India Deal Monitor: Windrose backs Invento Makerspaces and more updates

By Pramugdha Mamgain

January 20, 2020

Pune-based venture capital firm Windrose Capital and Mumbai-based ITI Growth Fund have invested Rs 2 crore in Invento Makerspaces.

Others that participated in the seed round include angel investors Kevin Saboo and Vikash Sharma of IC1101 Inc., Invento said in a statement.

Bengaluru-based Invento Makerspaces is the maker of ‘Mitra’ robot, which is capable of autonomous movement and obstacle detection, along with speech understanding in Asian languages like Hindi, Tamil, and Sinhalese.

The company plans to use the funding proceeds for research & development (R&D) in building and innovating new robot variants, and expand into new industries and verticals. Currently, the Mitra robots are deployed in 50 different companies including HDFC, Accenture, Morris Garages, General Motors, Zomato and PVR.

Rohit Goyal, Managing Partner of Windrose Capital, said, “Companies like Invento, which practice a culture of innovation, will spearhead India’s economic transformation. Invento is a pioneer of commercial and economically viable humanoid robotics in India, and its product ‘Mitra’ will be a game-changer in the way big brands interact with and service clients.”

INDIA DEAL MONITOR

Here are some prominent venture capital transactions in India from January 16-January 20.

Expand Table

StartupHeadquarterInvestment Size (USD)Investment StageLead Investor(s)Other Investor(s)Sector
Phenom PeopleUS30 millionSeries CWestBridge CapitalAllianceBernstein Private Credit Investors’ Growth Stage Capital Group, AXA Venture Partners, Sierra Ventures, Omidyar Technology Ventures, Sigma Prime Ventures, Karlani CapitalHRTech
ExtraaEdgePune700,000Pre-Series ASprout Venture Partners, Indian Angel Network, Pune Angels, First Cheque LLP, UIncept-EdTech
GamerjiGujarat400,000- La Gajjar Group-Esports
ProEvesNew Delhi507,042Seed1CrowdJapan Vyas, Swati Salgaocar, Lloyd Mathias, Apurva ChamariaConsulting
AADAR Mumbai250,000SeedSprout Venture Partners and angels from LetsVentureJITO Angel NetworkHealth & Wellness
Invento MakerspacesBengaluru281,690SeedWindrose Capital, ITI Growth Fund-Technology
Aye FinanceGurugram20 millionSecondaryA91 Partners-Financial Services

 

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Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
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Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW