[Weekly Deals Roundup] Fashinza, Neso Brands, BlissClub, & others raise funds

B2B Marketplace Fashinza, Eyewear house Neso Brands, D2C activewear brand BlissClub, and other startups & venture capital raised funding in this week.

B2B Marketplace Fashinza raises $100 million in funding from Prosus, Westbridge

Fashinza, an AI-driven B2B marketplace platform has raised $100 million as a part of its Series B from Prosus Ventures (formerly Naspers Ventures) and Westbridge Capital.

The company plans to use the funds to build a sustainable supply chain for the global fashion industry and expand its operations globally.

Lenskart-backed Neso Brands raises over $100 million

Eyewear house Neso Brands, a Lenskart subsidiary, has raised more than $100 million in its first seed funding round from several investors including KKR, Softbank, Alpha Wave Global and Temasek.

The startup said it will partner with and invest in consumer eyewear brands globally and grow by leveraging the synergies in the Lenskart group.

D2C activewear brand BlissClub raises $15 mn in funding

Community commerce brand BlissClub has raised$15 million in its Series A funding round from Eight Roads Ventures and Elevation Capital.

The startup plans to double the size of its team by using the funds in R&D and product development, hiring different tasks and developing its own apps and offline channels.

SpiritualTech startup Rgyan raises $200K in Seed funding

Gurgaon-based Rgyan, a vernacular spiritual social tech startup has raised  $200K in Seed funding from angel investors.

The startup plans to use the funds to create a digital community of spiritual aspirants and help them with their various needs in taking their spiritual journey online.

Tech-enabled construction Platform Wehouse raises $ 1 mn in pre-Series A round

Wehouse (Hocomoco), a tech-powered construction aggregator platform has raised $ 1 million in its Pre series A funding round from Anthill Ventures and a group of angel investors. It has recently rebranded itself to Wehouse.

The startup plans to use the funds to upgrade the technology platform and hire them for key roles in its expansion into cities across India.

Adventum Student Living (ASL) raises $5 mn in Pre series B round

Adventum Student Living (ASL), an Overseas education aggregator startup has raised $5 million in its Pre-Series B funding round from Ideal Cures founder Suresh Pareek.

The startup plans to use the funds to build a brand, expand its footprint around the world, and hire talent for technology and data science teams. It will also deploy funds to expand its three business entities – UniAcco, UniCreds, and UniScholarz.

Smytten raises Rs 100 Cr in funding from Fireside, Roots Ventures

Smytten, tech-enabled product discovery and trial platform has raised Rs 100 crore in its Pre-Series B funding round from Fireside Ventures and Roots Ventures.

The startup plans to use the funds for hiring engineering talent and scaling up its technology infrastructure with the help of AI and ML (Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning) for brand building and customer acquisition.

Jwellery Startup Melorra raises $16 mn as part of ongoing Series D round

D2C Jwellery brand Melorra has raised $16 million as part of its Series D funding round from Axis Growth Avenues AIF-I, SRF Family Office, N+1 and existing investors.

The startup plans to use the funds to strengthen brand marketing activities and launch more offline experience centers across the country.

Edtech Startup SpeEdLabs raises Rs 14.31 cr pre-Series A round

SpeEdLabs, an Edtech platform has raised Rs 14.31 crore in its pre-Series A funding round from Mumbai Angels, LetsVenture, Ecosystem Ventures and SucSeed Ventures.

The platform will use the funds to expand its presence and strengthen its infrastructure.

Fintech Startup Karbon Card Raises Rs 55 Cr Debt Finance Round

Fintech startup Karbon Card has raised Rs 55 crore in debt financing round from Northern Arc Capital, UC Inclusive Credit (UCIC) and Oxyzo Financial Services.

The startup plans to use the funds to empower and enable startups and small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) with corporate credit cards, which they can use as flexible growth capital.

Web3 treasury management firm Coinshift raises $15 mn in series A Funding

Coinshift, a web3 treasury management and infra startup has raised $15 million in its Series A funding round from Tiger Global.

The platform plans to use the funds to develop its product and technology. The company will launch its latest version in beta next week, which will be available through the waiting list.

MasterChow raises $1.2 million funding led by Anicut Capital and other marquee investors

MasterChow, a ready-to-cook Asian cuisine brand, today announced that it has raised $1.2 million in funding led by Anicut Capital, an Indian investment firm managing alternative assets.

MasterChow plans to deploy the funds to launch innovative new product categories while delivering a quality experience to its customers. They also aim to introduce a wider variety of flavors and plans to foray into the ready-to-eat segment to attract the India’s young consumers. The brand wants to fortify their distribution network while maintaining a strong focus on their own D2C channel across India. They’re also looking to hire for mid-senior level positions to further optimize their e-comm channels and go deeper with engaging their core customer via a robust content strategy.

D2C beauty brand Wow Skin Science raises funding

Wow Skin Science, a D2C beauty and wellness brand has raised its fresh funding from Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund GIC.

The startup plans to use the funds in brand development, talent resource and accelerate its innovation pipeline through a combination of organic launches and select inorganic investments.

Career tech startup Internshala raises fresh funding in Series A round

ScholiverseEducare Pvt. Ltd, which operates the career tech platform Internshala has raised an undisclosed amount in its series A funding round from LC Nueva Alternative Investment Fund (AIF).

The platform plans to use the funds to enhance existing products and launch new services for the skilling and placement of budding professionals.

Relocation Platform HappyLocate raises $1.1 mn in funding

HappyLocate, a relocation platform has raised $1.1 million in its Pre-Series A funding round from Inflection Point Ventures.

The startup plans to use the funds to enhance operational excellence and corporate reach.

Agritech Startup Ninjacart Raises $9 mn in fresh round

Business-focused agritech firm Ninjacart has raised $9 million in a fresh funding round from South Korea-based STIC and UK-based Mainstream Digital Life IV Pte Ltd.

The Bengaluru-based Ninjacart was founded in 2015 by Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Sharath Loganathan, Sachin Jose, Kartheeswaran KK, and Vasudevan Chinnathambi, It buys fresh fruits and vegetables directly from farmers and supplies to retailers, hotels, restaurants and supermarkets.

Chess Academy HobSpace raises $4.5 mn in pre-Series A funding

HobSpace, a chess academy has raised $4.5 million in its pre-Series A funding round from Mankekar Family Office, Artha Venture Fund, Siddharth Shah and API Holdings’ Dharmil Sheth, among others.

The company plans to expand globally and use the funds to invest in technology to accelerate product development and enhance the overall experience for students.

Edtech startup QwikSkills raises Rs 3.85 cr in Seed funding

Ed-tech Platform QwikSkills has raised Rs 3.85 crore in its Seed funding round from Indian Angel Network (IAN), along with other investors.

The startup has also used the funds to strategize and acquire the B2B2C segment with corporates, various educational institutions, universities, and colleges with a vision to expand into the global markets of India and Europe, Americas, Asia-Pacific, and South-east Asia.

Web3 Startup Questbook raises $8.3 mn in funding led by Leminscap

Questbook, a Web3 grants platform has raised $8.3 million in its Series A funding round from Lemniscap.

The US-based Questbook was founded in 2021 by Abhilash Inumella, Subhash Karri, Sriharsha Karamchati, and Madhavan Malolan.

It initially started as a learning/edtech platform, but later the co-founders decided to build an on-chain grant orchestration tool to empower developers in 2022.

Wealthtech Startup BHIVE.fund raises funding from Blume Ventures, others

Wealthtech platform BHIVE.fund has raised undisclosed amount in a strategic funding round from Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, Gruhas Proptech co-founder, AbhijeetPai and Blume Ventures.

The startup plans to use the funds for business growth, build out comprehensive technology to enable clients to evaluate and invest in asset classes, expand global and grow BHIVE’s market share.

Location intelligence Startup GeoIQ raises $2.25 mn in funding

GeoIQ, a hyperlocal performance prediction company has raised $2.25 million from Lenskart, along with its existing investors – 9Unicorns & Ecosystem Ventures.

The startup plans to use the funds to expand into international geographies, strengthen its proprietary data stack, and leverage communities of data scientists to build diverse AI models.

Fashion retailer High Street Essentials raises Rs 40 crore in funding

Fashion retailer company High Street Essentials, has raised Rs 40 crore in mix of equity and debt funding round from venture debt firm Stride Ventures.

Through this funding, the company is entering India’s premium occasion wear category, the IndyaLuxe and its range includes occasion and festive wear, priced between Rs 6,500 to Rs 18,000.

It will also invest in expanding the company’s offline footprint.

SaaS-based startup Inflection raises $5 mn in seed funding

B2B Marketing Automation Solution provider Inflection.io has raised $5 million in seed funding round from MHS Capital.

According to a statement, the startup plans to use the funds to accelerate growth along with hiring in the India and US markets.

ZincSearch raises $3.6 mn in seed funding

ZincSearch, a search engine technology company has raised $3.6 million in seed funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners with participation from Dell Technologies Capital, Secure Octane, Cardinia Ventures.

Nexus Venture Partners, Managing Director, Abhishek Sharma will also join the Zincsearch Board of Directors. The startup plans to use the funds to operate and expand the reach of its business.