5 rising startups in India – Feb 16

Photo credit: Jeff.

A paper company reminiscent of The Office, a security firm, and a startup that manages sites for small businesses cashed in big today. And surprise, surprise – another home services acquisition has gone through. Check out these five startups making headway in India.

Bollant

Move over, Dunder-Mifflin. Paper-packaging startup Bollant won Ratan Tata’s blessing today, as the very active angel investor pushed an undisclosed amount of funding into the business. This marks Ratan’s ninth angel investment this year.

Bollant’s selling point is its disposable paper products that are reportedly eco-friendly. For example, it offers coasters made from areca leaf, a biodegradable material. The startup’s products also include paper plates and packaging material.

Founded in 2012 by MIT-educated and visually-impaired Srikanth Bolla, Bollant has four production centers: two in Hyderabad, one in Hubli, and one in Nizamabad. It is currently working on constructing a facility in Sri City. The company reportedly employs disabled workers in its manufacturing centers.

Zimmber

On-demand home services startup Zimmber has acquired Gurgaon-based services and skills marketplace Find Yahan for an undisclosed amount. Zimmber is owned and operated by Mumbai-based Rejuvenate Solutions.

Though the exact terms of the acquisition were not specified, much of Find Yahan’s staff, including founders Rachit Mathur and Snehil Khanor, will join Zimmber’s staff.

Founded in October 2014 by Amit Kumar, Gaurav Shrivastava, and Anubhab Goel, Zimmber offers services including drivers, laundry, home repairs, plumbing, and electrical services. It operates in nine cities, including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, and Gurgaon. Find Yahan, founded in 2013, connects customers with services such as yoga instruction, language tutoring, and kitchen services.

Home services has been a fun place for acquisitions lately. At the beginning of the month, home services site Housejoy acquired MyWash. In 2015, Zimmber acquired Mumbai-based laundry service Dhulai for an undisclosed amount.

TableHero

TableHero, online restaurant and hyperlocal business site manager, has bagged US$1 million in seed funding led by early-stage growth investor GrowX Ventures.

FreeCharge founders Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon, IVFA partner and ex-CEO of Network18 Haresh Chawla, Powai Lake Ventures, and equity crowdfunding platform Globevestor also participated in the round.

The investment will be used to grow the startup’s engineering and product design teams, as well as growing its collection of tools, which allow restaurant and small business owners to develop their own sites in a few steps.

Founded in 2014 by Deap Ubhi and former Freecharge core engineers Chetan Vaity and Aman Prakash Mohla, TableHero builds intelligent OS to help simplify online business management. The startup will launch in the US in the future, with a focus on West Coast cities like Portland, Seattle, and Los Angeles.

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