Startup news and updates: daily roundup (June 3, 2022)

Bigbasket to offer packaging-free deliveries in India

Online supermarket Bigbasket, a TATA Enterprise, started packaging-free doorstep delivery of fresh fruits and vegetables to drive sustainability, the company announced two days ahead of the World Environment Day on Friday.

Now run as a pilot project, it aims to completely remove packaging from its fruits and vegetable delivery across India by 2023.

Seshu Kumar Tirumala, national head of buying and merchandising for BigBasket said, “We have been observing how a lot of single-use plastic is used in packaging of fresh foods, and by eliminating it, a significant damage to the environment can be prevented.” 

Stanza Living invests $10M to expand in managed apartments

Tech-enabled managed accommodation company Stanza Living on Thursday announced it has invested $10 million to expand into managed apartments, beginning with Delhi, NCR (Gurugram), Bangalore, Hyderabad, Pune, and Chennai. 

It was launched with an initial inventory of 5,000 rooms and plans to reach 1,20,000 rooms by 2026. 

Sahil Ludhani, senior vice president of revenue and growth at Stanza Living said, “We have always focused on understanding the nuanced needs of diverse consumers and deploying intelligent technology to craft their living experiences. With this vertical, we will continue to set new benchmarks in consumer experience.”

At the same time, the company will continue to deepen the footprint of its existing hostel-style managed accommodation businesses for students and young working professionals.

In March this year, it secured $57 million (~Rs 425 crore) in debt financing, led by Kotak Mahindra Bank and RBL Bank, with its existing debt provider Alteria Capital also participating.

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Bengaluru-based Kafqa acquires Verb Studio 

Bengaluru-based performing arts academy Kafqa Academy on Friday announced its acquisition of online dance academy Verb Studio, making it the largest performing arts academy in the country with 160 employees. It now serves over 5 lakh students combined. 

Bharath Kumar, founder of Verb Studio said "The partnership allows us to magnify the impact of our work across Kafqa's large user base and leverage Kafqa's technology and content infrastructure to offer better experiences for customers and instructors." 

Moving ahead, Kafka hopes to be the go-to destination for performing arts, having received responses from over 600 cities in India within a span of just two years.