Hospitality firm Brij Hotels, climatetech startup Sprih, audio content platform Vobble and business-to-business (B2B) manufacturing startup Relso said Tuesday they have secured early-stage funding.
Brij Hotels said it raised $4 million (Rs 33 crore) in a Series A funding round led by the Manipal Education & Medical Group (MEMG) Family Office. The round also saw participation from angel investors Abhay Jain, Abhiroop Jayanthi (Bain Capital), Rajendra Rao and Prashant Deshpande.
The startup will use the funding to expand its presence across geographies, according to its statement.
Founded by Udit Kumar and Anant Kumar, the hospitality chain operates on an asset-lite model and engages in revenue-sharing agreements operations and management contracts with property owners. Its portfolio includes eight operational hotels, focusing on sustainability through its zero-kilometre concept minimizing carbon footprints and environmental impact.
“Brij Hotels' blend of luxury and local engagement is a refreshing take for the modern traveller,” said Ranjan Pai, chairman, Manipal Education & Medical Group.
Climate-focused software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup Sprih has secured $3 million (Rs 25 crore) in a seed funding round led by early-stage venture capital firm Leo Capital. The round also saw participation from undisclosed angel investors.
The startup plans to expand its presence in the USA, Europe and other global markets and increase its team size.
Founded in 2022 by Akash Keshav, Ravi Singhal, Rohit Toshniwal, and Hemant Joshi, Sprih is a SaaS platform that assists companies in creating a data-driven and action-oriented sustainability strategy. The platform helps businesses to simplify the complex task of measuring, benchmarking against industry peers and reporting emissions across their operations and supply chain, thereby realising their decarbonisation goals.
It works with public-listed and private companies across sectors such as manufacturing, construction, chemical, paint, pharma, IT, and higher education. Some of its customers include Indigo Paints, Hero Motors, Arvind SmartSpaces, Espi Industries, and InfoBeans.
Children-focused audio content platform Vobble has raised $1 million (Rs 8.3 crore) in a seed funding round led by gaming-focused venture capital firm Lumikai. The round also saw participation from Blume Founders Fund and undisclosed angel investors.
The funds will enable Vobble to expand its user base while enabling them to find the right product-market fit. The startup will use the funding for product development and to improve its AI capabilities.
Vobble was founded in 2023 by Neha Sharma and Sowmya Jagannath. The startup is an audio-first platform for children aged 4-12. The platform offers story series, podcasts, music and audio shows.
It has collaborated with publishers and creators such as Harper Collins, Scholastic, Hasbro (featuring Peppa and Monopoly), Amar Chithra Katha, and Tulika.
“With this investment, we will expand our immersive audio library and experiment further in multi-sensory and audio-enhanced solutions and devices. It will also allow us to explore the AI and personalization space,” said Jagannath, co-founder, Vobble.
B2B furniture manufacturing startup Relso has secured $840,000 (Rs 7 crore) in a pre-seed funding round co-led by early-stage platforms Ventures Catalysts and Inflection Point Ventures. The round also saw the participation from angel investors Ramakant Sharma and Saurabh Jain (Livspace) along with Shantanu Deshpande (Bombay Shaving Company).
The funds will be utilized for cross-border go-to-market (GTM) strategy, team expansion and working capital support.
Relso was founded in 2023 by Anshul Choubey, Abhinav Agarwal and Jay Trivedi. It is a Bengaluru-based furniture manufacturing startup that offers bespoke design solutions, accommodating low minimum order quantities (MOQs) and ensuring reliability and scalability.
“With this fundraise, we aim to work on our export GTM strategies, improve our tech platform and expand our supply chains," said Choubey, co-founder and chief executive officer, Relso.
Jewelbox, which makes jewellery with lab-grown diamonds, has raised Rs 3.5 crore in a funding round led by angel network JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF). The JIIF contributed Rs 2.97 crore.
Kolkata-based Jewelbox, operated by Riyaana Creations Pvt. Ltd, was founded by Nipun Kochar and Vidita Kochar in 2022. It said it will use the funds for team building and expanding by opening more retail stores.
JIIF chairman Rajat Mehta said Jewelbox's approach to make jewellery with lab-grown diamonds resonates with today's conscious consumers.
