5 rising startups in India

Photo by Bro. Jeffrey Pioquinto, SJ

As Indian startups corner the spotlight – and the funding – here are the fabulous five that made it to our watchlist today:

AppVirality

Hyderabad-based AppVirality, a growth hacker for mobile apps, today announced US$500,000 in a fresh round of funding from new investors and several existing ones, including Google India head Rajan Anandan.

The startup has a plug-and-play DIY toolkit which makes it easy for app developers and marketers to try out one hack after another, track results, and see what works best for their app.

Shadowfax

Delhi-based Shadowfax, an on-demand delivery service, today announced that it has acquired smaller player Pickingo for an undisclosed amount.

With the new acquisition, Shadowfax has taken on about 45 employees from Pickingo’s management and a few hundred delivery boys in a cash and stock deal.

IStar

IStar Skill Development, a skill training company, has raised INR100 million (US$1.5 million) in series A funding from the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation, the company announced today. Unitus Seed Fund, an early investor in IStar, also participated in this series A financing round.

IStar provides skill training and recruitment services to undergraduate students from arts and science colleges across India.

RepUp

Indian Angel Network (IAN), one of India’s largest angel investor networks, has invested an undisclosed amount in Gurgaon-based online reputation management startup RepUp. Sanjay Mehta, Keshav Murugesh, and Apurva Parekh have led this round of investment. On behalf of IAN, Sanjay Mehta would be joining the board of the company to help the team with strategic decisions, the company announced.

RepUp helps hoteliers increase bookings by a significant margin by improving their online reputation of the website/brand.

BigStylist

Mumbai-based beauty and wellness services marketplace startup BigStylist today announced it has raised US$1 million in a pre-series A round of funding from Info Edge.

BigStylist enables customers to place orders and get access to experienced stylists and beauticians. Info Edge is India’s premier online classifieds company in recruitment, matrimony, real estate, education, and related services.