AppsForBharat, the parent company of India's largest devotion platform, Sri Mandir, has raised USD 18 million (INR 151 crore) in Series B funding led by Fundamentum. The round also saw participation from Susquehanna Asia VC as well as existing investors Elevation Capital, Peak XV, and Mirae Asset VC. The funds will be utilized to scale the Sri Mandir app’s India and international operations, onboard new temples, launch new services, and build a comprehensive tech stack for the devotional ecosystem.
Founded in November 2020 by serial entrepreneur and IIT Bombay Alumni, Prashant Sachan, AppsForBharat uniquely addresses the underserved devotional and spiritual needs of the people. Over half a billion people in India and 50 million more worldwide lack a trusted platform for their devotional needs. Participating in pujas, offering goods, and engaging in rituals during festivals like Diwali and Navratri, as well as on occasions like Purnima and Amavasya, are deeply rooted in the nation’s cultural fabric. Each day, 200 million devotees perform pujas and rituals—whether at home, with local priests, or by traveling to temples and pilgrimage sites—in search of deeper connection, peace, well-being, and for strengthening family bonds. Despite its significance, access to devotional services and information in India remains unorganized, fragmented, and inconvenient. There is a significant opportunity to create a tech platform that brings easy access and convenience to devotional practices, fostering a connected ecosystem of devotees, priests, and temples. This vision inspired Prashant and his team to build Sri Mandir, which has now become India’s largest devotional platform, serving the devotional needs of people both in India and abroad.
The Sri Mandir app currently provides access to a comprehensive list of 50+ temples. It enables users to participate in pujas, offer goods (Chadhava) as part of the rituals, and access a wealth of devotional content, all from the comfort and convenience of their homes. Since its launch in 2021, Sri Mandir has garnered over 30 million app downloads. In the last year, over 5 lakh devotees have done 27 lakh pujas & offerings at temples across India through the Sri Mandir app. The app’s user-friendly interface and comprehensive services have made it the go-to app, addressing the devotional needs of people.
Announcing the latest round of funding, Prashant Sachan, Founder and CEO of AppsForBharat said,
“We are committed to building the most trusted destination that serves the needs of millions of devotees in India and abroad, providing them the access they always wanted. We are grateful for all the user love that Sri Mandir is getting in India and abroad, and this highlights the need for such a platform. Over the next five years, we aim to expand our offerings by introducing spiritual tourism, facilitating special Darshan tickets, and providing seamless delivery of Prasad and related devotional goods. Our vision is to transform Sri Mandir into an end-to-end digital tech platform that caters to every aspect of the devotional journey.”
The investment in AppsForBharat is a testament to Fundamentum’s investment philosophy of backing founders who have identified large market opportunities and are solving uniquely Indian problems with technology.
According to Ashish Kumar, Co-founder & General Partner, Fundamentum who is joining the board of AppsForBharat, “India’s devotional sector valued at $50 billion presents a massive opportunity for digital transformation. Prashant and team have built a world-class uniquely Indian product that seamlessly blends tradition with innovation providing a comprehensive digital experience for its devotees. With its widespread adoption among both young adults and older generations alike, we expect long-term scalability in India and global use cases emerging in the future. Our investment philosophy at Fundamentum is rooted in backing visionary founders who are solving critical challenges with scalable solutions. AppsForBharat’s approach to bringing access and convenience to the devotional sector represents a compelling opportunity and we are proud to partner with them in their scale-up journey.”
In the next 12 months, the Sri Mandir app will be available to devotees in 5 new regional languages, grow its temple listing by 10x across India, and develop a robust spiritual tourism ecosystem. Its comprehensive tech stack will integrate and enhance the experience of all the stakeholders - temples, temples (big and small), service providers (pandits/purohits), and devotees. The platform will deepen its roots in India and scale international operations in key markets such as the USA, UK, and Canada.
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