Accacia, Runo, BluWheelz, Nikitek pocket early-stage cheques

By K Amoghavarsha

  • 22 Apr 2024
Runo founders Venkata Sai Vamsi Penupothu (left) and Rajsekhar Pattnaik

Real estate-focused decarbonization platform Accacia, call management customer relationship management startup Runo, electric vehicle fleet management startup BluWheelz and baggage handling technology company Nikitek have secured early-stage funding, the companies said Monday. 

Accacia  

Real estate and infrastructure decarbonization platform Accacia, run by Process Botics Pvt. Ltd, has raised $6.5 million (Rs 54.2 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round led by Illuminate Financial. The round also saw participation from AC Ventures along with existing investors Accel and B Capital.  

Founded in 2022 by INSEAD alumnus Annu Talreja along with Jagmohan Garg and Piyush Chitkara, Accacia is an AI-based SaaS platform. It measures and benchmarks the environmental risks on its clients’ portfolios, while suggesting decarbonization strategies at the asset and portfolio level.  

“This funding comes at a crucial juncture as the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC) and Singapore Exchange (SGX) have announced regulations on carbon emissions’ reporting, showing the need for comprehensive climate risk data. We have currently deployed our solution to around 25m sqft of real estate,” said Talreja, founder and chief executive officer, Accacia.  

In 2022, the startup had raised about $2.5 million in a seed funding round led by Accel and B Capital. The seed round also saw participation from Blume Ventures, Good Capital, Zerodha’s Rainmatter Fund and Canada-based Loyal VC.  

Runo  

The startup raised $1.5 million (Rs 12.5 crore) in a pre-Series A funding round from Unicorn India Ventures and Callapina Capital.  

It will use the funding to build its senior management team and expand its presence across the US, Canada, Middle East, and North Africa region.  

Founded in 2019 by Rajsekhar Pattnaik and Venkata Sai Vamsi Penupothu, Runo is a mobile SIM-based outbound call management CRM for sales and outbound calling productivity. It integrates with popular CRMs and lead sources to centralise lead management, optimising outbound sales operations.  

“Runo is aiming for 7X revenue growth in the next 8 Quarters. Our client roster comprises around 800 businesses, ranging from small businesses to large enterprises like Reliance Nippon. The company's focus for the next two quarters is to double down on distribution, go-to-market strategies and expand to the Middle East and Africa,” said Pattnaik, co-founder and chief executive officer.   

Bluwheelz, which provides EV fleet management services, has raised $1 million (Rs 8.3 crore) in a bridge round from early-stage investor Venture Catalysts, Chakra Growth Fund, and existing investors Faad Network and LetsVenture

The funding comes almost eight months after the startup raised $500,000 in a pre-seed round led by Faad Network. The previous round also saw participation from LetsVenture, as well as from undisclosed angel investors from India and the US.  

Based out of Delhi/ NCR, Bluwheelz caters to a diverse set of clients operating in the domain of e-commerce, logistics, FMCG, food delivery, pharma, durables, and urban mobility.  

Nikitek   

Pune-based Nikitek has secured an undisclosed amount in a strategic funding round from IT infrastructure firm Netcon Technologies. 

Nikitek will deploy the raised funds for improving its technology stack, go-to-market plans and VAS integrations.  

The startup has designed and developed an electronic baggage tag called ‘godigitag’. The product allows users to tap their mobile device on the electronic tag, which captures all the necessary bag details at home or upon arrival at the airport, by way of which the bag can be dropped directly at the gate.   

The strategic advisors to the transaction were Zaikenn Technologies and 99 Million Partners.

Netcon Technologies is a global IT and digital infrastructure solutions firm, serving customers across various industries in four countries for the past 17 years.