Enerzolve Smart Technologies Raises USD 5.1 Mn Seed Funding

Bengaluru-based clean-tech hardware startup Enerzolve Smart Technologies has raised USD 5.1 million (INR 44.9 crore) in a seed funding round co-led by Jungle Ventures and Kae Capital.

The round also included participation from angel investors, including founders and senior executives from companies such as Zetwerk, Livspace, Unacademy, Urban Vault, and Panthera Peak.

The startup plans to use the funds to accelerate IP development, expand its engineering and product teams, and scale pilot manufacturing for its smart grid and energy storage offerings. It will also invest in certification processes and go-to-market activities aimed at utilities, private DISCOMs, and energy storage developers.

Founded by Abhay Adya and Anupam Kumar Bhatt, Enerzolve develops semiconductor-powered embedded systems and power electronics for smart grids, renewable energy infrastructure, and battery storage.

Its operations span smart grid systems, including protection relays and smart meters, and energy storage infrastructure such as batteries, inverters, and energy management systems, designed for Indian regulatory and cost requirements needs.

Social Networking Platform Culture Secures INR 2 Cr Seed Round

Social networking platform Culture has raised INR 2 crore in a seed funding round led by Acuvest Infra.

The Hyderabad-based startup said the funds will be used to accelerate product development, expand community-led initiatives, and strengthen safety-focused infrastructure on the platform.

Founded by Anurag Rangineni, Culture enables users to discover and connect through AI-driven, interest-based video matching. The platform allows conversations to develop naturally around shared interests such as music, startups, travel, wellness, and creative pursuits.

Culture places emphasis on accountability and user safety by requiring real profiles and phone number verification. It also uses AI-powered moderation tools that automatically disconnect interactions involving nudity, harassment, or nuisance behaviour, according to the company.

The startup plans to roll out creator-led Spaces, a feature that will allow creators and community leaders to host live discussions, events, and hybrid online-offline experiences. These Spaces will support ticketed events, targeted promotions, and partnerships with offline venues such as cafes, clubs, and cultural spaces.

Culture said it is expanding through college activations, venue partnerships, and creator collaborations, with plans to scale across major Indian cities before exploring global markets.

Workforce Management Startup Arthum Bags INR 10 Cr Seed Funding

Gurugram-based workforce management startup Arthum has raised INR 10 crore in a seed funding round led by Caret Capital. Keynote Financial Services Limited and JS Global also participated in the round.

The fresh funds will be used to strengthen its technology stack, expand its geographic presence, and deepen financial product offerings. Arthum is expanding operations to cities such as Dehradun, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Jaipur, and Ahmedabad, focusing on large industrial clusters.

Founded in 2023 by Darpan Sharma and Vishal Mishra, Arthum develops an integrated operating system for contract and blue-collar workforce management. Its platform connects enterprises, labour contractors, and workers on a single digital infrastructure to manage attendance, payroll, contracts, compliance, and payouts.

The startup provides ERP-style tools including geo-tagged attendance, automated payroll, digital payments, statutory compliance, and contract management. It currently automates operations for over 3 lakh labour contractors and has onboarded more than 6 lakh workers, largely across the Delhi NCR region.

Alongside workforce tools, Arthum runs an integrated neo-banking layer for workers nationwide.