Start-Ups

DeHaat, an online marketplace for farm services and products, has raised $115 million in what appears to be the largest funding round in India for an Agritech startup. Belgian investment company Sofina, and Lightrock India led the company’s Series D round. Temasek joined current investors Prosus, RTP Global, Sequoia Capital India, and FMO in co-investing in the round. In January of this year, the Patna and Gurugram-based business raised $30 million in its Series C round. DeHaat provides farmers with customized inputs, guidance, financial services, and market connections for distribution….

Femtech startup healofy has secured $6.5 million in Series B fundraising led by Celestia Capital and current investor Omidyar Network India. Stride Ventures also provided $1 million in debt to Healofy. From preconception through early parenthood, Healofy offers counselling and assistance to pregnant women. The platform also has a marketplace where users may purchase childcare items. The software also functions as a “women’s social network” for expecting and new moms. “Across the top 20 Indian cities, one out of four women in early stages of motherhood access the Healofy app…

Light Information Systems, a Natural Language Processing AI-workforce startup, has raised $5.4 million in a Series A round headed by Pavestone Ventures. The startup’s no-code AI platform E42 enables companies to automate otherwise time-consuming and resource-intensive activities. Enterprise clients of Light Information Systems can create and customize “AI Co-workers” to handle a wide range of tasks ranging from customer service and human resources to corporate analytics and intelligence gathering. Clients of the startup vary in industries and sizes, from SMEs to Fortune 500 companies. Animesh Samuel and Sanjeev Menon founded…

Bollywood actress, producer, social worker Diya Mirza has joined Indian wooden toy startup Shumee as an investor and brand ambassador. Meeta Sharma Gupta’s Bengaluru-based D2C brand creates “development-friendly child-safe toys for kids up to the age of eight.” Shumee’s toys are designed in-house by their designers and handcrafted by local artisans out of wood, cotton, and other child-safe materials. Since its inception in 2016, the startup has sold over 200,000 toys in six countries. It sells directly through its website as well as through platforms such as Amazon. Speaking on…

Byju’s has hired investment banks to raise at least $500 million in Term Loan B (TLB) borrowings in the United States, as India’s most valuable startup seeks to replenish its war chest with debt after spending billions of dollars on acquisitions this year, according to three people familiar with the development. The EdTech unicorn will mostly use the funds for acquisitions, with a part of the funds also being used for working capital. “Byju’s is working with American investment banks JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley to structure the TLB financing….

Gramophone, an Indore-based Agritech startup, has raised INR 75 Cr (about $10 Mn) in its Series B funding round. The round was led by Z3 Partners, with existing investors Infoedge, Asha Impact, and Siana Capital also participating. Amit Sharma of Sunrise Group, Sumeet Kanwar of Verity, and Chona Family Office are among the new investors in the round (Havmor Group). The funding will be used to expand the startup’s technology platform. It intends to grow geographically while also exploring inorganic growth possibilities like mergers and acquisitions. “With this investment, we…

Forty-five health-tech startups were included in the federal policy think tank NITI Aayog’s initial compilation of enterprises nurtured under a scheme to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship. These companies’ technologies include portable health care devices that can be used at home, such as electrocardiogram (ECG) equipment, robotic arms capable of performing surgery, and a wearable device that alerts parents 24-hours before a pregnancy turns into a stillbirth, as shown in a list of innovative solutions released by these companies. The compilation, titled ‘Innovations for You,’ covers the start-ups fostered under the…

FarMart, a B2B Agritech startup, has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round headed by Matrix Partners India. Innoven Capital, as well as existing investors Omidyar Network India, Avaana Capital, and 500 Startups, joined the round, along with a few angel investors. Angel investors including Amit Lakhotia (Founder, Park+), Jitendra Gupta (Founder & CEO, Jupiter), KP Balaraj (Ex-founder, WestBridge Capital and Sequoia Capital India), Of Business Founder’s Fund, Revant Bhate and Dhyanesh Shah (cofounders, Mosaic Wellness) also participated in the round. The funds will be used to extend…

Digital media and lifestyle content platform ScoopWhoop has been acquired by Good Glamm Group, which is continuing its acquisition binge in the content and commerce space. Noting that the New Delhi-based digital media platform caters mostly to men, Good Glamm group said that it will invest INR 500 crore in the men’s category over the next three years. ScoopWhoop will continue to operate as an independent brand and media house under the Good Glamm Group, and its founders Sattvik Mishra, Rishi Pratim Mukherjee, and Sriparna Tikekar will remain in charge,…