‘Unique’ is an overwrought word, sprinkled liberally to add a beatific halo to things we’re desperate to pluck out of the mundane. Sometimes, though, it applies perfectly; it may even sound a little inadequate. Like when we’re describing Indian textiles—the rich brocades of Benares, wrapped in bu…
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Currency Switch Impact | Demonetisation’s positives unlikely to be strong: Fitch
Fitch Ratings said on November 22 the government’s decision on demonetisation that had created a cash crunch would constrain economic activities in the short-term forcing the credit rating agency to cut its GDP forecast for the fourth quarter. “The impact on GDP growth will increase the longer th…
Google cap to back edu-startup Cuemath
Google Capital, the investing arm of tech giant Google, may lead a $13-15 million financing round in Bengaluru-based education startup Cuemath, three people aware of the fund-raise said. Backed by Sequoia Capital, Cuemath develops in-house math content which is a combination of worksheets, tabbas…
Networking app Nodd raises Rs 1 cr in angel funding
Mumbai-based Nodapp.com has raised funding of Rs 1 crore from multiple investors. Noddapp.com is an app-based networking platform that helps individuals discover and meet likeminded people through curated experiences, using data analytics, experiences and algorithms. The raised funds will be used…
India’s start-up hardware ecosystem is yet to get a kickstart
Sai Kiran was about to launch his first product offering – Teewe, a media streaming device. He knew setting up a hardware start-up would be challenging, given India’s limited resources for hardware manufacturing, but went ahead anyway. He ended up losing US$100,000 when he sought to make a protot…
QuikrHomes acquires Grabhouse, to launch cashless rental solutions
Online real estate firm QuikrHomes has acquired digitally-driven home rental solutions provider Grabhouse to launch cashless rental solutions. The move comes at a time when the nation is struggling with shortage of cash post the demonetisation of Rs 500 and Rs 1000 notes. The company aims to addr…
Mobile software start-up Helpshift raises $2 mn from Cisco Investments
Helpshift Inc., a start-up making customer support software for mobile apps, on November 22 said it has raised $2 million of funding from Cisco Investments, a unit of networking equipment giant Cisco Systems Inc. This follows a Series B round that Helpshift raised in June, netting $23 million fro…
B2B online marketplace Udaan.com raises $10 mn from Lightspeed
Udaan.com, a business-to-business online marketplace, on November 22 said it has raised $10 million in series A funding from venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners India and Lightspeed US. Udaan was launched earlier this year by Sujeet Kumar, Vaibhav Gupta and Amod Malviya, former senio…
Currency Switch Impact | MSMEs reap benefits from investments in brand-building
The demonetisation of high-denomination currency notes has resulted in a liquidity crunch and a short-term dip in retail consumption. CRISIL believes that in times of turbulence such as this, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) that have invested in brand creation and have good recall wit…
Micro VCs best match for fund-starved start-ups
Delhi-based small fund Quarizon is in the last leg of closing its second round of capital raise of `20 crore to give startups a fillip to their humble beginnings. Quarizon has just finished deploying its first fund of Rs12 crore across eight startups in need for seed investments. The funding sque…