Startup news and updates: Daily roundup (December 7, 2023)

Funding

Natural skincare brand Phases raises Rs 30 lakh

Phases, a natural skincare startup based in Davangere, Karnataka, has raised an angel funding of Rs 30 lakh from Shobitam Inc. The funding was secured through Phases' participation in 'Indian Angels', an angel investment show on the OTT platform JioCinema. The funding was secured against a 20% equity dilution.

The startup plans to use the funds to enhance strategic areas like product development, customer experience optimisation, marketing, brand visibility, and growth.

Founded in 2021 by Sannjana Raghu Amberkar and her husband Raghu, Phases uses plant-based ingredients and claims to be fragrance-free, vegan, cruelty-free, and sustainable. The products undergo clinical trials and are certified as non-irritant and dermatologically tested. The range addresses common skincare issues like hormonal changes and acne, catering to teens and tweens.

It plans to introduce more products in the future to cater to the skincare needs of teens and tweens.

DigitalPaani secures $1.2M

DigitalPaani, a water management company, has raised $1.2 million in a seed round led by global investors Elemental Excelerator and Indian institutional investors Enzia, Peer Cheque, SAE, DevC, and Bharat Founders Fund. The round also saw participation from angel investors including Ashish Goel, Alok Mittal, Mohit Sadani, and Mohit Tandon.

The startup plans to use the funds to expand its technology to more Indian wastewater treatment plants and explore new markets, thereby unlocking additional sales channels.

Founded by Mansi and Rajesh Jain, the startup offers an IoT-enabled platform that optimises plant operations, reduces downtime, and facilitates water reuse. The platform monitors infrastructure performance, identifies issues, and provides remedial guidance, akin to a medical doctor for water systems.

It functions like a medical doctor, assessing conditions, prescribing dosages, equipment settings, process adjustments, and operator instructions for remediation. The solution ultimately protects the environment by optimising wastewater reuse.

Healthcare logistics platform AllTrak raises Rs 4.2 Cr in Pre-Series A round

AllTrak, a healthcare technology and logistics platform, has raised Rs 4.2 crore in a pre-series led by Inflection Point Ventures for team expansion, technology enhancement, and logistics operations expansion across multiple Indian cities.

AllTrak, a B2B HealthTech company, founded in 2021 by Amit Gupta and Tarun Sharma, provides end-to-end solutions to diagnostic companies, including a Technology SaaS platform, pan India shared logistics network, and phlebotomist network. Its ecosystem aids healthcare companies in growth, enhancing profitability, service quality, and client satisfaction, thereby enhancing patient care.

It tracks and monitors 7 lakh patient samples monthly, facilitating seamless healthcare operations in more than 50 cities. With 5000 registered healthcare professionals, it tracks 5,00,000 visits per month and 10,500 networked pickup locations/centres.

Scimplifi raises $3.67M in seed round

Scimplifi, a platform for specialty chemicals sourcing and manufacturing, raised $3.67 million in its seed round from 3one4 Capital and BEENEXT, along with angel investors in the chemical industry and B2B commerce.

The funds will be used to expand the company's business, value engineering, and technology teams.

Founded by Salil Srivastava and Sachin Santhosh, Scimplifi, a B2B fulfillment platform, operates across the product life cycle from contract research to commercial chemical manufacturing across industries like pharmaceuticals, personal care, and agrochemicals.

It plans to shift to a 60% export-oriented model within the next year and expand its reach to 20 countries and four new categories in chemicals. The platform also plans to add labs in three more categories to support research.

Meat delivery platform ZappFresh raises Rs 30 Cr from ah! Ventures 

Meat Delivery Platform Zappfresh has raised Rs 30 crore from ah! Ventures High Tables Platform, ah! Ventures Fund, HT Media, Unity SFB, and Heifer Impact. The investment brings ZappFresh's total investment portfolio to Rs 434 crore ($54 million), with 49 investments in 2023.

The capital will be used for acquisitions, expansion, and infrastructure upgrades across northern and southern areas, and the startup plans to launch new product lines soon.

Zappfresh, founded in 2015 by Deepanshu Manchanda and Shruti Gochhwal, procures meat from farms and claims to deliver it within 90 minutes, currently operating in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru.

Other News

BIA Brands acquires TrueKind 

FMCG player BIA Brands has acquired TrueKind, a clean skincare company. This acquisition marks BIA Brands' entry into the skincare industry and expands its Beauty and Personal Care (BPC) segment.

The company plans to launch innovative brands based on ancient Egyptian beauty traditions. It offers vegan and cruelty-free products, including, Phyto-Retinol and Peptide Eye Cream.

BIA Brands, a global "House of Brands," portfolio includes Brew & Bliss, Nut-O-Licious, La Kah Fay, and TrueKind, a skincare brand. The company's strategic expansion into media and skincare aims to be a versatile and leading player in the global consumer goods industry.

Nawgati signs MoU with Mahanagar Gas

Nawgati, a Mumbai-based Fuel Aggregator startup, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Mahanagar Gas Limited to integrate its MGL Tez app with Nawgati's Fuel Discovery app.

The partnership aims to improve the convenience, accessibility, and efficiency of CNG services for commercial vehicles in the city. This will enhance access and convenience for commercial CNG vehicles. The partnership aims to empower more users to bypass queues, make cashless transactions, and enjoy a tailored service.

The service is currently available at Goregaon-Oshiwara and Ghatkopar BEST Depots, with plans to expand to 13 more depots across Mumbai.

KlugKlug eyes expansion to Southeast Asia and the Middle East

KlugKlug, a global SaaS platform for influencer marketing, plans to expand its operational footprint and achieve significant growth by 2025.

The company has seen a twofold increase in revenue and client engagement in the past year, positioning itself as a key player in the influencer marketing industry, aims for 10 to 12 times expansion by 2025.

KlugKlug, founded by Vaibhav Gupta and Kalyan Kumar, uses AI and machine learning to identify and explore influencers, provide audience insights, and provide global influencer intelligence. The platform offers campaign management, performance tracking, and data analysis, enabling brands to engage in influencer marketing. It has partnerships with 75 clients and plans to expand its clientele to over 500 by 2025. Currently operating in India, Indonesia, and Dubai,

Innover appoints Raju Rampa as Chief Growth Officer

Innover has appointed Raju Rampa as its Chief Growth Officer, leading the Sales and Partnerships teams globally. With nearly three decades of experience in leveraging technology for business impact, Rampa will drive revenue, secure profitable growth, expand market share, and nurture customer-centricity.

Innover, an Atlanta-based technology and process digitization company, assists clients in becoming connected, insight-driven businesses for success in the digital age.

Its three studios - Digital Experiences, Data & Insights and Digital Operations - work together to make digital transformation a reality with 15 delivery centres and a global customer base of over 65 Fortune 1000 companies.

Former Just Dial co-founder Ramani Iyer joins Aasra Hospitals, eyes significant stake

Aasra Hospitals has appointed former co-founder Ramani Iyer to its board of directors, acquiring a significant minority stake in the precision healthcare leader.

As the director, Iyer will leverage his industry knowledge to steer Aasra Hospitals' strategic initiatives, particularly in the realm of technology-enhanced precision care.

Aasra Hospitals, India's first Fully Robotic Precision Care Hospital, is transforming healthcare by utilising advanced technology and a dedicated team of medical experts to provide world-class medical care.

Flipkart's AI-Powered skin analyser gains rapid user adoption

Ecommerce platform Flipkart has partnered with ModiFace, an AR technology provider, to offer an advanced skin analyser. This AI-based feature is the first for ModiFace to provide category-wide skin analysis technology to an Indian ecommerce platform.

The feature aims to cater to diverse shopper demographics by providing detailed insights about skin health. With the growing demand for personalised shopping experiences, shoppers are seeking tailored skincare recommendations based on their skin types and concerns.

ModiFace's AI-driven Advanced Skin Analyser is a revolutionary tool designed to improve skincare routines for all skin types. Users can get a personalised skin evaluation by taking a selfie and answering simple questions about their age and skin type.

The analysis scores skin type on multiple dimensions, including pores, wrinkles, pigmentation, radiance, fine lines, acne, and firmness. It then recommends a specific care routine and a detailed product routine based on the customer's chosen focus area(s).

Mappls KOGO partners with Zoomcar

Mappls KOGO, an AI travel app, has partnered with Zoomcar, a car-sharing marketplace in emerging markets, to provide an exceptional travel experience.

The partnership will combine Zoomcar's robust functionality with KOGO's booking convenience, offering comprehensive and user-friendly travel solutions. The partnership will help users create itineraries and manage self-drive car experiences, providing a comprehensive, all-in-one solution for all travel needs.

Venture Catalysts partially exits with returns ranging from 2.85X to 3.65X

Venture Catalysts, an early-stage investment firm, has announced a partial exit from Insurance Samadhan, a platform for resolving insurance complaints, after achieving a return of up to 3.65x on its initial investment. Other angel investors also made successful exits.

Insurance Samadhan, founded in 2018, is a tech-based platform that resolves insurance complaints such as claim rejection, delay, short-settlement, and mis-selling. With over a century of industry experience, the platform revolutionises mis-selling and claim settlements.

Venture Catalysts invested in the company in a Seed and Pre Series A round, achieving a successful partial exit within three years.

Ezetap achieves 60% ARR growth following Razorpay acquisition

Razorpay, omnichannel payments and banking platform, experienced a 60% growth in FY'23 for its POS business after acquiring Ezetap in 2022.

The company's strategic alliance with Ezetap aligns with its mission to transform the omnichannel payment experience for customers, highlighting the importance of a hybrid approach in today's business landscape.

Razorpay's acquired Ezetap in August 2022 expanded its offline capabilities, transforming it into a comprehensive platform for all financial transactions for businesses.

Razorpay POS currently accounts for 10% of the company's revenue, driven by a significant expansion of touchpoints in 2023 and strategic partnerships with top banks like SBI, Yes Bank, IDFC, HDFC, and Axis, which have enhanced the platform's capabilities.

ACKO and PhonePe Announce Strategic Partnership

ACKO General Insurance has partnered with PhonePe to offer car and bike insurance products directly to consumers on the platform.

This partnership combines ACKO's customer-first approach with PhonePe's extensive distribution network, making insurance more accessible to users. ACKO Insurance plans to expand its product offerings to include health insurance in the future.

The partnership uses the latest API stack for modularity and seamless integration, ensuring personalized prices, innovative SKUs, and consistent experiences for all partners. PhonePe users will benefit from ACKO's competitive pricing, industry-leading claims, and service experience.