<article>Distiman, makers of a mobile app that allows mom and pop stores to procure stocks on-demand, is in talks with venture capital funds to raise $5 million.</article>

Distiman, makers of a mobile app that allows mom and pop stores to procure stocks on-demand, is in talks with venture capital funds to raise $5 million.
The app is managed by Bangalore-based <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Mobisy+Technologies" target="_blank">Mobisy Technologies Pvt. Ltd</a>., and was one of the seven startups selected by <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Microsoft+Ventures" target="_blank">Microsoft Ventures</a> for their global accelerator program this summer. The firm had raised seed funding from <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Ojas+Ventures" target="_blank">Ojas Ventures</a> in 2013.
The Microsoft Accelerator is an immersive three- to six-month program aimed at helping entrepreneurs get through the challenges of building a company, finding customers and scaling to global markets.
Lalit Bhise, founder and chief executive officer, said that the firm is looking at investors who are India-focussed and have previously worked with retail ventures.
Mobisy also operates Bizom, a mobile-first platform for retail commerce, that serves the supply chain for consumer goods and FMCG products. It was launched in 2013, and works with about a million retailers and 125 brands.
Distiman, which is profitable and has signed up more than 3,500 mom and pop retailers, has higher utility in India&#8217;s smaller towns and cities where major brands lack distribution networks. The app went live in February and was officially launched in June.
The app enables brands and retailers to directly communicate with each other about offers, discounts and brands benefits, and provides real-time data of demand and supply.
&#8220;There are many small towns where brands do not have great distribution. Through Distiman, we help such brands reach buyers. And by enabling just-in-time stocks for kirana stores, we help them cut costs and double their profits, as compared with their current system of getting stocks from distributors for a fortnight,&#8221; said Bhise.
Distiman aims to utilize the funding to reach out to 10,000 retailers. The Indian offline retail industry is worth $500 billion, with about 18 million retailers.
Investors have turned their attention to business-to-business startups this year, after last year&#8217;s focus on e-commerce and consumer startups. B2B startups do not have the huge cash burn associated with their e-commerce counterparts, allowing them to become profitable sooner. <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Accel+Partners" target="_blank">Accel Partners</a>, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Alpha+Capital" target="_blank">Alpha Capital</a>, and <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=Kalaari+Group" target="_blank">Kalaari Group</a> are the most active investors in the sector, according to researcher Tracxn.
In 2016, the B2B commerce space had more than $75 million of funding until April, with large ticket deals such as <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/indiamart-raises-fresh-funds-from-amadeus-capital-westbridge-and-intel-33535/" target="_blank">IndiaMart</a>’s $22.2 million raise, <a style="color: #000080;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/stories/power2sme-raises-over-20m-from-infosys-nandan-nilekani-other-vcs-28382/" target="_blank">Power2SME</a> raising $20 million, JustBuyLive’s $20 million Series A funding and Ofbusiness picking up $5 million. This already sets an all-year high in terms of dollars invested, beating the sector&#8217;s $13 million of total funding raised last year, according to Tracxn.
Also read:
<a style="color: #ff0000;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=b2b" target="_blank">B2B fintech Quantifeed raises $4.5m Series A from PGA Venture Partners</a>
<a style="color: #ff0000;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=b2b" target="_blank">Investors lean towards B2B startups for better return than B2C businesses</a>
<a style="color: #ff0000;" href="http://www.dealstreetasia.com/?s=b2b" target="_blank">China’s B2B travel site Travelzen raises $93m in Series C round</a>
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India: Mobile app Distiman in talks to raise $5m Series A funding

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India: Mobile app Distiman in talks to raise $5m Series A funding

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