Lightspeed backs OfficeBanao’s workspace expansion plans Gurugram-based proptech startup OfficeBanao has raised nearly $4 million as part of a $7.7 million funding round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners, with participation from Mangum II and Medra Family. The round values the company at around $70 million post-money. The fresh capital will be used to expand operations, strengthen technology infrastructure, and scale the platform across additional cities in India. Building a tech-enabled platform for office interiors Founded in 2022 by Tushar Mittal along with Akshya Kumar and Divyanshu Sharma, OfficeBanao operates a technology-led platform for commercial office interiors and workspace buildouts. The…
Author: Aman Atulya
Exchange Empanels 20 Merchant Bankers and Eight Legal Advisors for Public Listing The National Stock Exchange of India has appointed a consortium of investment bankers and legal advisors as it prepares for its long-awaited initial public offering. The exchange has empaneled 20 merchant bankers and eight law firms to guide the proposed listing, marking the largest advisory group ever assembled for an IPO on Dalal Street. Among the investment banks appointed are Kotak Mahindra Capital, ICICI Securities, Axis Capital, JM Financial, IIFL Capital Services, SBI Capital Markets, Avendus Capital, and Nuvama Wealth Management. Global institutions including Morgan Stanley, Citigroup, and…
Liquidity Programme Follows $30 Mn Series A Funding Led by Premji Invest Higher-education employability platform Emversity has bought back employee stock options worth ₹6.5 crore from 20 employees as part of a liquidity programme. The buyback was offered to employees who joined the company on or before January 31, 2024, enabling early team members to realise value from their equity holdings. The development comes shortly after Emversity raised $30 million in a Series A funding round led by Premji Invest, marking a major growth milestone for the young edtech and skilling platform. Rapid Expansion Across Skill Centres and Campuses Emversity…
360 ONE Asset leads fresh investment in consumer health platform Consumer health platform Mosaic Wellness has raised Rs 200 crore (approximately $21 million) in primary capital from alternative asset manager 360 ONE Asset. The transaction also included a partial exit for early investor Spring Marketing Capital. The fresh capital will be used to accelerate investments across emerging opportunities in the consumer health and wellness ecosystem while strengthening the company’s digital healthcare platform. Building a portfolio of digital-first health brands Founded in 2020, Mosaic Wellness operates several digital-first consumer health brands including Man Matters, Be Bodywise, Little Joys, and Root Labs.…
Former Awfis Finance Chief to Lead Strategy and Global Expansion Conversational AI platform Gupshup has appointed Ravi Dugar as Chief Financial Officer as the company prepares for its next phase of growth and global expansion. Dugar brings nearly two decades of experience in finance leadership across high-growth companies and multinational businesses. Finance Leadership Strengthened for Global Expansion Before joining Gupshup, Dugar held senior finance roles at Bharti Airtel and Livguard Energy Technologies. Most recently, he served as CFO at Awfis, where he played a key role in strengthening the finance function and preparing the company for its public market debut…
Wavemaker Partners leads pre-seed funding for fashion brand platform Confluxe, a technology-enabled brand operating platform for global fashion and lifestyle companies, has raised $1.6 million (approximately Rs 13 crore) in a pre-seed funding round led by Wavemaker Partners, with participation from Kriscore Capital. The funding will support the company’s efforts to help international brands enter and scale in the Indian market through a technology-driven operating model. Capital to launch brand partnerships and build technology infrastructure The fresh capital will be used to launch Confluxe’s first brand partnerships, develop its technology and data infrastructure, and expand its core team across brand…
Initiative Aims to Expand Voice-Based AI Access Across India India’s artificial intelligence ecosystem is increasingly focusing on voice-first technologies to reach users across diverse languages and literacy levels. AI startup Sarvam AI has partnered with EkStep Foundation and AI4Bharat to deploy multilingual voice AI agents across India under an initiative called “Listen at Scale.” Voice AI Agents Designed for India’s Linguistic Diversity The collaboration combines Sarvam’s generative AI technology with EkStep’s experience in building digital public platforms and AI4Bharat’s research in Indian language models. The goal is to develop conversational AI systems that can interact with users in multiple Indian…
Approval Allows Fintech Firm to Onboard Merchants and Process Payments Directly The Reserve Bank of India has granted final authorisation to CRED to operate as a Payment Aggregator (PA). The licence allows the company to onboard merchants, process payments on their behalf, and manage settlements and refunds across multiple payment instruments. The approval has been granted to Dreamplug Paytech Solutions Private Limited, the entity that operates CRED’s payments business. With this authorisation, the platform will run its payment aggregation system directly under the supervision of the RBI. Regulatory Milestone After In-Principle Approval The final authorisation comes nearly two years after…
Board Addition Strengthens Governance as Healthtech Platform Expands Digital healthcare platform Practo has appointed former Union Health Secretary C.K. Mishra as an independent director on its board. The appointment adds senior policy and governance experience to the company as it continues expanding its integrated healthcare technology platform. Mishra is a 1983-batch Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer with nearly 37 years of public service experience. During his tenure as Secretary at the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, he oversaw several large national healthcare programmes and managed complex public health systems across the country. Governance Strengthening Amid Healthcare Platform Expansion According…
Lumikai leads round to scale AI-powered nursing skilling platform NPrep, a placement-focused startup building an AI-powered skilling platform for nursing students and professionals, has raised $1.5 million (approximately Rs 12.5 crore) in a seed funding round led by Lumikai. The round also saw participation from existing investor All In Capital, along with Velo Partners, DSP Group Family Office, and angel investor Viren Shetty. The funding will help the company expand its technology platform and reach more nursing candidates across India. Capital to enhance AI learning platform and exam-focused content The fresh funds will be used to strengthen NPrep’s AI-powered learning…