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InstaAstro raises $2.3 Mn led by Artha Venture Fund

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
InstaAstro raises $2.3 Mn led by Artha Venture Fund
Medial

Online astrology platform InstaAstro has raised Rs 18.50 crore in its pre-Series A round led by Artha Venture Fund. The round also saw participation from LogX Ventures, Singularity Ventures, IR Capital Partners, Blume Founders Fund and Aloke Bajpai, MD & CEO of Ixigo. In November 2021, InstaAstro had raised Rs 3.2 crore in a seed round led by Artha Venture Fund along with Ramakant Sharma’s LogX Ventures. With fresh funds, InstaAstro is launching new spiritual e-commerce, daily pooja, and reiki healing services. As per the company, these offerings would deepen the platform’s user engagement and provide access to a comprehensive spiritual and astrological guidance ecosystem. Founded by Nitin Verma, InstaAstro claims to have over 200,000 monthly app installs, 50,000 minutes per day in consultations, and an ARR of $5 million. It offers horoscopes, tarot readings, and numerology in English, Hindi, and various regional languages. The startup has a total user base of over 5 million users and provided a cumulative consultation of more than 2 crore (20 million) minutes to its subscribers in FY24. The firm has 1,500 astrologers on its platform. It competes with GaneshaSpeaks, AstroTalk, Click Astro, and Bodhi. In the past 12 months, a clutch of astro and spiritual tech startups raised funds. The list included AstroTalk, Vama, Utsav, DevDham (previously DevDarshan), and Melooha. As per Entrackr’s sources, Bodhi is also in talks to raise a new round. AstroTalk had raised the largest funding ($20 million) among the astro and spiritual tech startups.

Spiritual startup My Tirth India shuts down ops due to lack of funds

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Spiritual startup My Tirth India shuts down ops due to lack of funds
Medial

Spiritual tech startup My Tirth India announced on Monday that it is shutting down operations due to a funding crisis. This news comes as a surprise, given that spiritual tech has emerged as one of the hottest sectors, even though the funding environment has been tight for others. In the past 15 months, over a dozen startups in the spiritual tech space have mopped up more than $40 million. My Tirth India is a pilgrimage and darshan site which used to enable tours to India’s top religious destinations by bringing temples, priests, hotels, travel agents, astrologers, ayurveda, and yoga to one platform. “..we have tried to generate as much employment as possible across cities, villages and towns encouraging people to rediscover their culture, traditions and heritage. But it’s with utter sadness that we finally have to shut down the office due to the lack of funds after the unfortunate demise of our principal shareholder and mentor,” said Indraneel Dasgupta, co-founder and CEO of My Tirth India. According to My Tirth India, it raised nearly $1 million from the late Subrata Roy who was the company’s principal shareholder and mentor. Roy was the founder and managing director of Sahara India Pariwar. Currently, singer Anup Jalota is My Tirth India’s chief mentor. Founded in 2019, the firm also launched spiritual membership programmes for travelers, and spiritual showrooms in cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, Kolkata, Noida, and spiritual products like agarbatti, dhoop, puja samagri, havan samagri, and idol, among others. According to industry reports, the Indian travel industry accounts for 10% of the country’s GDP. About 65% to 70% of the entire volume is contributed by spiritual tourism. As per data compiled by TheKredible, astro and spiritual tech startups have rmore than $40 million in the past 15 months. The notable names include Ustav App, DevDham, InstaAstro, AstroTalk, Vama, and Melooha also raised decent funding during the period. SriMandir’s parent company AppsForBharat is also in talks to raise $15 million in a new round. Entrackr exclusively reported the development in May.

Exclusive: Durlabh Darshan set to raise $2 Mn led by Prime VP

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Exclusive: Durlabh Darshan set to raise $2 Mn led by Prime VP
Medial

Exclusive: Durlabh Darshan set to raise $2 Mn led by Prime VP Spiritual startup Durlabh Darshan is set to raise $2 million in its first institutional funding round, according to sources familiar with the matter. The Bhopal-based company will join a growing list of startups in the spiritual tech space that have secured funding in recent years. “Prime Venture Partners is in late-stage talks to lead a new funding round in Durlabh Darshan,” said one of the sources, requesting anonymity. “The terms of the deal have been finalised.” Earlier in 2022, Durlabh Darshan had raised Rs 7.45 crore from individual investors, including Saurav Jindal, Deepak Garg, Gaurav Raizada, Jasvir Singh, and Nitesh Gupta, according to regulatory filings. Founded in 2024 by Prashan Kumar Mishra, Durlabh Darshan creates 3D 360° darshan journeys of major Hindu temples and rituals—such as Kashi Vishwanath in Varanasi, Mahakaleshwar in Ujjain, and Vaishno Devi in Katra. According to the company’s website, its journey began with a patent for a low-cost XR controller for smartphones. The company offers Durlabh Darshan Kendras—physical centers in temple towns—and online services that provide VR headset sessions and home-viewing kits, with bookings available for in-person VR shows like the Bhasma Aarti in Ujjain or home sessions starting at Rs 150–250. As per sources, Durlabh Darshan will be valued at under $10 million post money. Entrackr has reached out to Prime VP and Durlabh Darshan for comments. Its competitors include Temple 360, Who VR, and the Pilgrimage Tour app. Data from TheKredible reveals that startups in the astro and spiritual tech sector, including AstroTalk, Vama, Ustav App, DevDham, InstaAstro, and Melooha, have collectively raised more than $75 million over the past two and a half years. The sector also saw consolidation, as BrahmVeda acquired Vedvaani and Melooha took over Munitalks.

AstroTalk set to raise $20 Mn in Series A

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
AstroTalk set to raise $20 Mn in Series A
Medial

Online astrology platform AstroTalk is raising nearly $20 million in its Series A round from New York-based Left Lane Capital. This will be the Noida-based firm’s maiden institutional funding round. The board at AstroTalk has passed a special resolution to issue 11,211 Series A CCPS at an issue price of Rs 1,45,531 (upper-band) each to raise Rs 163 crore or close to $20 million, its regulatory filing sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company has been valued at around $200 million (post allotment). Entrackr was the first to report about this round in August 2023. AstroTalk is a platform to consult astrologers via the internet, call, and chat and claims to have 13,000 astrologers, tarot readers, numerologists, and vastu experts on its platform. The platform lets users connect with the aforementioned experts for future predictions related to marriage, love life, career, and health among others. To popularize its offerings, AstroTalk roped in a clutch of celebrities including Ranbir Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Mouni Roy, Bharti Singh, and Virender Sehwag. While most startups of its age in the consumer internet space have been soaked deep into losses, AstroTalk is profitable with over two-fold growth in its operating scale. The company posted 146% growth in its revenue to Rs 283 crore in FY23 whereas its profits spiked 41.7% to Rs 8.5 crore. As per the current average revenue run rate, the company projected to end FY24 with Rs 650 crore in revenue and Rs 100 crore in profit. AstroTalk has emerged as the poster boy in its space but it competes with GaneshaSpeaks, InstraAstro, Click Astro, and Bodhi. In the past six months, a clutch of astro and spiritual tech startups raised funds. The list included Vama, Utsav, DevDham (previously DevDarshan), and Melooha. As per Entrackr’s sources, Bodhi and instaAstro are also in talks to raise new rounds.

Quick commerce to contribute $1B in GMV to festival sales: BofA Research

YourStoryYourStory · 9m ago
Quick commerce to contribute $1B in GMV to festival sales: BofA Research
Medial

- Quick commerce is expected to generate $1 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV) during the festival season, with online commerce platforms generating $12 billion in GMV, representing a 23% increase from the previous year. - Quick commerce platforms are projected to contribute nearly $1 billion to the total GMV during the festive season. - Festive consumption is driven by shoppers eagerly taking advantage of offers and deals, with around 65% of online buyers planning to increase their spending during this period. - Non-grocery online sales typically occur during the first wave of the festive season, while quick commerce platforms become more prominent for ordering groceries and festival essentials during the second and third waves. - Changing consumer spending patterns show a shift towards discretionary items like entertainment and travel, impacting retail purchases. - Grocery and beauty/personal care categories are expected to witness faster growth, driven by quick commerce players, challenging vertical e-commerce platforms in the same-day delivery space. - The online grocery market is projected to grow from $317 million in 2023 to $800 million during the 2024 festive season, with groceries contributing 13% of festive e-commerce sales, and quick commerce platforms leading the growth.

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