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Ankur Jain, former chief product officer at BharatPe, is preparing to launch his new startup in the AI healthcare sector, according to sources familiar with the matter informed Entrackr.
"Ankur Jain's Jivi.ai is expected to publicly debut this month," one of the sources, who preferred to remain anonymous, disclosed. "The founding team comprises professionals and research scholars from esteemed institutions such as Stanford, MIT, Harvard, and Yale."
Jain parted ways with BharatPe in July last year after over three years of service, during which he oversaw the entire product life cycle and spearheaded innovation. Entrackr exclusively reported this development.
Jivi.ai will mark Jain's second venture, having previously co-founded the travel tech startup Instalocate.
"Jivi.ai is harnessing artificial intelligence, digital health, large language models, machine learning, and generative AI to revolutionize primary healthcare," another source revealed.
According to sources, the initial version of Jivi.ai is set to launch in India and the US. "In the last three months, it has established partnerships with over 100 doctors, physicians, and hospitals in India," sources added.
Furthermore, it was disclosed that Jivi.ai has secured initial seed funding and is currently in talks to finalize the next funding round.
Attempts to reach Jain for comment were unsuccessful. Updates will be provided if a response is received.
Emergence of the BharatPe alumni network
Following the footsteps of former executives from companies like Flipkart, Paytm, and PayPal, a new cohort of ex-BharatPe personnel is emerging. Genwise, founded by former BharatPe executives Rajat Jain, Geetanshu Singla, and Nehul Malhotra, secured funding in April last year. Entrackr broke this news exclusively.
Third Unicorn, founded by former BharatPe co-founder and MD Ashneer Grover and his wife Madhuri Jain, launched the fantasy sports platform CrickPe. Third Unicorn is also preparing to launch another fintech startup called ZeroPe. Another BharatPe co-founder, Bhavik Koladiya, assumed the role of CEO at the SaaS startup OTPless. Suhail Sameer, who previously served as BharatPe's CEO, is now managing partner at venture capital firm OTP Venture.
Dhruva Space secures $15 million in Series A funding
Space technology startup Dhruva Space has raised $15 million (approximately Rs 123 crore) in its Series A round from investors including Indian Angel Network Alpha Fund, Blue Ashva Capital, Silverneedle Ventures, BIG Global Investment JSC (BITEXCO Group), IvyCap Ventures, Mumbai Angels, and Blume Founders Fund.
The funding also includes Rs 10 crore in venture debt from Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI) and Rs 14 crore in venture debt from Technology Development Board.
The funds will be utilized to establish upcoming spacecraft manufacturing facilities, pursue strategic business acquisitions, and enhance product offerings, as per the company's press release.
Founded by Sanjay Nekkanti and Chaitanya Dora, Dhruva Space has launched eight payloads in the past two years, including the Thybolt satellites mission in November 2022 and the LEAP-TD mission on January 1, 2024. The Hyderabad-based startup operates across the space, launch, and ground segments, catering to civilian and defense clients worldwide. It provides integrated satellite solutions with Earth Station/s and Launch Services to power space-based applications on Earth and beyond.
Over recent years, numerous space technology startups such as Agnikul Cosmos, Skyroot Aerospace, Pixxel, Bellatrix, GlaxEye, Dhruva, Vesta Space, Digantara, and InspeCity have secured significant funding.
Last June, spacetech startup Digantara raised $10 million in Series A1 funding led by Peak XV Partners (formerly Sequoia Capital India) and Kalaari Capital. In the same month, Pixxel secured $36 million in a Series B funding round from new investors, including Google.