7 rising startups in India – Jan 26, 2017

Photo credit: Wikimedia.

Japanese backing for Indian games, home tuition for next-gen math, and local snacks from the little nooks of South India: they’re among the lucky seven startups that got funded even as the winter of funding continues.

99Games

The 99Games team.

99Games, which is part of Udupi-based app development company Robosoft’s repertoire, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Japan’s Dream Incubator. Existing investors Kalaari Capital and Ascent Capital participated in the round.

Udupi is better known for its dosas than startups, but Robosoft has proved you don’t have to be in urban centers like Bangalore to hit global markets. Support from the Japanese investor is expected to boost its global ambitions by helping with market access.

See: In a small town in India, this startup has made millions

NowFloats

Hyderabad-based NowFloats helps small businesses come online and find new consumers. It has closed a series B funding round of US$10 Million from Iron Pillar and IIFL, along with existing investors Blume Ventures and Omidyar Network.

NowFloats is expanding its value proposition to handle transactions for small businesses. It is also making its automated SEO product available on the cloud for larger enterprises to integrate into their websites.

See: 45 hot software product startups from India and their cool ideas

Cuemath

The core team of Cuemath: (from left) Anushray Gupta, Nikhil Pawar, Manan Khurma, and Akshay Kumar.

Edtech startup Cuemath has raised US$15 million in series B funding from CapitalG and Sequoia Capital. CapitalG (earlier known as Google Capital) is the growth equity investment fund of Google’s parent company, Alphabet.

Cuemath supports after-school tutoring in math for K-8 students. It has 2,000 centers across the country run by Cuemath-certified teachers. Many of them are educated women needing a home-based career opportunity.

Cuemath aims to fill a gap in the school education system. “Given the way technology is evolving, the most valuable ability in a few years from now will be that of complex problem-solving, and the best way to build that ability is a strong math foundation. Schools, by design, cater to only a limited subset of math,” says Cuemath founder and CEO Manan Khurma.

See: 10 top-funded edtech startups bucking the trend in India

NativeSpecial

Thenkuzhal murukku. Photo credit: Wikimedia.

Food tech startup NativeSpecial has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from the Indian Angel Network and Madurai-based Native Angels Network. The Tamil Nadu-based startup has an online portal to distribute traditional snacks and sweets.

It provides hard-to-find delicacies like Tirunelveli halwa, Srivilliputhur palkova, and Nagercoil Nendran chips to aficionados scattered across the country. The Tirunelveli halwa, for instance – a sticky concoction of wheat, sugar, cardamom powder, ghee (clarified butter), and water – apparently gets its unique taste from the Thamirabharani river water.

NativeSpecial is looking to expand beyond Indian shores with the funding. “The company senses a huge market potential among South Indians in the US, where we had a trial festival sale,” says founder and CEO Baskaran Veluchamy. It has a close competitor in Place of Origin, incubated in Bangalore’s Axilor accelerator.

See: Mouth-watering startup attracts South Indian angels with Tamil treats

Zeotap

Stephan Schwebe and Projjol Banerjea, co-founders of Zeotap

Berlin-based Zeotap, which has a joint venture in Bangalore, has raised US$13 million in series B funding from US-based New Science Ventures and Here, a provider of mapping and location-based services backed by German auto companies. Existing investors Capnamic Ventures and Iris Capital also participated in the new round.

Zeotap has tied up with telecoms companies across Europe and Asia to use their customer data for targeting mobile ads. It also has partnerships with a leading security company and a navigation services provider for their data.

See: How Zeotap unlocks treasure chests of telco user data for mobile ads

Practo

(From right) Practo CEO Shashank ND in a fireside chat with Harsimran Julka at Tech in Asia Singapore 2016.

Healthcare startup Practo has raised US$55 million in series D funding led by China’s Tencent. Three new investors – Thrive Capital, Ru-Net, and Recruit – joined the existing investors in this round.

The Bangalore-based startup aggregates over 200,000 doctors across a network of 10,000 hospitals, 8,000 diagnostic centers, and 4,000 wellness and fitness centers in India, Brazil, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Singapore. Its marquee investors include CapitalG (earlier known as Google Capital) and Yuri Milner.

See: What Tencent, Google Capital, Yuri Milner bring to the operating table for Practo

Wydr

Photo credit: Keoni Cabral.

Mobile commerce startup Wydr has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from its initial investors, Bessemer Venture Partners, Stellaris Venture Partners, and Jungle Venture Partners. Singapore-based Axis Capital also participated in this round.

Wydr is an app-based marketplace connecting retailers with manufacturers and wholesalers across categories like fashion, home, automotive, and electronics. The Gurgaon-based startup was launched in March last year. Its founder and CEO Devesh Rai was earlier a founding member and VP of ShopClues, an ecommerce company with a focus on small-town India.

See: As Flipkart rides in choppy waters, investor attention shifts to other plays in ecommerce

Converted from Indian rupees. Rate: US$1 = INR 68.13.

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