Indus OS raises $4 M from Omidyar Network, Ventureast, and JSW Ventures

The funds will be used to accelerate brand partnerships, user acquisition, and new product development.

Indus OS, India’s homegrown smartphone operating system, and native applications platform, on Thursday announced a pre-series B round of $4 million from existing investors Omidyar Network, Ventureast, and JSW Ventures. This latest round takes Indus OS’ total funding to $13 million and the funds will be used to accelerate brand partnerships, user acquisition, and new product development.

Rakesh Deshmukh, Co-Founder and CEO, Indus OS, said,

The continued faith shown by our existing investors will help us achieve our vision of empowering a billion Indian users with a smartphone platform of their choice. We will strengthen our efforts to build the Indus OS platform for developers to reach the Indian masses through dedicated Brand Accounts, a new way for Indians to discover the Internet.

Badri Pillapakkam, Investment Partner at Omidyar Network, said, “Indus OS continues to innovate for the smartphone user through its differentiated suite of regional language and system/native application products that help accelerate Internet adoption by the Indian masses. We are confident that the team will cement strategic partnerships with international smartphone brands and build on the momentum gathered over the past few years.”

Launched in 2015, Indus OS commands a user base of 10 million, across its smartphone brand partners such as Micromax, Intex, Karbonn, Celkon, and Swipe.

Soon after setting up an office in China, Indus OS recently announced its first international brand partnership in November with itel Mobile, India’s second largest mobile brand by market share. By working with more and more international smartphone brands, Indus OS now aims to acquire 100 million users in the next three years.

The latest round of funds will see Indus OS partnering with some of the major developers in the country through the expansion of its brand accounts, a novel integration of internet services within the OS platform. These brand accounts on the Indus OS platform aim to power the digital needs of users in a revolutionary contextual and seamless interface that is made to reduce battery and data consumption while making the experience intuitive. It offers a new way for Indians to discover Internet services without the need to download any apps. Ola Cabs was the first to launch a brand account on the Indus OS Platform in August this year which enables new users to discover Ola, while existing users can transact seamlessly through the default messenger application. These brand accounts also make Ola’s experience available in 12 regional languages catering to 95 percent of the Indian population. Indus OS aims to expand its brand account strategy exponentially over the next year.

Earlier this year, Indus OS announced the development of the first Aadhaar authenticated and UPI integrated OS in the country. The company is consistently evolving to meet the technological needs of the Indian consumer and the ‘Digital India’ mandate of the Government of India. Indus OS today offers a complete platform rich in patented features and innovations that empower Indian users with smartphone technology.