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InstaAstro, Betel Leaf, NFTFN, and Stylework Secure Funding in Different Rounds The Indian startups listed below have disclosed investment rounds.

By Paromita Gupta

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[L-R] Founders of InstaAstro (Nitin Verma), NFTFN (Abhishek Gupta & Vikas Singh), Betel Leaf (Prem Raheja)

InstaAstro Raises USD 2.30 Mn in Pre-Series A Led by Artha Venture Fund

Online astrology platform InstaAstro has raised USD 2.30 million (INR 18.50 crore) in a pre-series A round led by Artha Venture Fund. LogX Ventures, Singularity Ventures, IR Capital Partners, Blume Founders Fund, and industry luminary Aloke Bajpai, MD and CEO of Ixigo, also participated in the round.

As per the official release, with fresh funds, InstaAstro is launching new spiritual e-commerce, Daily Pooja, and Reiki healing services. These offerings would deepen the platform's user engagement and provide access to a comprehensive spiritual and astrological guidance ecosystem.

Nitin Verma, founder and CEO of InstaAstro, said, "Navigating the cosmic journey of growth with our recent ARR achievement and the trust placed in us by our esteemed investors is exhilarating. Our new services are just the beginning. We're poised for global expansion, aiming to connect more deeply with spiritual seekers worldwide."

Founded by an IIT graduate, Nitin Verma, InstaAstro offers personalised astrological consultations, spiritual e-commerce, and healing services. It also offers horoscopes, tarot readings, and numerology in English, Hindi, and various regional languages.

The platform claims that in just three years, it has achieved over 200,000 monthly app installs, 50,000+ minutes of daily consultations, and an ARR of USD 5 million. It has 1500 astrologers on its platform.

Anirudh A Damani, Managing Partner, Artha Venture Fund, added, "Astrology remains a subject of interest and cuts across economic classes. InstaAstro is rightly positioned to capture a large share of the astrology market by providing reliable and affordable access to its consumers. The online astrology market is ready for disruption, and InstaAstro's differentiated offerings are reflected in the rapid yet sustainable growth of its revenues."

Betel Leaf Secures USD 1.2 Mn in Bridge Round Led by Inflection Point Ventures

FSSAI-certified online paan company Betel Leaf has raised USD 1.2 million in a bridge round led by Inflection Point Ventures and Venture Catalysts.

Within the next two years, the money raised will be used to grow the current retail and online presence from 45 kitchens to 100 kitchens in India and beyond. Additionally, the development of new automation technology will be made possible, which will improve consistency and boost production volume and range.

Prem Raheja, Co-founder and CEO of Betel Leaf, said, "The Betel Leaf company was born to redefine the age-old tradition to eat paan, the healthy hygienic way, matching technology with tradition. We would like to make every consumer enjoy the benefits of consuming Betel Leaf by way of paan or other paan-based products and look at becoming the category creator and leaders in organising this unorganised product."

Founded in July 2019 by Prem Rheja and Payal Raheja, Betel Leaf is India's first online FSSAI-certified paan delivery company, redefining the traditional Indian dessert paan into a new avatar.

After creating experiences across 20 cities in 12 states and over 45 kitchens, the company now looks to open their entire retail footprint with key account sign-ups with Reliance Retail, Spar, and many more retail chains. Currently, Betel Leaf also exports to Singapore, Malaysia, Nairobi, the UK, and the USA.

Ivy Chin, Partner, Inflection Point Ventures, said, "In a fast-paced and transforming India, finding authentic, hygienic, and convenient options for traditional Indian desserts like paan can be challenging. The Betel Leaf Co is addressing this problem head-on by delivering hygienic, fresh, and authentic paan with a variety of flavours right to our doorstep. IPV supports their insights into solving a very unique problem and trusts their commitment to quality."

NFTFN Raises over INR 5 Cr in the Initial Round

NFTFN, an innovator in the web3 fintech sector, announced that it has raised INR 5 crore (USD 600,000) in its initial offering. This investor engagement, with over 20 million tokens already allocated, highlights the strong market confidence in the potential of NFTFN's flagship product, SuperNova (SNV). SuperNova is designed to facilitate easy access to the thriving NFT market.

Vikas Singh, CEO and Co-founder of NFTFN, said, "With SuperNova, trading high-value NFTs like BAYC or MAYC becomes accessible to everyone. Starting with just USD 10, users can engage with a selection of Blue-Chip NFTs, opening up a market segment previously accessible only to the affluent."

The first phase saw a rapid allocation of 10 million tokens at just USD 0.025 each, reflecting the high level of investor interest. The ongoing phase continues to attract significant attention, with 25 million tokens available at USD 0.030 each.

Looking forward, NFTFN has an ambitious roadmap for 2024, including the launch of the mainnet and the introduction of individual NFT Perps like BAYC, along with Ordinals Perp.

The company is also set to expand its services to include real-time market updates, cross-margin trading, and potential partnerships with leading financial institutions to introduce NFT indices to mainstream markets.

Abhishek Kumar Gupta, CMO and Co-founder of NFTFN, added, "The NFT space has been difficult for average users due to high entry costs and a lack of sophisticated trading tools. SuperNova is designed to eliminate these barriers, making it possible for everyone to engage with the NFT world in a meaningful way."

Stylework Secures USD 120K from BizDateUp Technologies

Flex-space aggregator Stylework announced that it has raised USD 120K in its extended Series A2 round from BizDateUp Technologies.

With the raised funds, the Gurugram-based platform aims to propel its growth trajectory and solidify its position as a leader in flexible workspace solutions.

Sparsh Khandelwal, Founder and CEO of Stylework, said, "This investment will not only accelerate our deeper RTI integrations and expansion plans but also empower us to enhance our offerings and reach a broader audience of entrepreneurs and businesses seeking flexible workspace solutions from a centralised SAAS platform like us."

Founded in 2016 by Sparsh Khandelwal, Stylework connects spaces and users through a user-friendly platform. It claims to have a network of over 2500 coworking spaces nationwide.

"Traditionally, establishing offices and managing daily operations were cumbersome and resource-intensive tasks for companies. However, we view the flexible office model as a way for businesses to optimise resource allocation, ultimately saving valuable time," Khandelwal added.

The platform claims to have over 3,000 spaces across India and is actively expanding into the MENA and SEA regions.

Meet Jain, Co-founder of BizDateUp Technologies, said, "With a shared vision for driving innovation and fostering entrepreneurship, our collaboration with Stylework (by also enabling them for their Pre-Series B growth fund-raise) positions us together to influence the future of work in India and beyond."

Paromita Gupta

Entrepreneur Staff

Features Writer with Entrepreneur India

Covering news and trends in AI and Metaverse segments. An avid book reader running her personal blog on the side. You may reach me at paromita@entrepreneurindia.com. 
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