Startup Yatra rolls in to Uttar Pradesh, Zoomcar finds favour with Mahindra & Mahindra
As many as 1,000 startups pitched, and nearly 100 were selected for incubation in Startup Yatra’s Uttar Pradesh leg, says Libza Mannan. An initiative of the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Startup India Yatra has so far helped nearly 14,000 aspiring entrepreneurs in three states of Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh and Odisha.
The National Payments Corporation of India, which has been in the eye of the storm for allegedly favouring WhatsApp Payments with its beta launch, has finally spoken, reports Tarush Bhalla. In a statement, the NPCI said it has been working to facilitate digital payments in the country with products like Bharat Interface for Money BHIM - Unified Payments Interface (BHIM UPI).
Amazon India is going to great lengths to increase its customer base in the country, says Athira A. Nair. The company announced new categories under its ‘Local Finds’ programme in Bengaluru, Mumbai, Hyderabad and Chennai. Local Finds was launched in Bengaluru in early 2017, as a peer-to-peer platform for consumers to sell used/pre-owned phones. In November last year, Junglee was integrated into Amazon.in through Local Finds.
Zoomcar Co-Founder Greg Moran
Bengaluru-based car rental platform Zoomcar raised $40 million in Series C funding led by Mahindra & Mahindra, reports Sindhu Kashyap. Existing investors also participated in the round. With the latest round of funding, the total funds raised by Zoomcar stand at $100 million. The funds will primarily be used to accelerate Zoomcar Associated Programme (ZAP), increase supply for its marketplace, and improve its lead within IoT technologies.
Pet startup PetSutra raised Rs 95 lakh from angel investors from across the world. The funds will be used to expand the company’s brand presence across India and globally, reports Neha Jain.
STARTUP STORIES
Alia Bhatt with Dhiman and Archana
Using data and technology, Mumbai-based StyleCracker ships out curated and personalised boxes with apparel, accessories, beauty, and footwear to ensure customers are always on point when it comes to style. It was this personalisation that got actor Alia Bhatt to buy a stake in the platform, says Sindhu Kashyap.
Founded in 2017, Daaki brings together nutrition consultants, coaches and athletes to ‘design the best-fit formulae for athletes from all genres’, finds Neha Jain. Aware of the importance of supplements to a fitness enthusiast, Founder Amit Dabas realised that the supplements he had been using didn’t seem to be working, which led him to make nutrition supplements for athletes and individuals.
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