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Untap Health wants to help offices and care homes track risk from bugs like flu and COVID-19

TechCrunchTechCrunch · 2y ago
Untap Health wants to help offices and care homes track risk from bugs like flu and COVID-19
Medial

London-based startup Untap Health is using wastewater-based epidemiology to detect traces of diseases in collective sewage, thus providing real-time intelligence on the risk of infectious diseases within a community. Traditional sewage surveillance methods can take several days or even a week to deliver results, but Untap Health aims to provide continuous testing and stream insights to a digital dashboard, enabling building managers and health and safety leads to monitor infectious disease risk in real-time. The startup is developing a multi-pathogen detection capability and plans to automate PCR testing of collective sewage to prevent outbreaks and provide same-day infection data. So far, Untap Health has raised under $2 million and is looking to raise further funding to support manufacturing of its hardware.

Peter Thiel's 4 Rules For Creating A Great Business

InternetInternet · 1y ago
Peter Thiel's 4 Rules For Creating A Great Business
Medial

In Silicon Valley, the PayPal Mafia reins supreme. So much so that it is hard to think of any successful technology startup in the last ten years—from Facebook and LinkedIn to YouTube and Yelp—that hasn’t been touched by it in some way. The Don of the PayPal mafia, Peter Thiel, is one of the most intriguing characters in business today. He was a founder of PayPal, as well of data analysis firm Palantir, and is also a successful investor, creating both Clarium Capital and the Founders Fund. Yet it is not only Thiel’s enormous success that makes him interesting, but also his contrarian views, such as his libertarian politics and his program that pays kids to drop out of college. Tap on source to read it all.

Enterprise procurement platform Aerchain secures $13 Mn in Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1d ago
Enterprise procurement platform Aerchain secures $13 Mn in Series A round
Medial

Enterprise procurement platform Aerchain secures $13 Mn in Series A round AI-native enterprise procurement platform Aerchain has raised $13 million (Rs 118 crore) in a Series A funding round led by Pavestone VC, along with participation from IndiaMART and other investors. The Bengaluru-based startup had previously secured $3 million in a pre-Series A funding round back in September 2021, co-led by IndiaMART and Season Two Ventures. The fresh funds will be utilized to accelerate its global expansion and enhance AI capabilities as it builds what it terms the "Spend Operating System," Aerchain said in a press release. Co-founded in 2021 by Harsha Kadimisetty and Himavanth Jasti, Aerchain is an AI-native enterprise procurement platform that orchestrates, executes, and advises across the full intake-to-pay lifecycle. The Spend Operating System covers conversational intake and SOW generation, vendor discovery and management, RFQ and auction automation, autonomous negotiation, techno-commercial evaluation, contract management, invoice processing, and payment tracking, all powered by a multi-agent AI architecture trained on each customer’s data. Aerchain says that its "Spend Operating System" is a comprehensive platform designed to transform enterprise procurement from a reactive cost centre into a proactive business driver. Most enterprise procurement teams continue to operate in a reactive mode, trapped in email chains, Excel spreadsheets, and ERP workarounds. Aerchain's Spend Operating System addresses these challenges through a comprehensive three-level transformation, such as eliminating reactive firefighting, where its Spend Orchestration layer automates 80% of operational procurement work, reducing task completion time from days to hours. Aerchain deploys AI agents that prepare analyses, surface benchmarks, draft negotiation playbooks, and accelerate outcomes, enabling buyers to make better decisions faster. Once operational bandwidth is freed, the platform's Spend Intelligence module continuously analyses spend patterns alongside external market dynamics, including commodity movements, contract expirations, and vendor consolidation opportunities, proactively sharing actionable recommendations. Aerchain claims to have been trusted by over 50 global enterprise customers across more than 30 countries, managing $45 billion in spend, and has reduced procurement cycle times by over 50%. The company is supported by Veda Corp Advisors.

Peak XV leads $2.5 Mn round in Companion Labs

EntrackrEntrackr · 20d ago
Peak XV leads $2.5 Mn round in Companion Labs
Medial

Companion Labs, a consumer AI company building interactive, entertainment-led experiences for India’s vernacular and culturally diverse audiences, has raised $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Peak XV’s Surge, along with participation from All In Capital, UntitledVC, DeVC, and other angel investors. The proceeds will be utilized to accelerate product development, invest in AI capabilities, and continue refining its product as it works toward product-market fit. Co-founded in early 2025 by Akshay Jhanwar and Ajit Pol, Companion Labs uses AI-powered characters and narratives to let users explore alternate lives, careers, and aspirations in deeply local contexts. The Bengaluru-based startup operates at the intersection of AI and entertainment, creating immersive, character-driven experiences that allow users to explore alternate lives, careers, and aspirations through AI-powered narratives. According to Companion Labs, it is building from the ground up for India, with experiences designed to reflect the linguistic, cultural, and social nuances of Tier 2, Tier 3, and Tier 4 audiences. The startup is focused on vernacular languages including Tamil, Telugu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Marathi, and Bengali, targeting a young, aspirational, and digitally native population. Over the long term, the company aims to define a new category of AI-native entertainment built specifically for India’s vernacular internet users.

Fashion startup Littlebox raises $2.1 Mn led by Huddle and Prath Ventures

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Fashion startup Littlebox raises $2.1 Mn led by Huddle and Prath Ventures
Medial

Ultra-fast fashion startup Littlebox has raised Rs 17.5 crore (about $2.1 million) in its maiden funding round, co-led by Huddle Ventures and Prath Ventures, along with participation from a select group of prominent angel investors. The brand was also featured on Shark Tank India Season 3, where it secured a deal with all five Sharks. The fresh funds will be deployed to deepen category verticals, strengthen the UI/UX and logistics experience, invest in packaging and consumer delight, and scale marketing to position Littlebox, the company said in a press release. Co-founded in 2022 by Rimjim Deka and Partha Kakati, Littlebox is an ultra-fast fashion brand that serves India’s Gen Z audience with trend-led fashion that is affordable, agile, and authentically local. With real-time retail infrastructure, weekly product drops, and a radically efficient 25-days stock cycle, it eliminates dead stock and delivers fresh styles at scale. The Guwahati-based brand says it operates on a 25-days stock cycle, powered by a proprietary demand-forecasting algorithm. This ensures fresher assortments, zero dead stock, and stronger margins—all without compromising affordability. Rimjim Deka, co-founder and CEO of Littlebox, said, “Our roots in Guwahati taught us to build lean, stay grounded, and move fast. We started Littlebox to make fashion trend-forward yet accessible, without burning capital or creating waste. This raise isn’t a lifeline — it’s a growth engine.” Littlebox aims to redefine fast fashion for a new generation of Indian shoppers. The brand operates a 40,000 sq ft facility in Noida and claims to launch around 100 new SKUs every week.

Men’s sexual health brand Bold Care raises $5 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Men’s sexual health brand Bold Care raises $5 Mn
Medial

Men’s sexual health and wellness brand Bold Care has raised $5 million in a funding round co-led by Nithin Kamath’s Rainmatter, CaratLane co-founder Mithun and Siddhartha Sacheti, the Dhanani family, AVT Group, along with participation from Gruhas Collective Consumer Fund and NB Ventures. Entrackr exclusively reported on the deal in December. The proceeds will be used to strengthen research and development (R&D), scale the brand’s digital presence, and develop sexual health solutions for both men and women, Bold Care said in a press release. Co-founded in 2020 by Rajat Jadhav, Rahul Krishnan, Harsh Singh, Mohit Yadav, and actor Ranveer Singh, Bold Care provides solutions for issues such as premature ejaculation (PE) and erectile dysfunction (ED). It also offers condoms and lubricants and claims to have fulfilled over 30 lakh (3 million) orders so far. Bold Care has recently expanded into the women’s wellness sector with the launch of Bloom, offering solutions for women’s health concerns, including sexual health, personal hygiene, menopause, menstrual care, and pregnancy. The Mumbai-based startup currently sells its products through its own website, as well as on e-commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Myntra, and Meesho. It is also available on quick commerce platforms. According to market research, sexual health issues affect approximately 90-95 million men in India. For the fiscal year ending March 2024 (FY24), Bold Care’s revenue from operations increased by 6.67% to Rs 32.9 crore from Rs 30.90 crore in FY23. However, the company also reported a 21.46% increase in losses to Rs 19.3 crore in the last fiscal year. Bold Care competes with other D2C sexual and wellness brands, including Man Matters, Kindly, Sukham, Kapiva, and Sassiest, among others.

Decoding Groww’s $200 Mn pre-IPO funding round

EntrackrEntrackr · 9m ago
Decoding Groww’s $200 Mn pre-IPO funding round
Medial

Decoding Groww’s $200 Mn pre-IPO funding round The development comes just days after the company filed a confidential DRHP with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Groww is looking to raise $700 million to $1 billion through an IPO. Billionbrains Garage Ventures Limited, the parent firm of Groww, is raising Rs 1,735 crore (approximately $200 million) in a fresh round led by Singapore-based GIC and existing investor ICONIQ Capital. The development comes just days after the company filed a confidential DRHP with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI). Groww is looking to raise $700 million to $1 billion through an IPO. The board at Groww has passed a special resolution to issue 3.59 crore preference shares at an issue price of Rs 482.8 each to raise the aforesaid amount, its filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), through its affiliate Viggo Investment, will be injecting Rs 867.5 crore ($100 million) while ICQNIC Capital will contribute a similar amount through its entity ISP VII-B Blocker GW. According to the filing, the company will use these proceeds for the growth of its existing business and its subsidiaries. Following the fresh proceeds both ISP Blocker and Viggo Investment will hold 1.43% each. As per Entrackr’s estimates, Groww will be valued at $7 billion post-money. Groww has raised close to $600 million so far from investors including Peak XV, Tiger Global, Ribbit Capital, and YC Continuity. The company was last valued at approximately $3 billion after securing $251 million in its Series E round in October 2021. According to a company internal document, Groww reported a 31% jump in its revenue to Rs 4,056 crore in FY25 whereas its profit jumped 3X jump to Rs 1819 crore in the same period. Groww reported revenue of Rs 3,145 crore and an operating profit of Rs 545 crore in FY24. However, it paid a one-time tax of Rs 1,340 crore for shifting domicile to India, leading to a net loss of Rs 805 crore in FY24. Its audited financial numbers for the fiscal year ending March 2025 has yet to be reported with the RoC.

Recur Club plans to deploy Rs 2,000 Cr in 2024: Interview with Eklavya Gupta

EntrackrEntrackr · 2y ago
Recur Club plans to deploy Rs 2,000 Cr in 2024: Interview with Eklavya Gupta
Medial

Revenue-based financing as an alternative source of working capital is gradually receiving wide acceptability, especially among growth-stage startups. The relevance of such alternative funding sources is now far more pertinent considering the so-called funding winter wherein chances of startups scoring equity capital are slim. In recent years, several revenue-centered financing platforms have emerged with Getvantage, Velocity, and Klub being some of the notable names. Gurugram-based Recur Club has also emerged as a notable player in the space with an allocation of Rs 1,100 crore across 500 startups in 2023. The company is now looking to expand its reach in the startup ecosystem. The roadmap includes onboarding a higher number of startups as well as more investment deployment. To better understand Recur Club’s business, growth and projections, Entrackr caught up with its co-founder and chief executive officer Eklavya Gupta. Recur has backed startups like Ustraa, Rage Coffee, Moveinsync, Keka HR, Xoxodays, and others. In July last year, the platform launched a $10 million fund to back startups actively working towards a greener and more sustainable future. Recur Club isn’t looking to raise any fresh capital at the moment. “We are well capitalized and not looking to raise any money in the near future. Our priority is to onboard 500 – 700 startups this year and deploy Rs 2,000 crore through its platform,” Gupta said. Gupta disclosed that nearly half of the company’s deals are in SaaS and tech sectors, whereas the remaining is deployed towards commerce and logistics. The investment pattern is pretty similar to other revenue-based financing platforms’. Recur Club offers credit in the range of Rs 20 lakh to Rs 35 crore which yields an IRR (internal rate of return) of anywhere between 15% and 19%. While large borrowers typically pay back the loan amount in 12 to 18 months, short-term loans are required to be paid between 50-90 days. Recur Club connects startups with over 50 prominent lenders, including Tata Capital, HSBC, Aditya Birla Capital, INCRED, Ugro Capital, and various other NBFCs, banks, and institutional capital providers. According to Gupta, Recur Club assesses leads on three core premises: average revenue run rate (ARR) of at least Rs 1 crore, six months runway and positive revenue growth. Recur Club makes money by charging a small percentage from both ends: borrowers and lenders. “Depending on the type of investors and companies, we charge 0.5% to 3%,” added Gupta.

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