Google invests in Rajan Anandan backed hyper local startup Dunzo

This is the first direct investment in an Indian startup by Google, the world's largest internet services company

In its first direct investment in an Indian startup, global technology major Google has invested Rs 65 crore in Dunzo, a hyper local concierge and delivery firm. The company is looking to nurture local firms to use its platform and grow its service.

Google India Managing Director Rajan Anandan, also a prolific angel investor, is an early backer of Dunzo.

Blume Ventures and Aspada, an early-stage investor who backs startups with a local business joined Google in the Series B round of Rs 80 crore, the Bengaluru-based Dunzo disclosed in its filings with the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. Both Aspada and Blume had earlier invested in this company.

Dunzo offers services where customers can use its app to ask for errands such as fetching medicines or buying a cake, for a fee. The platform uses artificial intelligence on the backend and identifies local riders based on location who are on demand and deliver these services.

Since India-born Sundar Pichai became its CEO in 2015, Google, the world's largest internet firm, has stepped up its focus on India and is making a series of investments to build the internet base in the country. Its campaign of the next billion users includes getting more rural users to access internet with internet saathis, firming up a partnership with Railtel for high-speed internet at over 400 Railway stations and pushing the local developer base to build apps on its Android platform.

The firm has already adopted the unified payment interface (UPI), in its mobile payments app and added over 12 million users in the last two months.

In July, it acqui-hired Halli Labs, a firm focused on building technology solutions for the billion Indians, which it looks to take it to markets such as Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America.