Billion Hearts, a stealth-mode startup founded by Mayank Bidawatka, has raised Rs 33 crore ($4 million) in seed funding from Blume Ventures, General Catalyst, and Athera Venture Partners. The funds will support the company’s mission to build a global product aimed at delivering happiness and surprises to smartphone users worldwide.
Bidawatka emphasised the importance of choosing the right investors during the funding process. "We cared more about the colour of the money than the money itself. We cared about how a prospective investor felt about the company and the product's vision more than the size of their fund," he stated.
The funding round saw participation from notable investors, including Karthik B. Reddy and Marmik Mankodi from Blume Ventures, Neeraj Arora and Rahul Garg from General Catalyst, and Rutvik Doshi from Athera Venture Partners. “These are folks with decades of experience in investing and operating at big tech who can’t wait to see what we’re building come alive,” Bidawatka added.
Though details of the product remain under wraps, the startup has already garnered thousands of beta sign-ups and is poised to make an early access announcement soon. Billion Hearts is building a product designed for billions of smartphone users, with the promise of creating a meaningful global impact.