Startup news and updates: daily roundup (May 3, 2021)

Indian-origin billionaire businessman Vinod Khosla pledges $10M for oxygen supply in India

Indian-origin billionaire businessman Vinod Khosla has pledged $10 million for supplying medical oxygen to hospitals in India amidst an unprecedented second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country. Taking to Twitter, the 66-year-old venture capitalist said that there was a need to save lives as further delay could end up in more deaths.

India gets 1.5 lakh doses of Sputnik V vaccine first consignment from Russia

As many as 150,000 doses of the Sputnik V vaccine first consignment landed in Hyderabad from Russia, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said. The drugmaker, which has tied up with the Russian Direct Investment Fund for the vaccine said in a statement that the initial quantity will be used across different channels as a pilot to line up the supply chain for the larger vaccination programme rollout.

Nearly 85,000 people in 18-44 age group received first dose of COVID-19 vaccine on May 1

A total of 86,023 beneficiaries in the age group of 18-44 years received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccine across 11 states on May 1, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. The cumulative number of COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in the country has crossed 15.68 crore as phase-3 of the nationwide vaccination drive commenced on Saturday.

Ola to take e-scooter to international markets this fiscal

Ola Electric is looking at taking its electric scooter to international markets, including countries like France, Italy and Germany, this fiscal, a top company executive said. The company, which is working on setting up a 'Hypercharger Network' for its electric vehicle, is slated to launch its electric scooter in India in July this year.

Avail Finance raises Rs 24Cr in debt financing led by Alteria Capital (Funding)

Bengaluru-based neobanking startup Avail Finance — which brings the blue-collared workforce under the financial umbrella — on Monday said it has raised Rs 24 crore in debt financing led by Alteria Capital. To date, the startup has raised $21.6 million in equity from Matrix Partners, Falcon Edge, and Ola.

Agetech startup Sarathi Healthcare raises Rs 1Cr from a group of investors (Funding)

Agetech startup Sarathi Healthcare has announced that it has raised a funding of Rs 1 crore in seed funding from a clutch of investors from ‘Bharat’. The angels who participated include entrepreneurs and investors Nitin Sethi, Vishal Dhikale, Swapnil Bagul, Gaurav Satbhai and Jayshree Harak from Jodhpur, Nasik, Surat and Pune. The company told YourStory, that it is expecting more funds in the next couple of months.