Bengaluru: Rahul, an analyst with an international gaming company, spends up to eight hours every day playing poker online, often making up to Rs 10,000 within 15 minutes. Of course, he does lose money as well, but the initial wins make for a heady rush. “I got introduced to the game almost…
Start Up India
Act smart! There are enough funding options for your start-up
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) recently warned investors about the legality of crowdfunding. “Electronic platforms facilitating fundraising on digital platforms are neither authorised nor recognised under any law governing the securities market,” said the SEBI note.…
Learning from neighbour: 3 lifehacks from China for Indian start-ups
China always has had a huge influence in the Indian startup ecosystem. From investments and collaborations, China has been an inspiring neighbour for us. Chinese investors have also been warming up to startups and we have seen a plethora of funds being showered on startups like Hike Messenger, Pa…
Zarget raises $6 mn; quadruples seed funds in 6 months
Zarget, a startup that provides various web optimisation solutions as software as a service (SaaS) to enterprises, has raised $6 million (about Rs 40 crore) in a round of funding led by venture capital firm Sequoia India. The Series-A round also saw participation from Accel and Matrix Partners, b…
No need to leave! Start-ups now thrive inside the gate
Small and mid-sized companies are increasingly incubating startups within the organisation, once largely the domain of large technology enterprises, to access ideas that can give them a competitive edge. This is also a much faster way to test an idea in a low-risk environment before deciding whet…
Start-ups roll up sleeves to train the unskilled
Prior to joining healthcare service provider Care24, 33-year-old Rahul Nair earned a daily wage of Rs 800. He was trained for a week to enhance his skills as a nurse after which his daily remuneration shot up to Rs 1,200. Nair is one among the 2,500 unskilled or semi-skilled healthcare workers in…
Start-up mantra: Network to succeed
Moving from London to Delhi to launch their start-up Cash-Karo.com — with virtually no contacts or network to speak of — wasn’t easy for Rohan and Swati Bhargava. From there, they’ve come a long way to receiving Series A funding from VC fund Kalaari Capital by 2015 end and having Ratan Tata come …
Ratan Tata-backed UrbanClap to launch in Middle East & SE Asia
Bessemer Venture and SAIF Partners funded start-up Urbanclap plans to launch its services in international markets such as Middle East and South East Asia in 2017, CEO Varun Khaitan. “We are following a model of very less feet on street. This gives the agility of launching in any city faster. Thu…
Freshdesk raises $ 55 mn from Sequoia Capital, Accel
Cloud-based customer engagement software provider Freshdesk said it has raised USD 55 million (about Rs 367 crore), led by Sequoia Capital India. The series F funding round also saw participation from existing investor, Accel. “The latest round of funding will be used to accelerate the gro…
BroEx acquires realty tech start-up REXPROP
BroEx, a mobile-based property brokers network, has acquired real estate technology startup REXPROP for an undisclosed amount to expand business and provide better products to its clients. Gurgaon-based REXPROP or ‘Real Estate Property Exchange’ is a startup which offers solutions suc…