Start-Ups

Brightchamps, an edtech startup that offers online courses in programming, artificial intelligence, design thinking, and financial literacy to children aged 6 to 16, has raised $63 million in total funding since its launch last August and is now valued at nearly $500 million, according to founder and CEO Ravi Bhushan. Premji Invest, the investment group of Wipro founder Azim Premji, has led a new $51 million round of fundraising, with participation from edtech investor GSV Ventures, Flipkart cofounder Binny Bansal-backed 021 Capital, and Singapore-based venture fund Beenext. GSV Ventures, located…

Parking is a major issue in India, especially in big cities. The process of finding a parking space is a genuine pain in the neck no matter where you are going, whether it is an office, a job, or a shopping mall. The present chasm between parking and mobility stakeholders wastes people’s time, fuel, and energy on parking issues. Rasik Pansare and Chirag Jain developed and launched Get My Parking (GMP), an end-to-end IoT-based platform for smart parking, three years ago to bridge this gap and operate as a digital…

Vakilsearch, a legal tech startup has raised $10 million in a new round headed by InCorp India. Kalaari Capital is also exiting its investment through this transaction. Kalaari Capital, a private equity fund, having invested $2 million in Vakilsearch earlier in 2015. In 2020, it also got an undisclosed sum from Udaan co-founder Sujeet Kumar. The funds will be used to accelerate tech and product development, as well as marketing, sales, and talent acquisition, according to the Chennai-based startup. Vakilsearch, founded by Hrishikesh Datar, provides a variety of need-based services…

Virohan, a healthcare edtech startup, has secured $1.3 million in a bridge round from existing investors including Keiretsu Forum, Priya Shah, Better Capital, Vikas Gambhir, and Joydeep Battacharya. According to Virohan, the funds will be used to grow into new regions across India, develop newer training programs, content in vernacular languages, and advance their technical capabilities. The latest funds increase Virohan’s total funding to $4.3 million since its inception, including a series A round announced in May 2021 with participation from Rebright Partners. In addition, the company is in negotiations…

Edtech startup Adda 247 focusing on government test preparation is in advanced stage discussions to secure $20 million from a new and existing investor According to two sources familiar with the deal. Adda247 was on the lookout for a fresh round. The Gurugram-based company was also in negotiations with edtech giant Unacademy about a possible acquisition. However, the agreement has fallen through for reasons unknown. “Westbridge is in late-stage conversations to lead the fresh round while existing investor Info Edge has already committed a significant chunk,” said one of the…

Zerodha, a stockbroking application, is making this Diwali extra memorable for its employees by0 launching a new employee stock options (ESOP) plan. With this announcement, the company joins the ranks of several early-stage companies, including Paytm, Swiggy, and Rivigo, among others, that have either expanded or created a new ESOPs pool. With 6 million users, Zerodha is India’s largest stockbroking app for retail trades. According to regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies, the Bengaluru-based company has allocated 7,00,000 options under its new ESOPs Plan 2021. (RoC). As per Fintrackr’s…

Neobanking startup Fi has secured roughly $50 million in what looks to be a Series B round lead by B Capital. This is the Bengaluru-based startup’s second round in 2021. It raised a $12 million Series A round in June. According to regulatory filings with RoC, Fi has approved the allotment of 1 equity and 3,90,531 Series B CCPS with a face value of Rs 10 and a premium of Rs 9,485.25 per share to raise Rs 370.81 crore, or close to $50 million. B Capital led the round with…