In startup ecosystems, the best founders don’t chase noise — they solve deep-rooted, often invisible problems. Data Sutram, a Kolkata-born location intelligence startup, just closed a $9 million Series A led by B Capital and Lightspeed, to do exactly that.
Founded in 2018 by three IIT Kharagpur grads — Rajit Bhattacharya, Ankit Das, and Debayan Mukherjee — the company tackles a fundamental gap: access to structured, ground-level data in emerging markets. Where businesses in developed economies rely on clean datasets, companies in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions often fly blind.
Data Sutram fixes this by aggregating alternative data — satellite imagery, mobile patterns, footfall, weather — and applying AI to turn it into hyperlocal, real-time insights for decision-makers in retail, banking, and FMCG.
Why This Round Matters
This isn’t a flashy raise for a buzzy AI tool. It’s a disciplined round backing founders who’ve spent years building product-market fit. The $9M will fund product upgrades, hiring, and market expansion across underserved geographies — especially where traditional data infrastructure is lacking.
In an age where VCs are increasingly looking for long-term defensibility and purpose-driven tech, this round signals confidence in data infrastructure as a lever for growth — not just software layered on broken foundations.
Market Timing
We’re seeing an inflection point: the demand for contextual, localized insights is exploding, and governments, banks, and retail players can’t afford to make blind bets anymore. Competitors like Orbital Insight or Locale.ai exist, but Data Sutram’s edge is its deep India focus and high-res intelligence stack tailored for on-the-ground decision-making.
Founder Mindset
Brad Feld often talks about founder/investor fit. Data Sutram’s team is gritty, technical, and mission-first — not chasing headlines but quietly building data plumbing for the next billion users. That’s a bet worth making.
In Summary: This $9M round is not about growth-at-all-costs — it’s a sign that investors are waking up to the next big shift: AI-powered data products built for the complexities of emerging markets. Data Sutram is playing the long game, and they’re just getting started.
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