KSUM-fostered start-up nets $ 3.1 m in two rounds

Our Correspondent

Despite the economic gloom cast by Covid-19 across the globe, a start-up supported by Kerala Startup Mission (KSUM) has raised a fresh funding of $1.7 million, in addition to $1.4 million it netted in February this year, from a set of investors led by Good Capital.

By bagging huge funds in two rounds, the early-stage venture Entri, a regional language learning app for jobs, has closed its Pre Series A round with a total of $3.1 million. It also saw participation from several top angel investors in the Silicon Valley and in India, including HyperTrack Founder Mr. Kashyap Deorah and Mr. Hari TN, Head of HR at BigBasket.

Entri will be using the amount to ramp up marketing and produce more content in the coming months. It has more than three million users and the platform is now adding 10,000 users every day. The start-up is targeting 10 million users in the next 18 months.

Entri, which had received scale up grant from KSUM, had also associated with the state startup promotion agency to provide free subscriptions to financially-backward people in Kerala.

Dr Saji Gopinath, CEO, KSUM, said, “Success of Entri shows the huge potential domestic market offers to smart entrepreneurs. As a vernacular app focusing on training for competitive job examinations, Entri has helped lakhs of job seekers during the last few years.” “The investment of over $3 million received by this young startup is a testimony to the fact that there are silverlinings even in these difficult times.”

Its founders, Mr . ohammed Hisamuddin and Mr. Rahul Ramesh, are active partners in KSUM’s initiatives to promote and guide startup founders in the state.

Founded in 2017, Entri has been providing different types of learning content (mock/adaptive tests, flashcards, video lessons) in Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, and Hindi for job aspirants, enabling them secure government or private sector jobs.

Since the lockdown, Entri has seen a 100 per cent spike in new users added and 150 per cent growth in revenue. Its revenue has grown 30 per cent month-on-month for the last four months to reach an ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue) of $2 million.