Three more startups from Sequoia incubator raise funds; Simsim pockets $1.5 mn

Three more startups from Sequoia Capital’s accelerator and incubator Surge have raised funds after ed-tech startup DoubtNut become the first to announce funding from the batch, a report said.

Omnichannel sportswear startup Azani Sports, child skill enhancement firm Skillmatics and travel management platform Flynote have raised fresh funds, news website Entrackr reported. Azani Sports and Flynote raised Rs 1.38 crore ($200,000 at current exchange rate) each while Skillmatics secured Rs 12.25 crore ($1.7 million at current exchange rate). Surge led Skillmatics’ funding, with Rs 10.58 crore ($1.5 million at current exchange rate) investment, and was joined by Sohel Shikari, co-founder and finance chief at Tasty Bite; Ravi Nigam, managing director at Tasty Bite; Patni Wealth Partners; and Apurva Bhupendra Shah.

Founded in November 2017 by Siddharth Suchde, Azani Sports provides active wear for athletes and offers footwear, apparel and accessories.

Bengaluru-based Flynote, owned by Clayo Technologies Pvt. Ltd, was founded in April 2018 by Abhinav Prakash, Devvarat Meena, Ankit Abhishek, Parth Pratik and Shukant Agrawal. It is building a global community of travel enthusiasts, known as Flynote Fellows, who travel and experience the world on the company’s sponsorship. These people then use this experience to monetise their passion for travel, using Flynote’s technology platform to plan and book tailored itineraries for their customers, followers and communities.

Founded by Dhvanil Sheth, Skillmatics, owned by Grasper Global Pvt. Ltd, develops educational products and games that enable children to build core skills ranging from maths and language to science and logic through systematic play.

Gurugram-based DoubtNut, which runs a multi-lingual maths learning platform for students, had announced early this week that it raised an undisclosed amount in a fresh round of investment led by Surge. Akatsuki Entertainment Technology Fund (AET Fund), the investment arm of Japanese gaming company Akatsuki Inc. and existing investors Omidyar Network and WaterBridge Ventures also contributed to the round.

Simsim raises $1.5 mn

Vernacular language video-based and audio-based online shopping platform Simsim has raised $1.5 million (Rs 10.5 crore at current exchange rate) from a clutch of top executives from Flipkart and McKinsey, Entrackr reported.

Rajan Anandan, former vice-president of Google South East Asia and India, who recently joined Sequoia Capital India is among the investors in the yet-to-launch startup, news website Entrackr reported. Other investors include Sunil Kalra, Gaurav Bedi, Maninder Gulati, Suhail Sameer, Sakshi Gudwani, Ankit Khera and Acorn Heavy Industry.

Founded by Amit Bagaria, Kunal Suri, Saurabh Vashishtha, the startup will bring social media influencers onboard. According to the report, the startup plans to launch women-centred categories and fashion but will take the horizontal marketplace route in the long run.