Taqanal Energy is powering the shift from fossil fuels and internal combustion engines through its Intelligent Energy Storage Management System which integrates the power of embedded intelligence in the battery with cloud applications.

The company services industries across the Auto, Railways, Aerospace, Renewable Energy, Industrial, Medical, Military, Recreation, UPS Industry, Electric Vehicles spectrum.

Mr. Mohan Satyaranjan, Co-Founder of Taqanal Energy said, “JITO Angel Network helped us complete our investment goal by connecting us with specific investors interested in this sector. The fundraising process was well structured and we were able to close the round quickly. The fund will be further utilized to complete our product development and roll out our battery swapping and monitoring solutions in 2022-23”

“There is a huge opportunity in the EV space and Taqanal Energy has evolved newer SaaS models which will help in the seamless transitioning of smarter solutions catering to this segment. We are confident that the company will create a niche for themselves in a still under penetrated and un-served market, thus bringing multiple benefits to stakeholders across the value chain” affirmed JITO Angel Network, Vice Chairman, Mr. Sunil Kumar Singhvi

Till date JITO Angel Network has helped raise over INR 100+ cr for over 56 companies in India.

The disruptive use of the innovative technology platform built using Artificial Intelligence, the Care Platform constantly guides the care giver by giving them the ability to ensure the PWD is meaningfully engaged. The platform suggests dementia stage appropriate activities automatically and the directions in order to increase their physical, emotional and cognitive well-being. The process enables efficient care and predictable services for senior citizens with dementia supported by a network of trained clinicians and Care Managers.

‘Dementia’ is a condition that is generally associated with aging, however it’s not a normal part of aging. More than 90% of all dementias occur in people over 65 years of age and it interferes with the ability of a person to do everyday activities. It manifests differently in different people and across the trajectory of Stages, therefore necessitating the need for a personalized plan with effective use of technology to enable regular monitoring and tracking of the patient. Without adequate care & professional support since the onset of Dementia, the condition of the affected elders is bound to deteriorate rapidly, causing extreme stress & pain to the entire family. Care from a team of specialists has to be personalized and aimed at making the journey less painful, arresting the damage already done, and slowing down the deterioration of the condition.

Speaking at the launch, Mr. Prashath Reddy, Founder and Managing Director of Anvayaa Kin-Care Pvt Ltd, said, “We are happy to announce the launch of Anvayaa’s Personalized Dementia Care Plan. It is aimed at helping families by reducing the burn rate of care givers in the family to the PWD. Anvayaa’s Dementia Care plan is a First-of-its-Kind program designed by experts exclusively for PWD (Patients with Dementia). It is specifically targeted at improving the quality of life and has personalized packages (Person-centric care) based on the type & stage of dementia. We have Special tie-ups with Dementia Psychologists, Neurologists & Psychiatrists for timely & regular interventions. We have also appointed a team of specially trained Care Managers & Caregivers who systematically & periodically link back with family to re-align the care program based on the progress of dementia. We offer Social, cognitive, physical, and personal engagements designed by experts to improve and arrest deterioration. A Specialized diet plan is included in Anvayaa’s Dementia care plan to improve cognitive functions and health. Besides this, the complete integration with Anvayaa’s 360 degree Technology Platform Network provides Visibility, Predictability, Reliability of care to the patients. We hope, this will help us serve the elders with dementia better and help the family cope with the stress of managing the patient.”

Pocketly provides a credit line with a fully digital and automated process through its platform for young adults underserved by Banks and has grown 10x in the last year. Pocketly is now serving over 100k+ borrowers and is currently disbursing more than INR 250 Cr annually. The round was a mix of equity ($1M) and Debt ($2M).

“Pocketly in its current form provides credit to students and young professionals in India through our credit line product, but going forward we are exploring multiple options to meet the various demands of our users in the form of card or BNPL. We are sure that this fundraise will give us fuel to continue on our growth trajectory and help us build better products and give superior experience to our users.” added Navdeesh Ahuja, Founder, Pocketly.

“We are keen on businesses that are built on sound unit economics and yet scalable, and Pocketly has proven to do so. With the sustained focus and momentum, we see the platform becoming a mainstream fintech lending solution in India. We have high conviction in the company which is showcased by us investing thrice in a matter of 15 months,” said Dravya Dholakia, CEO, Dholakia Ventures.

“Pocketly makes it possible for the young India to access credit, which was not possible through existing traditional routes. At 100X.VC, we are excited to partner Pocketly and fuel their journey of empowering the youngest population in the world”, said Ninad Karpe, Partner, 100X.VC.

Further, the FinTech lender is expecting to scale its disbursement to 1,000 crores in the next 12 months and has partnered with multiple NBFCs to support this growth. Pocketly currently has a user base of more than 7 lakh, of whom more than 1 lakh have availed credit from the company.

The funds raised will be primarily used to scale the business and expand LOBB’s network across newer geographies in India. The company is also looking to strengthen its technology to automate tasks, grow its team across functions to increase fulfillment ratio, as well as acquire more customers – i.e. adding more truckers and transporters onto the platform. Currently, LOBB is operational in 12 cities across India such as Bengaluru, Chennai, Mumbai and Pune working with 500+ logistics companies. It plans to expand to another 20 cities to have a pan India reach within the next 8 months.

Founded in 2015 by techno-domain experts Jayaram Raju and Venu Kondur, LOBB was started with a mission to digitally disrupt the $100 billion worth Indian logistics sector. The company’s end-to-end digital freight brokerage platform connects transporters with truckers in a seamless way to ensure a national-level supply demand match, considering the complex nuances of the trade. LOBB also aims to empower the 10 million Indian long haul truck owners, who struggle to find the right loads on time through its proprietary Truck Discovery Model, which creates a unique network of fleet and routes. Through its deep intelligence engine, LOBB aims to increase truck utilisation for truckers by reducing halting through digital payments, thereby increasing truckers’ revenue by 30%.

On the occasion, Venu Kondur, CEO & Co-Founder, LOBB, said, “From our past experience with the road transport logistics, we realised that the time was ripe for innovation and disruption of the space using technology. Through LOBB’s tech platform, we have been able to work with 2,000+ truckers and 500+ logistics companies across the country to simplify and make transportation more efficient. Within a span of 8 months,  we witnessed 300% revenue growth and marked 500% growth in the number of truckers on our platform – which is a testament to the massive challenge LOBB is able to solve. The funds raised will help us achieve the next-level of growth and empower many more truckers and logistics companies.”

Speaking on the investment, Byju Pillai, Group Managing Director, Inflow Technologies, said, “We truly believe in the LOBB Digital platform and the business model. Our investment will help the company scale its business and that will help India address the inefficiencies in the transportation industry with a focus on data and better working capital management.”

“LOBB has been consistently scaling the digital brokerage model since we first invested in them. We’re excited to see Venu and team execute growth in this space and strongly believe that this capital will allow them to transform into a dominant player in this space and establish their position in the market,” added Anurag Ramadasan, Partner, 3one4 Capital. 

An analysis by McKinsey & Company notes that the logistics sector in India is in dire need of technological change in the post-pandemic world. With the pandemic giving rise to a shortage of drivers, raised truck-rental costs, the need for identifying sub-optimal routes has become more important than ever – a gap that LOBB is filling. As part of its next stage of growth, LOBB aims to improve utilisation of trucks from current 13-15 days a month to optimal 21-25 days.

The market for beauty, health, personal and household care in Bangladesh has been growing exponentially, fueled by higher internet penetration rates, and the growing popularity of international cosmetics brands with consumers. The market is expected to reach an annual growth rate of 19.23% from 2022 to 2025. However, availability of authentic beauty products is limited and it is not uncommon for stores in the country to sell counterfeit and substandard cosmetic products – posing a serious health risk to unwitting customers. A 2018 study found that over 50% skin whitening creams purchased online in Bangladesh contained higher levels of mercury than the level permissible.

Shajgoj was launched to inspire women to build and celebrate self-confidence, by providing access to authentic personal care products at reasonable prices from renowned brands and local distributors. Customers can purchase over 10,000 products from over 400 brands from Shajgoj’s online and physical stores, and the company also features informative videos and articles on their website to guide customers through the latest trends in beauty and personal care.

Shajgoj is rapidly expanding its portfolio of world-class local and international brands across makeup, skincare, hair care and wellness. Most recently, the company was announced as Revlon’s exclusive partner to distribute its products in Bangladesh.

“The team at Shajgoj is just getting started – demand for authentic and carefully sourced beauty and personal care products has skyrocketed in Bangladesh over the past few years, and consumers are hungry for more. We want to inspire women in Bangladesh to feel beautiful, confident and empowered by the convenient options they have now to try out cosmetics and skincare. We’ll be concentrating on growing our customer base, opening more outlets across the country and expanding our portfolio of international brands that our customers can trust,” said Nazmul Sheik, co-founder and CEO of Shajgoj.

The avid shopper base that Shajgoj has cultivated is testament to the company’s focus on creating a high quality customer experience. Today, Shajgoj has over 400,000 customers and counting, of which 70% are returning customers.

Shajgoj was founded in May 2013 by Nazmul Sheik, Sinthia Islam and Milky Mahmud in Bangladesh. Nazmul worked as a senior executive at GrameenPhone and as a Technology Consultant at MTN, a major telecom operator in Nigeria. Sinthia is a Content Specialist in the beauty industry and is currently Chief Content Officer of Shajgoj. Her previous experience was with MedPlus, a pharmacy and beauty supply chain in Nigeria. Milky previously worked at Ericsson Global as a Telecom Consultant and has experience in other telcos across Africa.

Shajgoj is part of Surge’s sixth cohort of 20 companies that build fresher, smarter solutions to help consumers and businesses adapt to a changing world.

Snapmint, a BNPL (Buy Now Pay Later) platform, makes it easy for Gen Z consumers to buy any lifestyle category product, be it clothes, accessories or mobile phones, using small installments and no-cost monthly payment options. It has over 4 million consumers on its platform, many of who are from Tier 2/smaller towns, and serves over 27,000 pin-codes across India. Not only does Snapmint let retail consumers buy with instant credit and realise savings, it also helps merchants tap into a significantly larger customer base and get greater bang for the buck on marketing spends. This win-win approach has helped Snapmint grow over 4x in the last six months and it is fast becoming the most preferred way-to-buy for its consumers and merchants.

With this round of investment, Snapmint plans to expand its network of merchants, launch a suite of innovative BNPL  products and power the purchases of over 450 million consumers in India.

IIT batchmates and serial entrepreneurs Nalin Agrawal, Anil Gelra, Abhineet Sawa and Rahul Agarwal, founded Snapmint in 2017. They researched the market on the observation that only a handful of their employees actually had a credit card and many were afraid of onerous credit card terms. As per industry estimates, although there are nearly 450 million bank account holders, there are less than 35 million active credit card users. On the other hand, over 15 million young consumers join the workforce every year, and they aspire to buy a range of lifestyle products. Snapmint was founded to give customers the option of paying using convenient installments, thus letting them manage their monthly cashflows without burning a hole in their pocket.

Nalin Agrawal, Co-founder of Snapmint said, “We are excited to partner with marquee investors and industry leaders in our growth journey. This investment will boost our expansion plans as we look to grow our merchant partners 50x pan-India and bring a unique shopping experience to our customers. Our transaction-led underwriting models allow us to democratize access to credit, provide fair financial terms and give the freedom of choice to our consumers.”

Prashasta Seth, CEO and CIO of Prudent investment Managers said, “We are truly impressed by the team’s ability to underwrite young customers from Tier2/small towns instantly and seamlessly, which shows in the portfolio quality. This differentiates them from a vast majority of the other players in the space. We are proud to partner with Snapmint on this growth journey and look forward to powering the next revolution in digital payments and purchase financing.”

The $810 billion Indian retail market is the fourth largest in the world, and affordable credit options will continue to boost the growth of this market. A 2021 report by Bain and Co. shows that 80% of the growth in new e-retail customers came from Tier-2/ smaller towns in India. Snapmint is looking to democratize access to credit by allowing these customers to buy on interest free installments, with no hidden costs. For online merchants, Snapmint’s platform gives upto a 25% boost to sales, opening up a brand-new segment of customers which were previously not shopping with them.

Vahn (a portmanteau of Sanskrit ‘vahan’ and Latin ‘van’) was born in the middle of a pandemic by a family of travelers. The makers of Vahn sought to bring a liberating road-travel experience to people which was independent of unhygienic hotel stays and restaurant visits while travelling.

The demands of a modern-day traveler have been taken into consideration while designing these self- contained caravans. Now traveler enthusiasts across the country can indulge in a safe, luxurious, and top- of-the-class travel experience.

Their first van, ‘Roller’, is inspired and similarly visualized as the “Indian roller” bird. It is thoughtfully built with king and queen sized beds, a fully equipped kitchenette and a modern restroom with shower. For cooking fresh meals on the road, the caravan has appliances like an induction pot, kettle and fridge. The vans can sleep 4-5 and seat up to 8 people.

What’s more? Vahn also takes up custom van conversion projects for personal use.

Moksha Gandhi, founder & lead designer at Vahn, says “Vahn is for everyone. From solo travelers & artists seeking a fresh air of inspiration, to a seasoned family looking for a break from the monotony of life, to a big troop looking for their next big adventure.”

Speaking on the launch, Sanyam Gandhi, Director, Chartered Speed said, “We are extremely excited to launch the caravan services for travel lovers. The concept of travel is transforming immensely post the advent of the pandemic; and one kind of travel experience that’s gaining much momentum during these times is that of road-trips. Understanding this need, we have associated with Moksha Gandhi to create an infrastructure that will ensure a comfortable, safe and luxurious travel experience on the go. We want to encourage travel lovers to book these caravans and go all out with their families, friends and loved ones while experiencing home-on-the-go.”

Caravan Features:

• King and queen sized beds to seat up to 8 and sleep up to 5
• Fully equipped Kitchenette with refrigerator, deep sink, induction pot, kettle, cookware, and cutlery
• Restroom with Shower with water closet, shower, and clothes rail
• Premium Entertainment with TV and Bluetooth speaker system
• Working Desk with 120V outlets and USB ports
• Storage compartments and spacious boot
• Portable cooking range and outdoor seating set
• Safety appliances with first AID and fire extinguisher

Existing investors like Titan Capital & Relentless Ventures, including other private investors, also participated in the round.

Claimbuddy is a healthcare startup which provides a digital infrastructure to hospitals for their patients’ health insurance claims. Established by IIM-Bangalore alumni, The startup acts as a one-stop solution for insurance claims’ processing by leveraging technology and strong operations.

It provides tech and financing solutions to the hospitals & doctors which improves their operational & financial efficiency by at least 30% along with an improved patient experience. The company has processed claims of more than 100 crores and is working with 120+ Hospitals.

Speaking on occasion, Khet Singh, Co-founder, ClaimBuddy, who started claimbuddy in his 2nd year of MBA, said, “The investment and our new partnership with Chiratae and Rebright is a powerful endorsement to our vision, strategy and solution which we aim to deliver to the health insurance industry. ClaimBuddy has witnessed 10x growth over the past year and with the help of the funding amount we look forward to accelerating the company’s effort for smoother claim assistance.”

Ajit Patel, Co-founder, ClaimBuddy said, “For the past one and a half year we have dedicatedly focused on solving the claim process. We are very much excited about the investment since it will help in the company's growth in key markets. With this investment we are looking ahead to provide best support to hospitals and partner doctors who are associated with us.”

Talking about their investment, Ranjith, MD, Chiratae Ventures, added, “This investment is driven from a challenging personal experience. A friend needed almost 10 hours after receiving the discharge summary to actually get discharged from the hospital. This is not an uncommon experience for patients despite choosing empanelled hospitals. Claimbuddy’s combination of technology and process can enhance the patient experience multifold, at the same time making the workflow efficient across all stakeholders.”

Brij Singh, General Partner, Rebright Partners, said, “The current in-patient experience is broken especially during the claim processing and settlement. ClaimBuddy can improve this by providing a cashless-claim experience at hospitals by leveraging their technology and operational excellence; we are excited to back Khet and Ajit in this journey and build it out together.”

These brands have a significant market share in their respective verticals and hold a unique stance as category leaders on Amazon with positive reviews, ratings and recall. Established by Dinesh Vardhan, Vikram Vardhan and Amit Hingarh over 7 years ago, the brands are bolstered with a scrupulous procurement system which have contributed to their steady growth.

Upscalio envisions scaling these brands into INR 200 cr Annual Revenues in the next two years. To achieve its ambitious goals, the company will focus on expanding the brands’ geographical footprint while also ramping up new product development. UpScalio will also plan an eventual B2B foray to unlock new growth avenues for all three brands.

Speaking on the development, Saaim Khan, Co-Founder and COO, UpScalio said, “Laptops and mobile devices are becoming intrinsic to every household, especially in the work-from-home era. Along with kitchenware, their utility is extremely high and the category is poised to be disrupted by the technologically-superior and aggressive growth-minded brand. We look forward to helping these brands achieve Scale new heights by leveraging our core capabilities around Brand building, Marketing , NPD and Supply Chain optimization.

Dinesh Vardhan said, “Upscalio has created a fabulous strategic roadmap for Gizga, Tizum, AirCase and HomePuff. We are excited to see a greater section of customers enjoy and appreciate our efforts in building a category defining house of brands. The brands are in the right hands as they enter their next phase of hypergrowth, and we are confident that UpScalio will bolster the market position of these brands .”

Bhanzu is a math-learning platform with a meticulously designed curriculum that helps students become 4x quicker and better at math by nurturing their cognitive abilities and building their core math acumen. The vision of Bhanzu is to build the most thought through math curriculum using personalised AI-aided methodology, which builds confidence in students, by enabling them to apply math in the real world.

The curriculum is an outcome of 4+ years of expansive research and experimentation across global geographies. Bhanzu believes that every student is capable of learning and loving math, if it’s taught as something more than just an academic subject.

The funding round was led by Lightspeed and also saw participation from prominent angel investors such as Nitin Gupta, CEO of Uni; Maninder Gulati, Global Chief Strategy Officer at OYO; Ashish Gupta, ex-Helion MD; Gaurav Munjal, CEO of Unacademy; Kunal Shah, CEO of Cred; and Biswa Kalyan Rath (the noted stand-up comedian) among others.

With a mission to impact math education for students everywhere, this funding will be utilised to scale Bhanzu’s live classes in multiple geographies like the USA, Canada, the UK, and the Middle East. Bhanzu will also use the funds to accelerate hiring highly specialised tech and product teams, who will contribute to the learning curves for students and make math learning highly engaging.

Commenting on this milestone, Neelakantha Bhanu, Founder & CEO of Bhanzu said: “My journey in becoming the World’s Fastest Human Calculator has not stopped with me winning awards, breaking records, or doing stage shows. Having spent more than 4 years teaching math across the world, I have realised that building strong relevance and sparking curiosity in students leads to unprecedented learning outcomes. Bhanzu is here to revolutionise math learning by building core math competence and equipping students to become the thought leaders of tomorrow. Bhanzu has already helped thousands of students realise their true potential. We are on our pathway to achieve the same, at global scale by questioning the very first principles of how students learn, perceive and apply math in the world around them.”

Shuvi Srivastava, Vice President, Lightspeed says “We are very excited to partner with Bhanu in his mission to revolutionise math education. We have been awed by his journey from being a math enthusiast and educator to an entrepreneur and are proud backers of his vision to rethink how kids across the globe learn math.”

Bhanzu radically changes the way in which students are introduced to the world of math wherein students learn math through fun story narratives and real-life applications with online live classes. The curriculum is personally designed and curated by Neelakantha Bhanu, by questioning the very first principles of how students learn, perceive and apply math in the world around them.

Making a student who is scared of mathematics into someone who can do speed calculations in their head in a matter of just a few seconds – is a confidence booster that transforms students.

Speed Mathematics is just the beginning of the student’s learning journey at Bhanzu. By building strong fundamentals, students learn and master STEM subjects with ease while also being introduced to concepts of technology, art, science, music, coding and AI through the lens of math.

In 2020, Neelakantha Bhanu became the first Asian to have ever won the Mind Sports Olympiad held in the UK and was titled as the “Usain Bolt of Mathematics” by BBC. By breaking the world records previously held by Scott Flansburg and Shakuntala Devi, Neelakantha Bhanu became the “Fastest Human Calculator” by calculating at a speed equalling 12 numbers/second. He was also awarded “India’s Youth Icon 2020” title by the National Youth Council of India for his achievements and contribution to the field of mathematics.