabling the transition from fossil fuels and internal combustion engines to electric automobiles. The power of embedded intelligence in the battery is…

Lunchclub, a networking platform founded in the United States that uses machine learning algorithms to connect professionals with similar interests, values, goals, and aspirations, is now operational in India. The platform was first launched in 2017 in the United States as an invite-only concierge service for in-person introductions, but when the epidemic hit last March, the company switched to video conversations. It improves the professional matchmaking experience by utilising artificial intelligence to create connections based on shared interests and goals, independent of geographic location, industry, or generation. By the end…

Ninjacart, a fresh producesupply chain startup, announced on Friday that it had put aside $25 million to invest in future agri-tech firms. Ninjacart’s Agri Seed Funds will make seed investments in firms and entrepreneurs “that propose novel, sustainable, and tech-enabled solutions,” according to the company. “In addition, Ninjacart will invest in teams that have great tech abilities but may lack a solution or an idea at the moment,” the company said in a press release. Other than investing capital, Ninjacart said it will also give startups access to the agri-platforms’…

Insurtech platform Zopper stated it had reached $100 million in annualised insurance premium Because of the acceleration in digital transformation, the demand for digital solutions exploding across the insurance value chain, and ecosystem partners cooperating with insurtech businesses. “Achieving $100 million in annual insurance premium is a significant moment for stakeholders,” Surjendu Kuila, founder and CEO, Zopper said in a statement on Friday. “We aim to increase insurance penetration in the country by leveraging new-age technology. The world is embracing digitalization at a much faster pace than expected, especially owing…

Nazara Technologies, a digital gaming and sports company, will buy a 33% stake in Datawrkz Business Solutions, according to a regulatory filing on Friday. In addition, Nazara Technologies’ board of directors has approved a Rs 30 crore investment in its subsidiary Next Wave Multimedia. According to Nazara Technologies, the board has approved the issuance of approximately 1.1 lakh equity shares at an issue price of Rs 2,260 each, amounting to approximately Rs 24.99 crore, for the purpose of acquiring 22,499 equity shares of Datawrkz Business on a preferential basis. “Post…

Scaler, an edtech firm, has purchased AppliedRoots, an online learning platform, for $50 million in cash and stock. According to a senior company executive, the deal will allow it to improve its data science, artificial intelligence, and machine learning capabilities. The acquisition is the company’s third in the last 12 months, and it comes just two months after it raised $55 million in Series B funding from Lightrock India-led investors. It bought Coding Minutes and Coding Elements last year. Scaler’s parent company, InterviewBit, was founded in April 2019 by Anshuman Singh…