Mumbai Angels and others invest in PickMywork, a digital distribution network for internet companies, as part of its Seed funding round

 

Mumbai Angels and others invest in PickMywork, a digital distribution network for internet companies, as part of its Seed funding round

The fresh funds will be utilized for expanding the startup’s distribution network across geographies in India   Mumbai, September 20, 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, recently participated in a USD 1 Million Seed funding round for PickMyWork, a gig platform for upskilling and enabling easy sales scale up for digital solution providers. The round also saw participation from others like SOSV's Orbit Startups, Soonicorn Ventures, Upaya Social Ventures, Blume Founders Fund, Venture Catalyst, 888 Network, Imperier Holdings, and WeFounderCircle. The company plans to use the fresh funds in expanding its distribution network across geographies pan India. A part of the raised investment will also be utilized in strengthening the technology backbone which will further increase the efficiency of the distribution

Nandini Mansinghka, CEO & Co-Founder of Mumbai Angels commented, “As the digital revolution continues to set up new trajectories for innovative business solutions, PickMyWork’s offerings are a tremendous value add for growth-driven enterprises and the gig economy. With a proven track record of established growth in the past, we are confident that the income multiplier platform is set for a seamless expansion across new territories.”

Commenting on the funding round, Vidyarthi Baddireddy, Co-Founder & CEO, PickMyWork said, "With new internet businesses launching every day there is a dire need for a strong distribution pillar to catalyze their growth. It becomes an impossible task for these businesses to penetrate the tier 2 and tier 3 markets where there is still a grave need for assistance as these geographies gradually adapt to the digital world. PickMyWork is bridging this gap for various businesses, while simultaneously creating income sources. We have seen the model succeed, which is also reflecting in our month-on-month growth rate of 30 per cent. We are glad that our investors are here to guide us as we move towards our ambitious targets," said Vidyarthi, CEO, PickMyWork.”

Founded in 2019 by Kajal Malik, Vidyarthi Badireddy, and Utsav Bhattacharjee, PickMyWork is a gig platform that helps digital companies acquire end customers for their products through a Pay-per-Task model at a very low CAC.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels is India's premier platform focused on new venture investing. Mumbai Angels today has a 200+ strong portfolio across sectors and cities in India. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. Today the platform has 700+ investors spread across 60+ global cities.

Mumbai Angels invests in Travel Buddy, the social travel network & D2C Marketplace, along with others

 

Mumbai Angels invests in Travel Buddy, the social travel network & D2C Marketplace, along with others

6th September 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, has invested in Travel Buddy, the world's first social travel network. The travel platform offers solutions like trusted Travel Buddy Finder, Local Experts across popular destinations and a direct-to-consumer marketplace.  The Travel Buddy team plans to spend 55% of the funds on improving technology and building a strong foundation to assist more than 240 Million users by 2025-26. With plans for further product development, integration of a booking engine into the D2C marketplace, and introduction of a host of curated services on cards, Travel Buddy envisions ramping up its future revenue stream with new funds.

Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder and CEO of Mumbai Angels, said, “After a brief lull, the travel market is buoyant with accelerating demands. Travel Buddy has ensured trust and an exhilarated experience for its travelers through a unique solution that holds immense potential to address the pain points inherent in the travel industry. Looking forward to seeing Saurav, Vijay and the team take great strides in scaling up their reach and impact with the fresh funds.”

While commenting on the startup’s future plans, Saurav Chakraborty, Founder-Travel Buddy, said, “It will be our focus to open a new arena of exclusive deals in Travel buddy, in creating a win-win situation for both our travelers and the service providers. We are confident that the fresh funds will tailwind the execution of Travel Buddy's planned initiatives for the future.”

He further added, “There cannot be a better validation than Mumbai Angels Network accepting us as their portfolio company. The support from Mumbai Angles comes at the time when our product goes cross-platform and starts expanding the D2C marketplace for travel brands is enthralling. We are extremely thankful to the network for their support.” Founded by Saurav Chakraborty along with Vijay Saini and Paromita Bir in the year 2020, Travel Buddy has built a global community of more than 1 Million travel content creators and enabled online shops for 25K travel providers who are selling their services through hotels, homestays, and transport. This app will offer travel providers adequate leads to sustain their business and a platform for travelers to connect, share and meet.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels is India’s premier platform focused on new venture investing. Mumbai Angels today has invested in 200+ companies in its portfolio across sectors and cities  in India. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/ secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. Tod

Mumbai Angels and other investors invest INR 8 Cr in digital training platform Spardha as a part of its Pre-Series A2 round

 

Mumbai Angels and other investors invest INR 8 Cr in digital training platform Spardha as a part of its Pre-Series A2 round

Spardha will leverage the funds to expand its sales and operations team, upgrade its products, build its brand, and ramp up its marketing efforts to gain a stronghold in the global market    25th June 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, along with others has invested INR 8 Cr in a Series A2 round of funding in Spardha, a digital training platform. Spardha will use the fresh capital to expand its team by hiring for its sales and operations teams and upgrading its products. The company will also be leveraging the funds to build its brand and for ramping up marketing efforts to expand its presence in the global market.

“Increasing consumer propensity for flexibility and reduced cost has made online learning a preferred option worldwide. With geographic barriers fading away in response to the online skilling revolution, there is a huge market yet to be explored. I am confident that Spardha is well placed to exploit this burgeoning glocal demand with its well-established global presence and versatile music platform,” said Nandini Mansighka, CEO & Co-Founder of Mumbai Angels.

“Spardha’s mission is to contribute to the holistic development of our students and teachers. We want to become the most trusted platform for Performing Arts Education globally. We have achieved a healthy user base of 15,000 so far. We are thankful to be backed by marquee investors who have placed their faith in us. We believe this funding will help us achieve our goal of expanding our footprint and augmenting our product offerings,” added Saurabh Srivastav, Founder and CEO of Spardha.

With the help of its curated curriculum, certified trainers, and state-of-the-art technology, Spardha is expanding rapidly not only in India but also in the international markets. Headquartered in Pune, Spardha, offers a unique blend of professional teachers, a result-oriented curriculum, personalized musical journeys for different student personas, and a digital platform where you can perform online, jamming, practice with your friends/peers, compete with your peers, co-create music with your peers and launch your own compositions. The company plans to garner a user base of 50,000 in the coming months. With more than 400+ certified teachers on its platform across Hindustani, Carnatic, and Western Music, Spardha is one of the fastest-growing online music schools globally. Recently Spardha achieved one more milestone of crossing INR 10 Cr+ ARR in Sales and Renewals. More than 60% of the revenue comes from international markets, i.e., the USA, UK, UAE, Australia, and Singapore.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels, India's premier platform for private investment holds an AUM of USD 130 Mn and a 200+ strong portfolio spanning a wide range of sectors, such as Technology, Consumer, Life Sciences, DefenseTech, SpaceTech, EV, AgriTech, FinTech, EdTech, Gaming and Content, etc. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. The platform has 700 investors spread across 60+ Global and Indian cities.

Mumbai Angels, Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd, and others invest in pre-Series A round of Hemp Horizons

 

Mumbai Angels, Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd, and others invest in pre-Series A round of Hemp Horizons

Mumbai Angels, Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd, and others invest in pre-Series A round of Hemp Horizons    18th June 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, invests in Hemp Horizons, a vertically integrated, zero waste and carbon-negative pioneer in the domestic hemp industry. The undisclosed funding round that saw the participation from Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd, and others, will enable Hemp Horizons to build a robust offline distribution network, strengthen marketing strategies, promote its D2C brand 'Health Horizons,' and launch new products.

"With the recent regulatory amendment advancing the recognition of Hemp seed as a nutritional superfood product, the Hemp industry is upbeat about its growth prospects. I am confident that as an established vertically integrated player focused on driving a carbon-negative footprint, Hemp Horizons is set to capitalize on the Hemp revolution for the unabated future growth," said Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder and CEO of Mumbai Angels

“With this renewed support from our previous investors, Mumbai Angels and Hindustan Media Ventures Pvt Ltd, we are all set to build a much larger organization at Hemp Horizons. We are excited to see how the hemp and cannabis industry has evolved since our inception five years ago. At Hemp Horizons, we don't just sell products but encourage a zero-waste ecosystem. We have created a sustainable foundation with an unbreakable supply chain, in-house GMP, and USFDA-registered manufacturing and packaging facility. Every product we sell comes right from the farm into the customers' hands, and Hemp Horizons is the only channel in between,” "With these fresh funds, we will be building our offline distribution network, which will allow us to create a true D2C system that is sustainable and has a relatively lower carbon footprint. For consumers, I would like to say, read the labels and do your research before buying the products. It's important to know the lifecycle of every product. The Indian hemp and cannabis industry is growing significantly, and soon we will be an exporter to the world" added Co-Founder & CEO of Hemp Horizons, Rohit Shah.

Founded in 2017, Hemp Horizons is the brainchild of Rohit Shah, Kartikey Dadoo and Kanishk Yadav. It was initially set out to be a vertically integrated company. Over the last five years, the company has witnessed significant growth. It currently operates a 20MT manufacturing facility for hemp seed and cannabis to develop health and wellness products. Hemp Horizons has already collaborated with more than 40 labeling companies to supply their products. Its brand 'Health Horizons' has also recently launched several avant-garde products in India and gained 7000+ D2C clients.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels, India's premier platform for private investment holds an AUM of USD 130 Mn and a 200+ strong portfolio spanning a wide range of sectors, such as Technology, Consumer, Life Sciences, DefenseTech, SpaceTech, EV, AgriTech, FinTech, EdTech, Gaming and Content, etc. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. The platform has 700 investors spread across 60+ Global and Indian cities.

Mumbai Angels and DLabs at ISB come together as Co-Investment Partners, Sign MoU

 

Mumbai Angels and DLabs at ISB come together as Co-Investment Partners, Sign MoU

With this collaboration, Mumbai Angels and DLabs will identify and back high-potential startups, offering them numerous benefits in the process

14, June, 2022: Building further on the success of its Co-Investment program, Mumbai Angels, a premier platform for private investments, has signed an MoU with DLabs Incubator Association (DLabs) at the Indian School of Business. The technology business incubator provides physical and virtual incubation support for startups across all domains. Supported by the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, DLabs, through this partnership, is joining hands with Mumbai Angels to strengthen its offering as it provides the needed infrastructure for the entrepreneurs to interact, engage and collaborate with mentors, investors and academia.    Through the Co-Investment Program, launched in 2021, Mumbai Angels aims to partner with like-minded networks, individuals, family offices, and funds to facilitate faster access to capital for growth for the chosen startups. The partnership enables unrestricted access to Mumbai Angels’ Multiplier Program, an exclusive marketplace for its portfolio companies, for availing services like advertising, cloud storage, and marketing solutions, etc. The Program also enables the chosen startups to have an opportunity to raise their next round of funding from Mumbai Angels.

“DLabs offers the ideal platform to interact and engage with one another as startups, and with founders and academia. Their fostering infrastructure has enabled several student entrepreneurs and startups to rise, and there are yet many more ventures that need nurturing. We are pleased to partner with them for our Co-Investment program, as we’re certain that the association will be a fruitful one.” said Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder and CEO of Mumbai Angels.

“This partnership enables us to further help the startups in our portfolio reach out to more investors and pitch their ideas to them, and also get more varied sector-specific mentorship. We are excited to join hands with a leading angel investment platform like Mumbai Angels and work with them to strengthen the ecosystem further,” said Saumya Kumar, I-Venture @ISB and CEO of DLabs

DLabs hosts a state-of-the-art space for entrepreneurs to interact, engage and collaborate with mentors, investors, and academia. The primary objective is to strengthen entrepreneurship and foster innovation among the young in India, including its student and alumni community, as the Government supported business incubator scouts, supports, and scales up innovations into successful ventures. DLabs encourages creativity and innovation in a shared work environment amidst a healthy startup community. Till date, DLab network includes 400+ mentors and Industry experts, has funded 70+ startups, and has conducted 12+ Theme-based Accelerator programs that have enabled 124+ startups to graduate.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels Network is India’s premier platform focused on new venture investing. Mumbai Angels today has a 200+ strong portfolio across sectors and cities across India. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/ secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. Today the platform has 700+ investors spread across 60+ cities across the globe.

Mumbai Angels and others invest INR 4.39 Cr in Woolly Farms

 

Mumbai Angels and others invest INR 4.39 Cr in Woolly Farms

The platform will utilize the funding to build its technology platform and bolster sales and marketing efforts   7th June 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, has invested INR 4.39 Cr along with other investors in Woolly Farms, a consumer-first agricultural ecosystem built within and around urban areas with consumer participation. The round also saw the participation of Callapina Capital, Malabar Angels Network and Mentorous Ventures. Woolly Farms will use the funding to build its technology platform with an NFT ecosystem for consumers to participate in farm constructions built on Blockchain technologies, and IoT-driven farms that enable centralized monitoring systems to manage farms at scale, and bolster sales and marketing efforts.

"As an agrarian country, farming is at the core of the Indian economy that requires sustainable farming intervention on a priority. Woolly Farms has built a unique platform that ensures sustainable farm production of organic and affordable vegetables, especially off-season greens, through its consumer/producer participation approach based on a decentralized finance model. I am confident that the fresh funds will enable Woolly Farms to widen its reach as it scales up its tech infrastructure and business in different geographies," said Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder and CEO of Mumbai Angels

“Agriculture contributes 17% to the global warming cause. But it’s important to understand that no business can sustain itself without having sustainability as a critical pillar. Without designing our systems for mass adoption of products from climate-friendly systems, the movement of sustainability would fail. At Woolly Farms, we believe that Capitalism, Empathy and Technology together can bring this necessary change into effect. We are delighted to be backed by prominent investors in our quest for good quality food and sustainable agriculture. The funding will allow us to bolster our infrastructure and expand our customer reach and footprint,” added Bushair AP, Co-Founder, and CEO of Woolly Farms

“It is time for a different approach. With vertical farming (using hydroponics), Woolly is doing exactly that - solving for multiple challenges faced by traditional farming at once. By growing the crops in a controlled environment that is local to the end consumer, Woolly is able to guarantee high quality, consistent output that the consumer can see and trust, thereby creating a D2C Agro brand. Moreover, with their innovative consumer financing model, they have figured out a scalable model enabling local consumer participation. Bushair, Nithun, and the team have a very bold and long-term vision to present an alternative option for the Indian consumer, which we are excited to get behind,” added Vinod Jose, MD of Callapina Capital

Woolly Farms’ Consumer first agriculture ecosystem aims to construct sustainable farms, co-owned by the consumers, in urban areas. With financial contributions ranging from INR 10,000 upwards, consumers are also engaged in responsible urban farming through volunteering contributions in technology, farm works and agri knowhow, in return for entitlement of fresh farm produce. Adoption of technologies, such as zero soil usage, farming on the top of high-rise buildings, use of 95% less water consumption compared to traditional farming are a just few solutions, among others, that have been garnering the interest and the support of today’s green-conscious customers at a faster pace. Based in Bangalore, the company has so far touched 12K+ households in the city, with a close community of 6000 consumers and urban growers. The modern farming player is keen to drive sustainable farming goals by allocating 2% of its token capital towards implementing sustainable practices that are on par with the International standards.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels, India's premier platform for private investment holds an AUM of USD 130 Mn and a 200+ strong portfolio spanning a wide range of sectors, such as Technology, Consumer, Life Sciences, DefenseTech, SpaceTech, EV, AgriTech, FinTech, EdTech, Gaming and Content, etc. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. The platform has 700 investors spread across 60+ Global and Indian cities.

Celcius Raises USD 4.5 Mn in a Series A round led by Mumbai Angels

 

Celcius Raises USD 4.5 Mn in a Series A round led by Mumbai Angels

The capital will be used to bolster its tech, sales and operations teams, and expand Celcius’ geographical footprint to 500 cities this year   24th May 2022: Mumbai Angels, a premium platform for private investments, invests USD 1.5 Mn in Celcius, a cold chain marketplace as part of the larger bridge round of USD 4.5 Mn. Other notable investors, including Supply Chain Labs, Endurance Capital, VCats, Keiretsu Forum, Huddle and EVAN also participated in the funding. This is a part of the bigger Series A funding round of USD 10Mn in progress. Celcius will leverage the fresh capital to build its tech, sales and operations teams while expanding its geographical footprint to over 500 cities this year. The platform will also use the funds to create development programs to assist transporters across the country.

Nandini Mansinghka, Co-Founder and CEO of Mumbai Angels said, “The events that have unfolded over the past couple of years have underscored the significance of a robust cold storage supply chain in the marketplace., Especially with the increased requirements of the healthcare, pharma, and food industries, efficient cold chain marketplaces are crucial. Celcius has done remarkably well in connecting shippers and transporters across India seamlessly. We believe that this capital infusion will allow them to bolster their infrastructure and execute the intended expansion plan."

“We are extremely grateful to the investors for believing in our vision and helping us further our goal of creating a nationwide cold chain network. The newly acquired funds will allow us to stay on the momentum of expanding our operations across the country. We plan on expanding our reach to over 500 cities and supporting the country by transporting Covid-19 vaccines and other essential perishables to remote locations. We also recently launched Vahan Vikas Samriddhi Program, through which we aim to financially support regional transport entrepreneurs and encourage them to venture into the cold chain segment. The acquired funds will help us further this initiative,” added Swarup Bose, Founder and CEO of Celcius

Based in Mumbai, Celcius is one of the only cold chain aggregator platforms in India providing end-to-end cold chain solutions. The company’s target sectors include dairy, pharma, fresh produce, exports of fruits, seafood, and even distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine. Since its inception in late 2020, Celcius has expanded its reach to over 300 cities across India. The platform has on-boarded 2500+ vehicles, 107 cold storage facilities, covering primary to last mile distribution of perishables, increased operations, and grown 20X in 1 year. The company plans to raise a Series A round of USD 10 Mn in the coming months.

About Mumbai Angels Started in 2006, Mumbai Angels Network is India’s premier platform focused on new venture investing. Mumbai Angels today has a 200+ strong portfolio across sectors and cities across India. Of the overall portfolio, the platform has exited/ secured the next round of funding for 100+ of them. Today the platform has 700+ investors spread across 60+ cities across the globe.