Hasura raises USD 9.9 mn funding from Vertex Ventures US, others

New Delhi, Feb 26 () Tech firm Hasura on Wednesday said it has raised USD 9.9 million (about Rs 70 crore) in funding, led by Vertex Ventures US.

The series A round also saw participation from SAP.iO Fund, the early-stage venture arm of SAP, existing investors Nexus Venture Partners and Strive VC, a statement said.

Several angels like James Tamplin (founder of Firebase), Sam Lambert (VP of Infrastructure Engineering at GitHub), Amod Malvia (co-founder of Udaan, ex CTO Flipkart), and Michael Stoppelman (ex-SVP of Engineering at Yelp) also participated, it added.

The company provides data access and data flow tools and services via GraphQL APIs.

*

*

*

** Josh Talks receives USD 1.5 mn funding led by MDIF

Josh Talks, a social tech start-up, on Wednesday said it has raised USD 1.5 million (about Rs 10.7 crore) in pre-series A funding led by New York-based fund Media Development Investment Fund (MDIF).

With this new round of funding, the start-up's valuation has crossed the Rs 100 crore-mark, a statement said.

Founded in 2015 by Supriya Paul and Shobhit Banga, Josh Talks' content is disseminated in eight vernacular languages that is viewed by over 45 million people every month.

"Being a mission-first organisation, we are building products and services that leverage the power of the internet to solve real problems faced by low-income households in India. We are addressing issues faced by the youth with respect to jobs, career opportunities, acquiring skill sets and more," Paul said.

Key Kiarie, Chief Investment Officer at MDIF, will join the board of the company.

*

*

*

** Airtel to allow users to track usage real-time on international roaming

Telecom major Bharti Airtel on Wednesday introduced new features for users of international roaming.

Using Airtel Thanks app, both postpaid and prepaid customers will be able to track their international roaming (IR) pack usage in real-time, and once the IR pack benefits are exhausted by the customer, data services would be barred to protect against any unwanted charges due to over-usage, a statement said.

Customers can take another pack or a top up, on the go through the app, it added.

Airtel leveraged technology and digital platforms to develop innovative new features and products that cater to the emerging needs of different types of travelers, it added.

Airtel postpaid customers will also be able to start or disable international roaming service with single click through the app. SR RVK