Get All Access for $5/mo

Hesa Raises $2.3 Million In Pre-Series A Funding The fund raised will be used for the expansion to newer geographies, strengthening the technology and to increase the offerings

By Teena Jose

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Company handout

Hesa, a rural-tech startup, has raised $2.3 million in pre-Series A funding round led by Venture Catalysts. The round also witnessed participation from Venture Catalysts USA Chapter, Faad, IPV, WFC and other angels. The fund raised will be used for the expansion to more geographies and to strengthen the technology platform along with increasing the offerings on agri-fintech and commerce.

"We are delighted with the backing and support of Venture Catalysts and other investors who have shown faith in our vision. Our primary objective is to provide a connection between financial services providers with their last-mile target consumers using a phygital approach," said Vamsi Udayagiri, founder and CEO, Hesa.

Hesa is defining rural commerce by helping with the last-mile physical and digital connection to rural India through its integrated B2B2C marketplace. The amalgamation of their rich and diverse experience is helping Hesa reach India's organized finances required by 6.5 lakh villages, as per company's statement.

"India's goal of a $5 trillion economy can best be realized through rapid rural development. Hesa's hybrid physical-digital last-mile delivery is a quick, efficient and cost-effective channel for buying and selling to India's next 1 billion rural customers," said Manish Modi, lead investor, Venture Catalysts.

Venture Catalysts is an integrated incubator. Their innovation provides value to startups through its extensive angel network, funding, community, services and co-working facility.

"With the size of population residing in rural areas, there is a growing need to erase the boundary between urban India and rural Bharat. Hesa is committed to serve these lesser-served markets through its superior, cutting-edge technological platform in a seamless manner," said Dr. Apoorva Ranjan, president and co-founder, Venture Catalysts.

Founded by Vamsi Udayagiri and Hema Nandiraju, Hesa leverages advanced technology that enables multiple API integrations to provide online, round-the-clock services in the key areas of fintech, agri buy-sell input or output, insurance, online education, catalogue-retail products and conducting branding events.

Teena Jose

News Desk Reporter with Entrepreneur India

Teena is a post graduate in financial journalism. She has an avid interest in content creation, digital media and fashion.
Growth Strategies

AMD Confident About Increasing Market Share In India

The semiconductor company is positive about the business environment in India on the back of growing investments in data centers and AI, Cloud repatriation, as well as technology refresh taking place across companies on both server side and client devices

Branding

ChatGPT is Becoming More Human-Like. Here's How The Tool is Getting Smarter at Replicating Your Voice, Brand and Personality.

AI can be instrumental in building your brand and boosting awareness, but the right approach is critical. A custom GPT delivers tailored collateral based on your ethos, personality and unique positioning factors.

Science & Technology

How Can Marketers Use ChatGPT? Here Are the Top 11 Uses.

With the recent developments in AI and the popularity of ChatGPT, you may want to integrate AI into your marketing practices. Find out how.

Business News

Is the AI Industry Consolidating? Hugging Face CEO Says More AI Entrepreneurs Are Looking to Be Acquired

Clément Delangue, the CEO of Hugging Face, a $4.5 billion startup, says he gets at least 10 acquisition requests a week and it's "increased quite a lot."

Business Ideas

63 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2024

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2024.

News and Trends

Apple Dethrones Nvidia to Regain Its Position as World's Second Most Valuable Company

Apple has reclaimed its spot as the second most valuable company in the world, overtaking Nvidia, with a market cap of $3.26 trillion.