Offline To Online Commerce Platform QPe Secures Undisclosed Seed Funding
QPe, a Delhi-NCR-based O2O (offline to online) commerce platform, today announced raising an undisclosed amount in a seed round led by a US-based angel investor Daniel Keloha. The company intends to utilize the amount to expand its team, onboard more merchants, and augment its tech landscape to fulfill the market demands.
Incepted by Manish Kaushik and Mohit Choudhary in 2021, QPe digitizes enterprise and SMB merchants through a full-stack solution from an online store to manage orders, payments, deliveries, marketing, and business automation- all from one single platform. QPe envisions bringing offline businesses and SMEs in tier 3 & 4 cities, towns, and rural parts of the country online to give a new dimension to their operations.
Commenting on the investment and QPe's growth trajectory, Manish Kaushik, Co-Founder, QPe, said, "We are thrilled to see Daniel Keloha backing our vision of bringing Bharat online. Bharat is not just about tier 3 & 4 cities, towns, or rural parts of India, but it also includes every offline business owner in metro cities who is afraid of digitizing their operations owing to a lack of tech literacy. With over 749 million users in India, digitizing the business has become necessary to stay ahead of the competitors. Hence, we empower businesses of all scales by making them more discoverable and helping them grow exponentially, even in the pandemic."
Mohit Choudhary, Co-Founder, QPe, said, "QPe is democratizing the e-commerce by offering digital ecosystem to the merchants to manage and automate their business. From the merchants in rural pockets to big players, and from small roadside "chhole bhature wala" to top-rated grocery restaurant business owners, QPe is empowering all sort of businesses."
India accounts for approximately 6.3 crore SMEs in 2021, employing a large portion of the rural population. In today’s internet-savvy world, their traditional, offline means of doing business are not robust enough to counter the offerings of new-age companies. QPe acts as a catalyst by paving the way for SMEs to digitally transform their operations and scale their offerings for the better. The company digitizes mom & pops stores and small business merchants to set up an online store and sell products by uploading inventory at once in just a few clicks. From grocery to restaurants and electronics stores to kirana stores, QPe digitizes them to use QR code-based ordering, offering customers a premium experience (inside the store or online).
Daniel Keloha, a serial entrepreneur & angel investor in California, US, said," In a short time, QPe has acquired a significant merchant base with its impeccable product experience and innovation. I always believe in associating with young and creative founders working on disruptive ideas, impacting millions. Under Manish's leadership, QPe can disrupt the offline to online market with innovative features that add real value to the business. There is an acceleration in offline companies seeking to digitize their business in India, especially after the second wave of COVID. I am very excited to back young companies like QPe supporting India's digital transformation. I am thrilled to make an initial investment and continue to support the company on its journey."
QPe has onboarded thousands of merchants in grocery, restaurant, electronics, d2c startups, etc. Its product enables merchants to sell their offerings hyperlocal, pan India, and globally by creating a digital storefront. It even allows them to accept payments in any currency worldwide, deliver products in all countries, and accept orders through messenger store bots.
