Entrepreneur First announces investment in six Indian tech start-ups
Entrepreneur First announces investment in six Indian tech start-ups.
Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], March 31 (ANI/TPT): Entrepreneur First (EF), a UK-based global talent investor, announced an early-stage investment in six cutting-edge tech start-ups from India in its latest 'Investor Reveal'. So far, EF has invested in 42 tech start-ups in the country since its launch in India in 2019.
The 'Investor Reveal' introduced six promising Indian start-ups to top early-stage investors in the country. From automating contract review and drafting for lawyers and reimagining banking for millennial couples to providing a live shopping marketplace for independent retailers and getting SAP on WhatsApp, young entrepreneurs at EF demonstrated impactful solutions to compelling real-world problems.
Vivek Kumar, Funding Manager, India at Entrepreneur First said, "It's inspiring to see how
entrepreneurs in India are pushing the boundaries and leveraging innovative and cutting-
edge technologies to seek novel solutions across industries and building globally important companies. They are daring to look beyond the many challenges to find opportunities for disruption and growth. At EF, we are committed to strengthening the early-stage start-up ecosystem in India so that these young entrepreneurs are able to achieve everything that they set out to - and more!"
EF start-ups have been working on diverse market-led innovations, powered by Artificial Learning (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Robotics, Virtual Reality (VR) and other cutting-edge technologies, to solve real-world problems across industries.
Over the last three years, EF start-ups have gone on to raise multiple rounds and created global impact, testimony to EF's unique model that identifies talent at the early stage and grooms them to become a successful entrepreneur. Some of these startups include Unbox Robotics, Immunito, Fello and Neuropixel among others.
As a global talent investor, with a presence in six global markets, EF has built over 500 tech start-ups with a worldwide community of over 3000 entrepreneurs, and a portfolio that is valued at over six billion dollars. EF pioneered the concept of talent investing - finding and funding talented individuals - pre-company, pre-team, and most often, even pre-idea.
1. Amikus AI: Automating contract review & drafting
Lawyers spend several hours on reviewing and drafting contracts. Although these repetitive tasks require high attention to detail, they do not translate into direct economic value. Amikus AI, an AI-powered solution, empowers lawyers to review and draft contracts faster and with enhanced efficiency of up to 50 per cent. So far, Amikus AI has received feedback from 15-plus law firms and companies on its minimum viable products and the company is currently working on pilot projects with five clients.
2. Grabbit Live: LIVE online shopping marketplace for independent retailers
A LIVE shopping marketplace tailor-made for independent sellers and their community of buyers, Grabbit Live provides its clientele the opportunity to host live shows, use growth tools, and in-app insights to sell more. The initial eight sellers have reported an average 10 per cent m-o-m sales growth, and there are 20 sellers in the pipeline. Currently, the start-up has 1000 early adopters and a 17 per cent conversion rate during the live shows.
3. Capitall: Unlocking new debt assets for retail investors
Retail investors make up a large chunk of India's 52 million stock investors and 100 million crypto investors. Yet they are locked out of certain investments, such as lending to businesses, which have a significant edge for an investor in comparison to equity. The power to lend to businesses remains centralized as it requires expertise and higher disposable incomes. Capitall challenges the status quo and provides a platform for accessibility, risk, and liquidity. Backed by a robust risk-mitigated underwriting process, the start-up enables retail investors to lend to vetted high-growth companies, and earn high fixed returns as passive income. It also leverages blockchain for additional trust, security, and liquidity. At present, Capitall has shortlisted six businesses to lend to, and 1000-plus retail investors.
4. unScript AI: Designing hyper-personalised marketing videos at scale
unScript AI, based on patented AI technologies, enables brands and B2C companies to generate contextual hyper-personalised videos at scale. A marketer's dream of reaching millions with a "marketing to one" approach, unScript AI increases user engagement by 6x and conversion rate by up to 5X. The start-up has already secured paid pilot confirmations from eight leading brands and has established partnerships with WebEngage (as channel partner) and AWS (as technology partner).
5. Coupl: Pioneering banking solutions for millennial couples in India
Coupl is reimagining banking for millennial couples, starting with India's first 'joint-account challenger' product. The goal is to help couples make better lifestyle choices, invest in smart 'saving pots', track expenses via debit and BNPL cards, get personalised rewards, and build future assets through investments and insurance. Coupl has already received banking approvals from YES Bank. The start-up is currently in the advanced stages of discussions with a top NBFC in India to launch its investment and credit offerings. With its mobile banking app on Google Play Store, Coupl aims to onboard 300 users by April, 2022.
6. FloWorks: SAP on WhatsApp
FloWorks provides CRM/ERP type functionality on WhatsApp for businesses to better manage their operations, especially for the workforce on the field. FloWorks' context-aware NLP platform enables automation, better visibility and actionable analytics. These offerings are not just relevant for SMEs, but also for large enterprises for business processes that are conducted through WhatsApp (outside of sophisticated ERP/CRM deployments). Designed to work with other chat platforms like Viber, Slack and Telegram, FloWorks will be foraying into the global markets in the near future. With a steady influx of new customers, including companies like Udaan and Elasticrun, FloWorks is well on the growth path.
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First Published: Mar 31 2022 | 11:35 PM IST