Bangalore Based Self-publishing Platform Pratilipi Raises Seed FundingBangalore-based self-publishing platform Pratilipi has secured about Rs 6.3 crore ($925,000) in seed funding from Nexus Venture Partners and other investors, as per VCCircle report.
The round also saw participation from Contrarian Opportunities Fund I and Times Internet Ltd. Equity Crest founders Deepak Gupta and Amit Wadhwa, and Amit Banka, director at Voler Car Private Limited, also invested capital as well. Wadhwa is also a former executive at UTV and Unilazer Ventures.
The startup is owned and operated by Nasadiya Technologies Pvt. Ltd, allows writers to e-publish their poems, stories and other literary works, and readers can read them on the platform for free. The startup offers content in eight Indian languages – Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam, Oriya, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi and Kannada.
The self-publishing platform was founded in March 2015 by Singh, Sankaranarayanan Devarajan, Rahul Ranjan, Prashant Gupta and Sahradayi Modi.
Microsoft Accelerator Joins Hands with TCS COIN™ to Boost Indian Startup EcosystemMicrosoft Accelerator in India and TCS Co-Innovation Network (COIN™) have announced a joint initiative to create a platform that provides a boost to the Indian startup ecosystem. Under the collaboration, an open innovation framework will be created to mentor and engage with startups to bring their innovative solutions to market.
Access to markets and customers remains one of the biggest challenges for startups in India. The partnership will provide startups the access to the depth of Microsoft and TCS’ networks and relationships across customers, investors, academia and industry, creating a strong value proposition in the enterprise marketplace. Microsoft Accelerator’s #CoInnovate program and COIN™ by TCS aim to connect startups with corporates – who get access to innovative solutions for their business needs while providing greater market access for the startups.
Wipro Ventures Invests in Israeli VC Firm TLV PartnersWipro Ventures, the $100 million corporate venture arm of Indian software services exporter Wipro Ltd, has invested an undisclosed amount in Israel-based TLV Partners. The deal marks its first investment in a venture capital firm.
So far, Wipro Ventures has taken minority stakes in four US-based startups and one Pune-based startup. With a corpus of about $115 million, TLV Partners will offer Wipro access to early-stage firms in cyber security, enterprise software and the Internet of Things.
Wipro’s rival Infosys also invested in Silicon Valley based venture capital firm Vertex Ventures last year to boost access to startups focused on disruptive technologies.
Startup Warehouse Selects 7 Startups For Its ProgrammeStartup Warehouse, set up by the Tamil Nadu government in association with National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) has selected 7 startups to be part of this warehouse.
The firms are: Angulus IT Services, a company in SAAS space, Finix Infosolution which focuses on artificial intelligence and automation, Nivi Robotics, Bibimbi , MaxMyTV, Klenty and Harivara Global Services.
Nasscom received more than 1,000 applications from entrepreneurs who wanted to be a part of this warehouse. After several rounds of screening, these first seven firms were chosen.
The Startup Warehouse in Chennai will focus on supporting startups with the three Cs — Coaching, Capital, and Connects. Nasscom will work with its partners and sponsors to bring high quality mentoring to startups across business and technology, as per TheHindu report.
Govin Capital to Launch Startup Accelerator India Pune Chapter in Collaboration with SEED INfotech Singapore headquartered Govin Capital has entered into an agreement with PUNE based Seed Infotech to launch the Pune chapter of its Startup Accelerator India. Govin Capital also announced an investment in two healthcare companies, Palash IVF Solutions and CEllBeans Healthcare.
"The focus will be on investing in companies in the biomedical space and in digital healthcare," said Anand Govindaluri, CEO, Govin Capital.
The firm intends to invest between Rs 1 cr-10 cr for up to a 20% stake in early stage startups operating primarily in the digital health field.
