Josh Talks Pvt. Ltd, which runs a local language-based youth-focussed skilling and guidance platform, has raised $1.5 million (approximately Rs 10.82 crore at current exchange rates) in funding, according to multiple media reports.
The pre-Series A funding round has been led by Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF), a New York-based institution, The Economic Times reported. Angel investors also participated in the round.
As part of the transaction, MDIF chief investment officer Key Kiarie is expected to join the startup’s board.
The Gurugram-based company said it will use the funds to enhance its product development for its Josh Skills vertical apart from building its technological infrastructure and introducing more courses for its users.
Previously, Josh received funding from Freshworks founder Girish Mathrubootham, Innov8 founder Ritesh Malik and RateGain executive Apurva Chamaria.
VCCircle has reached out to Josh Talks on the details of the investment and will update this report accordingly.
Josh Talks, which was established by Shobhit Banga and Supriya Paul in 2015, uses its platform to create content in the form of short talks and videos covering a range of stories from sectors including entrepreneurship, sports, arts, and activism.
The startup says it is on track to generate a revenue of Rs 13.5 crore this financial year, a figure it plans to grow by two to three times in the coming fiscal.
Paul said the company was focussing on addressing issues faced by low-income households in the country relating to issues on jobs, skilling and career opportunities.
Josh Talks’ basic offering is similar to platforms of organisations such as TED Talks and The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). However, it neither focusses solely on entrepreneurs and nor does it pay its speakers. Its platform is available in languages such as Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, Tamil, and Bangla.
