Early-stage startups including fintech player Niro, women-focussed career engagement marketplace HerKey, foodtech firm Superfoods Valley and biotech startup Nkure have raised funding, the companies said on Wednesday.
Fintech startup Niro has marked close of its Series A funding round at $11 million (Rs 90 crore).
The round was a mix of equity and debt capital which saw participation from existing investor Elevar Equity, with GMO Venture Partners, Rebright Partners, Mitsui Sumitomo Insurance VC and Innoven Capital.
The Bangalore-based startup will use the fresh funds for product developmentand expansion, with scaling up technology stack.
Founded in 2021 by Sankalp Mathur and Aditya Kumar, Niro is an embedded lending platform that enables consumer internet platforms to provide customized credit offerings.
In October 2021, Niro secured $3.5 million in a seed funding round led by Elevar Equity. The round also saw participation from Kunal Shah (Cred), the Patni Family Office, R. Ramaraj, and Aseem Dhru among others.
HerKey
Women-focussed employment platform HerKey (formerly JobsForHer) has raised $4 million (Rs 32.78 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round from Kalaari Capital, 360 One Asset, earlier known as IIFL Asset Management (IIFL AMC) and angel investors including Zia Mody (AZB & Partners), Puneet Dalmia (Dalmia Bharat Limited) and Ranjan Pai (Manipal Health Enterprises), among others.
Founded by Neha Bagaria, HerKey provides women employment and upskilling opportunities by bringing companies on their platform to join and use the platform to engage with such women candidates in their entire career lifecycle, from recruitment to retention to promotion.
"We need to create an environment where everyone, including men, supports women's careers. By working together, we can create a more inclusive and equitable workforce, which will benefit all," said Bagaria.
Superfoods Valley
Foodtech startup Superfoods Valley has raised $1 million (Rs 8.2 crore) in a seed funding round led by Multiply Ventures.
The round also saw participation from a host of angel investors including Naveen Kukreja (Paisa Bazaar), Manoj Sinha (Husk Power Systems), Chella Pandyan (HealthKart), Navin Talreja and Kawal Shoor (The Womb Communications).
The Bengaluru-based startup will deploy the proceeds to develop a nutrition platform along with scaling up its product offerings.
Founded by Amarpreet Singh Anand and Sahiba Kaur, Superfoods Valley focuses on the nutrition gap, hunger and offers product solutions that aid in solving micro-nutrient deficiencies.
"We are seeing growth and repeats in the early stage of our journey. Our products are being served across 150+ cities,” said Anand.
Nkure
Biotechnology startup Nkure Therapeutics has secured an undisclosed amount in its pre-Series A funding round from Endiya Partners, Kotak Investment Advisors, Featherlite and a few undisclosed angel investors.
The startup will use the funds to complete its manufacturing protocols and preclinical studies for its planned Investigational New Drug Application submission.
Founded in 2022 by Mahendra Rao, Nkure is a biotechnology startup that aims to develop cell therapy for targeted conditions related to liquid tumors (leukemia) and solid tumours.
