Plane, three others secure early-stage funding

By K Amoghavarsha

  • 24 Apr 2024
Vihar Kurama (L) and Vamsi Kurama, co-founders, Plane

Project management platform Plane, quick service restaurant Boba Bhai, FMCG brand Adukale and electronics manufacturer Karban Envirotech secured early-stage funding, the companies said on Wednesday.  

Plane  

Open-source project management platform Plane has raised $4 million (Rs 33.3 crore) in a seed funding round from OSS Capital.   

Founded in November 2022, by Vamsi Kurama and Vihar Kurama, Plane is an early-stage project management software start-up that offers cross-functional collaboration for modern teams. The company is headquartered in Delaware and India.  

“As a first step, Plane One is designed ground-up for growing businesses that need essential tools to manage their projects and their instance without being locked into ongoing SaaS-pricing commitments,” said Vamsi Kurama, co-founder and chief executive officer, Plane.  

Quick service restaurant (QSR) chain Boba Bhai has raised $1.5 million (Rs 12.5 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Titan Capital and Global Growth Capital UK.   

The round also saw participation from Arjun Vaidya, Marsshot VC, DEVC, Warm up Ventures, Asit Oberoi, 1947 Rise Fund, Peercheque, Varun Alagh (Mamaearth), Prabhraj (Simba Beer), FinFirst, Abhinav Sinha (Oyo) among others.   

The funds will be used for hiring, product line expansion and for presence across India.   

The startup raised the funding at a valuation of Rs 50 crore, according to its statement.  

Founded in October 2023 by Dhruv Kohli, Boba Bhai is a bubble tea and K-Pop Burgers Quick-Service Restaurant (QSR) chain.  

The company claims to have processed over 50,000 monthly orders and has around 25 outlets across seven cities - Delhi, Gurugram, Udaipur, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai.  

Adukale  

Adukale has raised $1.3 million (Rs 11 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Force Ventures. The round also saw participation from Aanya Ventures, Subrata Mitra and Radhika Pandit among others.  

The brand aims to use the funding to increase the number of its outlets, expand the distribution network, improve its manufacturing and R&D capabilities.   

Founded in 2009, Adukale is an FMCG brand that provides products based on Karnataka’s cuisine. It has 20 experience Stores in Bangalore and Mysore, which offer more than 75 products and are available on e-commerce and quick commerce platforms.  

"The funding secured will help us in expanding the channel presence of the brand, facilitating visibility and engagement with our target audience," Vinay Gopinath, chief growth officer, Adukale.  

Energy-efficient electronics goods manufacturer Karban Envirotech has raised $1.07 million (Rs 8.93 crore) in a seed funding round co-led by Titan Capital, Rainmatter and All In Capital. The round also saw participation from Urban Company, JK Family Office along with angel investors  Kunal Shah (Cred), Anupam Mittal (Shaadi.com), Bharat Jaisinghiani, among others.   

The startup will use the funds for hiring talent, research & development (R&D) and product development.   

Founded in December 2021 by Karan Bansal and Tanya Goyal, Karban has designed and manufactured a bladeless ceiling fan with an in-built air purifier and lights. Its flagship product — Karban Airzone— is sold on its website as well as on e-commerce portals.   

“This funding will allow us to accelerate our R&D efforts and develop world-class consumer products that are Made in India,” said Bansal, co-founder, Karban.