Funding news
Mental well-being tech startup LISSUN raises $1.3M in seed round
LISSUN, a mental health technology platform, has secured $1.3 million in seed funding led by Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) and Zerodha Group’s Rainmatter Capital.
Existing backers such as , WFC, and Growx Ventures, alongside several angel investors, also participated in this round. This brings LISSUN’s total funding to $2.3 million so far.
The newly-acquired capital will be strategically utilised to bolster LISSUN’s technological capabilities and enhance its product offerings. The platform also intends to further expand its services while actively forging partnerships with healthcare institutions and other relevant organisations.
“We are a product-first company and build our products to deliver mental health effectively, seamlessly, and affordably,” said Tarun Gupta, Director and Co-founder of LISSUN.
A key distinguishing factor for LISSUN is its collaboration with healthcare institutions to effectively address high-stress scenarios across various domains. These encompass critical areas such as infertility, rehabilitation, nephrology, and oncology, among others.
Pet-care platform Sploot raises $800K seed round
Sploot, a pet-parenting mobile app founded by Garima Kaushal and Arnav Sahni in Delhi, has secured $800,000 in its second round of seed funding. The funding comes from Info Edge’s subsidiary, Redstart Labs, and a group of angel investors.
This injection of capital will enable the company to expand its range of services, which includes dog walking, grooming, and the provision of high-quality, ready-to-feed dog food. Sploot also has plans to extend its operations into new territories.
With a community-led approach, the app has over 100,000 downloads on both the Play Store and App Store. Sploot has already delivered more than 80,000 meals and facilitated over 100,000 dog walks in the Delhi-NCR region.
It’s worth noting that Info Edge has been a supportive partner of Sploot since its initial seed funding round in 2022 when they invested $500,000 in the venture.
Other news
Rapido to onboard 500 riders in 3 months for its ‘Bike Pink’ service in Chennai
Bike taxi aggregator has unveiled its ‘Bike Pink’ service at Urban Square, Kathipara, Chennai. The service, launched with the intent of meeting the specific transportation requirements of female riders, offers female captains for their daily commutes.
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In the initial phase of this launch, Rapido will deploy 25 electric bikes (EVs) for women captains who may be experiencing financial challenges. This initiative serves a dual purpose by providing accessible transportation and income opportunities for women. Rapido will be equipping them with essential safety and driving skills through comprehensive training programs, developed in collaboration with various NGOs.
Presently, Rapido boasts a roster of over 100 active female captains in Chennai. However, the company has plans to onboard more than 500 active captains in the next three months through collaborations with NGOs.
According to Rapido, this service has the potential to enable women to earn a daily income ranging from Rs 800 to Rs 1,000, resulting in a monthly income of Rs 25,000 to Rs 30,000 through the ‘Bike Pink’ service.
SBI adds UPI interoperability Central Bank Digital Currency
The State Bank of India has introduced UPI interoperability to its Digital Rupee (e₹), also known as the Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC).
This feature will be accessible through the ‘eRupee by SBI’ mobile application, allowing SBI CBDC users to perform transactions by scanning any merchant’s UPI QR code.
Pine Labs introduces affordable merchant card machines
Pine Labs has introduced Mini, a device that accepts both QR codes and cards, catering specifically to smaller merchants.
It is anticipated to be accessible at approximately one-third of the price of a standard Point of Sale (PoS) terminal.
“QR-based and card tap payments are a perfect solve for Indian consumers on the go. On the merchant-side, an absolute must is a fast checkout experience and elimination of the cost barrier in point-of-sale digitisation. Addressing these needs, we are delighted to launch a QR-first, card accepting, cost-effective PoS solution called Pine Labs Mini.” Navnit Nakra, CRO, Pine Labs, said.
(This article will be updated with the latest news throughout the day.)
