My Funding Picks For Last Week (W54)

Every Monday, I sit with my team to review the funding activity of the previous week. From that list, I pick out three companies that I would have loved to invest in or find founders doing similar things. Here is my rationale behind this weekly exercise.

Last week, 9 startups raised $20 million. The first few days of a new year are usually slow; therefore, I expected the low deal count. The positive public market momentum, substantial GST collections, and the expectation that India will catch up quickly in the race to vaccinate the public against the scourge of COVID-19 are all going to become factors in a strong finish to the last quarter of the Indian financial year.

This week, 8 deals were in the early-stage rounds (compared to 17 last week), making my weekly analysis cut. After sifting through the news (aggregated from Tracxn, Inc42, and YourStory), I picked three as my favorite funding news from last week!

Name: PadCare Labs

Amount Raised: Undisclosed investment from technology startup incubator Venture Center under BIRAC’s LEAP Fund.

What does PadCare Labs do?

Edited from Website: PadCare Labs is a product-driven company that creates solutions that change the way people experience hygiene. They believe that technology can pave the way for innovation. They combine it with design and quality to create products with standards.

Why do I like PadCare Labs?

In a country with more women than Europe and the US combined, the low penetration in sanitary pad usage has been an investment interest area for a long time. Recycling and waste management is another area that piques my investment interest. Therefore, when a startup combines my interests into one, I’m interested in the business!

I like what the PadCare team is doing, and it could have a significant impact. However, I believe that they could increase their market potential by

• Designing a much better-looking machine
• Offering a smaller or more portable design