Printvenue raises $4.5 mn

Printvenue, an online portal for printing and personalised products, has secured $4.5-million (Rs 27.8 crore) funding from the Asia Pacific Internet Group. Through this funding, the company would join APACIG's network that operates in 15 countries, of which Printvenue is active in Singapore and Australia.

Mad Street Den raises $1.5 mn
Mad Street Den, a one-year-old artificial intelligence start-up based in Chennai, has raised $1.5 million in a seed round from Exfinity Fund and GrowX Ventures. The firm's visual search for fashion-based e-commerce allows users to take a picture of any dress and find it on any online shopping portal. Exfinity (erstwhile Reservoir Investment Managers) is an early stage venture capital firm floated by information technology sector bigwigs former Infosys executives V Balakrishnan and Mohandas Pai, among others.

Grassroots invests in Appachi Cotton

Appachi Eco-Logic Cotton Private Limited, a farm-to-fashion social enterprise with activities from organic cotton farming to garment production, has raised an undisclosed amount from the US-based not-for-profit venture capital firm Grassroots Business Fund to ramp up its operations and also expand its market presence globally, reports VC Circle. Appachi Eco-Logic Cotton is an organic cotton contract farming company executing projects in the Western Ghats. It sources organic cotton, which is sold across the world, and processes it to make ethnic wears which are sold under the Ethicus brand.

Shaadi.com to pick 25% in Thrill
Anupam Mittal-led People Group owner of matrimonial portal Shaadi.com has invested Rs 6 crore in popular dating app Thrill. This investment will give Shaadi.com 25 per cent stake in the app. Keeping women's safety a priority, the app gives women the power to instantly match with whomever they please, while men can only express interest by finding someone interesting. Thrill also allows women to request an audio or video verification call from men, providing an additional level of safety.