Hyderabad-based ice popsicle maker Skippi Ice Pops has raised ₹10 crore in pre-Series A funding led by Hyderabad Angel Network (HAN) and Venture Catalysts (VCATs).
Skippi is also in discussions to secure an additional ₹7 crore in the coming weeks. This capital is going to be primarily allocated to brand-building, and marketing initiatives with a focus on enhancing working capital driving new product development and hiring key leadership. CEO Ravi Kabra talks to Ritu Singh and Shruti Mishra about the company’s growth trajectory, brand building and more.
“The ice popsicle market across the world has been phenomenal and has been growing exponentially. Unfortunately, there was no brand in India. That is why Skippi came in and since the day of our inception, we have been seeing exponential growth in the ice popsicle segment that we bring in,” he said.
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He sees a huge potential in a country like India with 140 crore people and with hot and humid weather conditions.
“Skippi Ice Pops places itself at just ₹20 price point, so there are miles to cover, the sky is the limit for us and we will keep growing that way,” he mentioned.
Portl, a digital fitness and wellness technology startup, has raised $3 million in funding led by Bharat Innovation Fund. This round also saw participation from existing investors Kalaari Capital and new investor T-Hub Foundation. The new infusion of capital is set to accelerate Portl’s product development, market expansion and enhancement of its cutting-edge AI systems. Indraneel Gupta, Founder and CEO of the company spoke about how Portl has brought the gym to homes.
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“Portl is essentially trying to utilize AI to drive personalisation across fitness and wellness in general but when we speak about our flagship product, that is Portl Studio, it is essentially a smart gym with a built-in personal trainer,” he said.
9Unicorns rebrands to 100Unicorns, launches $200m accelerator fund
9Unicorns, part of the multi-stage investing platform Venture Catalysts Group, has rebranded itself as 100Unicorns and launched its second accelerator fund with a target corpus of $200 million that will invest in 200 startups in the country. Over 60% of the fund’s corpus will be used to make first investments while the rest will be used for follow-on investments. Apurva Ranjan Sharma discussed the investment thesis.
Also Read | Venture capital funds turn to secondary exits amid startup valuation decline
For more, watch the accompanying video
Skippi is also in discussions to secure an additional ₹7 crore in the coming weeks. This capital is going to be primarily allocated to brand-building, and marketing initiatives with a focus on enhancing working capital driving new product development and hiring key leadership. CEO Ravi Kabra talks to Ritu Singh and Shruti Mishra about the company’s growth trajectory, brand building and more.
“The ice popsicle market across the world has been phenomenal and has been growing exponentially. Unfortunately, there was no brand in India. That is why Skippi came in and since the day of our inception, we have been seeing exponential growth in the ice popsicle segment that we bring in,” he said.
Also Read | Peak XV-backed data & AI startup Atlan bags $105 million led by GIC, Meritech Capital
He sees a huge potential in a country like India with 140 crore people and with hot and humid weather conditions.
“Skippi Ice Pops places itself at just ₹20 price point, so there are miles to cover, the sky is the limit for us and we will keep growing that way,” he mentioned.
Fitness platform Portl secures $3 million for product expansion and AI enhancements
Portl, a digital fitness and wellness technology startup, has raised $3 million in funding led by Bharat Innovation Fund. This round also saw participation from existing investors Kalaari Capital and new investor T-Hub Foundation. The new infusion of capital is set to accelerate Portl’s product development, market expansion and enhancement of its cutting-edge AI systems. Indraneel Gupta, Founder and CEO of the company spoke about how Portl has brought the gym to homes.
Also Read | Startup Digest: Byju's pays April salaries in full, SC to hear pleas on GST levied on online gaming cos in July, and more
“Portl is essentially trying to utilize AI to drive personalisation across fitness and wellness in general but when we speak about our flagship product, that is Portl Studio, it is essentially a smart gym with a built-in personal trainer,” he said.
9Unicorns rebrands to 100Unicorns, launches $200m accelerator fund
9Unicorns, part of the multi-stage investing platform Venture Catalysts Group, has rebranded itself as 100Unicorns and launched its second accelerator fund with a target corpus of $200 million that will invest in 200 startups in the country. Over 60% of the fund’s corpus will be used to make first investments while the rest will be used for follow-on investments. Apurva Ranjan Sharma discussed the investment thesis.
Also Read | Venture capital funds turn to secondary exits amid startup valuation decline
For more, watch the accompanying video
(Edited by : Asmita Pant)
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