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Quizizz Lands $12.5 Million in Funding Led by Eight Roads Ventures

Education technology startup Quizizz has raised $12.5 million in Series A funding led by Eight Roads Ventures along with participation from GSV Ventures, Rocketship VC, and existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Prime Venture Partners. The startup, which helps teachers create gamified quizzes and interactive learning material, plans to utilize the capital to expand its team to support corporate and school customers and accelerate its international expansion, it said in a statement on Tuesday. Founded in 2015 by Ankit Gupta and Deepak Cheenath, Quizizz claims it already has 60 million monthly users on its platform spread across 100 countries, and with over 65 per cent of schools in the US using the service.


“Our focus on teacher-directed learning differentiates Quizizz from many Indian EdTech startups providing independent study solutions and supplemental curriculum,” said Gupta, who is the CEO of the company. “No matter what is being taught, we think the best and most personalized learning happens when an educator is freed from busywork like grading worksheets and rigid, out-of-the-box curriculum.”


Teachers have access to and can customize over 30 million quizzes on the service today, spanning topics from primary school mathematics to career and technical education. Quizizz also generates automated grading and generates instant student feedback that teachers can act upon. “Quizizz’s customer-centricity and product-first approach has resulted in a highly engaged community of teachers and students. We have a strong belief in Ankit and Deepak’s deep understanding of their users which has resulted in incredible word-of-mouth growth across millions of teachers in the U.S., Europe, and Asia,” said Shweta Bhatia, Partner, Eight Roads Ventures India.

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DPIIT Teams Up With Startup Policy Forum

Ali Waghbakriwala

The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has joined hands with the Startup Policy Forum (SPF), a prominent industry body representing India’s leading new-age companies, the Ministry of Commerce and Industry announced in a statement on Friday.

As part of National Startup Week celebrations, DPIIT will host the SPF Baithak, a meeting of startup founders and policymakers, on January 15-16 at Bharat Mandapam, according to Sanjiv, Joint Secretary, DPIIT.

The event will serve as a platform to unveil new collaborations between DPIIT and SPF members. Additionally, SPF will collaborate with DPIIT to organize immersive programs that allow global investors to connect with Indian startups and explore groundbreaking innovations from across the country.

Speaking about the initiative, Sanjiv emphasized that this strategic partnership reflects DPIIT’s commitment to fostering an enabling environment for startups to thrive and contribute to India’s vision of becoming a global innovation hub. He added that SPF members epitomize India’s entrepreneurial spirit, and their involvement is pivotal in achieving the goal of a developed India by 2047.

Dr. Sumeet Kumar Jarangal, Director of Startup India, highlighted that the collaboration aims to amplify innovation, accelerate technology adoption, and enhance manufacturing capabilities in India. He further noted that the partnership will promote India’s startup ecosystem on a global stage, building relationships with international stakeholders and ecosystem enablers.

Shweta Rajpal Kohli, President & CEO of Startup Policy Forum, remarked, “This alliance reflects the shared aspirations of DPIIT and SPF to build a resilient and thriving startup ecosystem. By facilitating useful collaborations amongst SPF members and DPIIT, we aim to ensure India’s position on the global innovation map and empower entrepreneurs to unlock their full potential.”

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Run:ai Gets Acquired by Nvidia for $700 Million 

Ali Waghbakriwala

The Israeli AI company Run:ai has been fully acquired by NVIDIA. Run:ai creates software to enhance AI hardware performance. 

NVIDIA will now make this application open source, suggesting that it can be used by anybody, even on hardware that isn’t NVIDIA. 

Run:ai plans to hire more people and make its tools accessible to more people. By releasing it as open source, the company intends to enable more individuals to take advantage of AI hardware.

NVIDIA is the industry leader for AI hardware. Its best-selling goods are data centre chips. NVIDIA makes tens of billions of dollars per quarter. This acquisition has added new tools to its hardware and software solutions. 

Run:ai and NVIDIA have been working together since 2020. It was started in 2018 by Ronen Dar and Omri Geller. The startup’s main goal is to make AI hardware function better. It will now be a part of NVIDIA’s ecosystem.

NVIDIA has not revealed any information on the deal. Although no formal financial information was revealed, an Israeli site earlier claimed that the acquisition was for $700 million. This is NVIDIA’s second significant investment in Israel, following its $7 billion acquisition of Mellanox Technologies in 2020.

Through the integration of Run:ai, NVIDIA will be able to enhance its products and help the global AI community with open-source solutions. Additionally, by making Run:ai’s software open source, NVIDIA will make solutions for improving AI computing efficiency available to a wider audience. Developers and organizations who employ non-NVIDIA hardware can also benefit from these possibilities. This will improve AI’s performance and make it available to more people.

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Guestara Secures $0.5 Million in Funding 

Ali Waghbakriwala

Guestara, a startup revolutionizing guest engagement and service in the hospitality industry, has secured $500,000 in a pre-seed funding round. The investment was led by seasoned travel and hospitality tech entrepreneur Sanjay Ghare, along with other industry experts.

The funds will be utilized to create advanced AI-powered solutions aimed at optimizing hotel operations, enhancing guest experiences, and unlocking new revenue streams for hotels globally.

Guestara, founded by CEO Akshay Dekate and three co-founders, provides an AI-driven guest management platform that centralizes and automates essential hospitality operations.

The platform offers features such as a Unified Inbox, Contactless Mobile Check-In, Omnichannel Guest Engagement, Personalized Upselling, and Smart Checkout, all seamlessly integrated with leading Property Management Systems (PMS).

By streamlining guest management into an intelligent, centralized workflow, Guestara enables hotels, resorts, and vacation rentals to prioritize what truly matters—creating unforgettable guest experiences.

Akshay Dekate, CEO of Guestara, said, “Guestara harnesses AI to help hotels elevate that experience, boosting operational efficiency and enhancing guest loyalty. Our goal is to onboard 2 million rooms globally and transform the sector into a data-driven, people-focused industry.”

Guestara reports onboarding hotels and short-term rentals as beta clients, managing over 2,000 rooms collectively, including three international hotel chains. These clients have experienced a 20% improvement in operational efficiency, a 35% increase in guest satisfaction, and a 57% growth in incremental revenue.

The platform’s real-time insights and automation of labour-intensive tasks allow hospitality professionals to focus on fostering stronger guest relationships.

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BHASKAR Amas 4.8 Lakh Registrations in 2 Months 

Ali Waghbakriwala

The government’s digital platform for startups, BHASKAR (Bharat Startup Knowledge Access Registry), has made a strong impact since its launch in September by Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal. In just two months, the platform under the ‘Startup India’ initiative has registered 5 lakh users from 28 states and garnered over 7 lakh views.

BHASKAR has quickly become a critical resource for entrepreneurs navigating the complexities of India’s startup ecosystem. In the past week alone, 1,393 users signed up for the portal, with registrations spanning across India, including Tier II and Tier III cities. This broad participation aligns with the government’s efforts to decentralize the startup ecosystem, moving beyond urban centers.

As of June 2024, startups recognized by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) surpassed 1.4 lakh, a sharp increase from just 300 in 2016. This growth reflects the government’s initiatives to foster entrepreneurship nationwide, with new ventures emerging not only in hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru but also in rising centers such as Chennai, Hyderabad, Pune, and Kerala.

The BHASKAR portal aims to further streamline the entrepreneurial journey by offering a centralized database for startups, promoting networking, and fostering collaboration among users. Designed to enhance access to critical data and resources, it serves as a hub for entrepreneurs, investors, mentors, and other stakeholders in India’s startup ecosystem.

Since its launch, the portal has contributed over 12% of the traffic to the Startup India domain. It seeks to expand resources, funding opportunities, market connections, incubation support, and mentorship, creating a more inclusive and diversified ecosystem.

The platform integrates data from various ministries, departments, and support organizations, eliminating silos in the startup ecosystem. By consolidating information into a single, free-to-use platform, BHASKAR ensures easy access to vital data for all stakeholders.

One of BHASKAR’s standout features is its “connect” function, which facilitates networking and collaboration among registered users. To date, this feature has enabled 17,000 connections.

Additionally, BHASKAR provides analytics and quantitative data to help stakeholders evaluate the efficiency of ecosystem components, enabling better cross-organizational collaboration and resource allocation.

With India already boasting the third-largest startup ecosystem globally and housing 118 unicorns, BHASKAR is poised to accelerate the growth of this ecosystem. By centralizing information, promoting collaboration, and providing critical resources, the platform is expected to play a pivotal role in India’s entrepreneurial future.

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Indian Cricketer Invests in Tech Startup

Ali Waghbakriwala

Proxgy, an Internet of Things (IoT) technology company specializing in safety, connectivity, and productivity solutions, has announced that cricketer Ajinkya Rahane has invested in its ongoing $3 million Series A funding round.

Other notable investors in this round include Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath, actor Suniel Shetty, industrialist Vinod Duggar, and key investor Manish Patel.

Founded in 2020 by Pulkit Ahuja, Proxgy leverages AI and IoT to develop innovative solutions where devices communicate seamlessly. Among its standout products are the SmartHat, a safety helmet equipped with the smallest gas detection sensor, health monitoring systems, cameras, and connectivity options like 4G and WiFi, and ‘Sleefe,’ a wearable smart device that transforms any cap into a smart cap, offering real-time monitoring and communication for industrial workers.

“Proxgy’s products have the potential to revolutionize safety and productivity in industrial settings,” said Ajinkya Rahane.

Pulkit Ahuja, founder and CEO of Proxgy, expressed gratitude for the support from investors, noting that the funding will drive the company’s global expansion.

Manish Patel, a partner at the U.S.-based CMG Group, highlighted the significance of Proxgy’s solutions, like SmartHat and Sleefe, in addressing critical gaps in industrial safety and productivity.

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