Page 63 - Startups

Twitter-backed start-up ShareChat continues with inorganic expansion

Acquires Saif Partners-backed Circle Internet to strengthen hyperlocal content on platform

IT Startup SmarterBiz raises Rs 8 cr from StartupXseed, prominent angels

IT startup SmarterBiz on Thursday said it has raised Rs 8 crore from StartupXseed Ventures and prominent angel investors including former chairman of Microsoft India Bhaskar Pramanik. The funds were raised as a part of pre-series A round. The company plans to use the fund for developing technology and expand its reach, SmarterBiz founder and CEO Rajesh Bernard said in a statement. "We have been profitable for the last 2 financial years. This year we expect to grow 7-8 times with an average revenue rate of Rs 72 crore. The new funds will help us build deeper technology and take on the large demand coming due to COVID-19," Bernard said. Founded in 2014 by Bernard, Vijay Krishna, and Prateek Mehta, the company was funded initially by Utthsihta Yekum Fund. SmarterBiz provides software to help companies reach out to customers at each contact point, be it social media or any other mode, and handle their queries, he said. SmarterBiz claims to be catering to large enterprises including .

IndiaFilings to launch 10,000 start-ups under 'Aatmanirbhar Bharat' mission

The government has streamlined various services and simplified the forms to make same-day incorporation of the company possible in India

Turbostart announces Rs 50-crore Series-II funding round for startups

Business accelerator firm Turbostart on Thursday announced a second series of funding round, 'Cohort II', with a Rs 50-crore corpus for start-ups.

Covid-19 impact: Edtech firm Byju's nears $1-billion revenue milestone

In FY20, the company posted a revenue of Rs 2,800 crore ($370 million), a 100 per cent growth over the previous fiscal.

Startup eBikeGO ropes in cricketer Harbhajan Singh as brand ambassador

Through the association, the company is aiming to build mass appeal, positive voice and widespread adoption for electric mobility, eBikeGO said in a statement.

Flipkart launches startup promotion programme; may invest from its fund

Flipkart Leap will identify business-to-consumer and business-to-business startups and help them scale through an intensive 16-week virtual programme

RBI to set up innovation hub for financial inclusion, efficient banking

The hub aims to bring solutions to the financial sector by tapping into areas such as cybersecurity, data analytics, delivery platforms, and payment services

Edtech 2020's most funded sector, witnesses massive jump in VC investments

Investors say most of the edtech companies are seeing 3-5X rise in free audiences and anywhere 50-100% growth in monthly revenues due to Covid

Lumis Partners' SCL starts six-month programme for supply chain startups

Investment firm Lumis Partners on Thursday said it will run a six-month programme under its Supply Chain Labs (SCL) to handhold and fund startups

Glance in talks with US, Japanese investors to raise $200-250 million

Glance, positioned as a subsidiary of InMobi, has so far raised one round of $45 million from Mithril Capital

Sachin Bansal's Navi app among top three digital lenders in India

Bansal said there is a huge unmet demand for credit and their digital lending platform has done well despite the Covid-19 pandemic

Oil marketing companies invite start-ups to deliver diesel at doorstep

The OMCs - Indian Oil, Bharat Petroleum Corporation, and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation - have invited expressions of interest (EoIs) from start-ups that wish to be enrolled as FuelEnts.

Ed-Tech firm uFony raises funds from Chennai Angels for School Diary

School Diary is a user-friendly platform that caters to K12 schools, helping them engage students and conduct classes virtually without compromising on privacy

Startup funding down 29% in first half of 2020 amid Covid-19 crisis: Tracxn

Only 443 companies were funded in the January-June period this year against 725 in H1, 2019

Sequoia raises $1.35 billion to invest in India, Southeast Asia startups

Sequoia India now operates seed, venture and growth funds, a structure that allows Sequoia to remain a relevant partner for founders at all stages of their journey

Covid-19 impact: Mass lay-offs, cost-cutting among start-ups, says survey

Start-ups are now resorting to mass lay-offs and cost-cutting, as only a small number of them is funded to sustain till end-2020

Chinese app ban: PM urges start-ups to create 'Atmanirbhar' App ecosystem

He said the app innovation challenge is for those who have such a working product or if they feel they have the vision and expertise to create such products

Startups try to woo talent returning to India from US amid H1B visa woes

According to industry experts, a stricter visa regime to improve local employment and closure of onshore opportunities in the US, is likely to result in a reverse brain drain

BS READS: What Rs 50,000-crore MSME Fund can learn from its start-up sister

The Rs 50,000-crore MSME fund of funds has an uphill task ahead, but there's plenty it can learn from problems with the Rs 10,000 crore start-up fund of funds launched five years ago