Brands
Hoopr strikes a high note with new funding round
MUMBAI: Hoopr is turning up the volume on India’s creator economy, and investors are dancing to the beat. Music licensing platform Hoopr has raised Rupees 4 crore in the first tranche of its Pre-Series A round, led by Inflection Point Ventures with participation from family offices and existing investors. The round pegs Hoopr’s post-money valuation at Rupees 160 crore and lifts its total capital raised to Rupees 18 crore. Talks are under way with additional investors as interest in the fast-growing licensing space intensifies.
The fresh capital will turbocharge Hoopr Smash, the company’s automated self-serve licensing marketplace. It will also support the expansion of Hoopr’s Hindi cinema, regional and global catalogue, unlocking new monetisation opportunities for artists, composers and labels. The company plans to bolster product innovation, expand its team and accelerate international reach by aligning its offerings with global markets.
Hoopr is also doubling down on its AI-driven capabilities, from intelligent auto-tagging and copyright detection to creative content tools. These improvements sit atop a transparent, technology-first revenue model that protects brands while ensuring fair payouts to creators.
Backed by partnerships with Yash Raj Films Music, Universal Music, Saga Music, Merchant Records and Adobe, Hoopr has emerged as a trusted player in a sector ripe for structured standards. Its collaboration with the Indian Performing Rights Society is helping introduce real-time royalty distribution and greater accountability. Over the past three years, the company has worked with more than 300 independent artists across 21 regional labels, distributing over Rupees 4.5 crore in royalties.
IPV co-founder Mitesh Shah, said the timing for Hoopr’s offering could not be better. “India’s creator economy is exploding, and Hoopr has stepped in right where people need them by making copyright-safe music simple for anyone creating digital content. Their solution lands at the perfect moment.”
Co-founder and CEO Gaurav Dagaonkar, said the company aims to shape the future of India’s creator landscape. “With 4.4 times growth since inception and 300 per cent revenue growth this year, we are expanding globally and unlocking new monetisation models. Our aim is to build the world’s most trusted and intelligent music licensing platform,” he said.
Co-founder and CRO Meghna Mittal added that technology will define the next era of music licensing. “Our AI-led approach enhances efficiency, accountability and brand protection while empowering creators. By strengthening our tech infrastructure, we are preparing Hoopr to lead this transformation.”
At the intersection of creativity, compliance and cutting-edge tech, Hoopr is positioning itself as the blueprint for how music will be created, used and commercialised in the digital age.
Brands
MakeMyTrip partners with OpenAI to boost AI-powered travel planning
Conversational AI now guides travellers from inspiration straight to booking
GURUGRAM: MakeMyTrip, India’s leading online travel company, has teamed up with OpenAI to bring a fresh twist to AI-driven travel planning. The collaboration integrates OpenAI’s APIs into MakeMyTrip’s app, making it easier than ever for travellers to move from chatting about dream trips to booking them.
The move centres around MakeMyTrip’s Myra interface, a GenAI trip planning assistant that now handles over 50,000 conversations a day in languages ranging from English and Hindi to Tamil, Telugu and Bengali. Myra helps travellers explore options, create itineraries and book flights, hotels and extras without the usual hassle of searching and filtering.
MakeMyTrip co-founder and group CEO Rajesh Magow said, “With OpenAI, we turn curiosity into confident decisions. When travellers start their journey through conversation, MakeMyTrip becomes a seamless extension of that discovery process. AI combined with our travel data makes it possible to deliver personalised, bookable options at scale.”
OpenAI managing director- international Oliver Jay added, “MakeMyTrip is showing how AI can make travel planning feel more like a conversation than a chore. Advanced AI isn’t just about back-end efficiencies, it’s about transforming the way travellers experience and engage with the platform.”
MakeMyTrip has long invested in AI across the travel lifecycle, from inspiration and discovery to booking and post-sales support. Nearly half of Myra’s queries now come from tier-2 and smaller cities, and voice interactions are booming outside metros, making AI travel assistance more accessible than ever.
With this partnership, MakeMyTrip is not just keeping up with AI trends, it’s aiming to lead the way, turning every traveller’s whim into a smooth, bookable adventure.
