iWorld
SureWaves raises Rs 35 crore in second round of funding
BANGALORE: SureWaves MediaTech (SureWaves) has announced that it has secured Rs 35 crore in a second round of funding that was led by Canaan Partners.
It also saw participation from existing investors Accel Partners India and India Innovation Fund.
SureWaves’ ground-breaking technology enables large scale aggregation of audiences across multiple television channels and offers a single window interface to large national advertisers to effectively reach out to mass audiences on a market by market basis. SureWaves claims that its Spot TV Network is one of the largest connected television networks of its kind anywhere in the world spanning across 28 states and seven union territories in India through partnerships with over 280 cable TV channels that reach more than 80 million households and 400 million viewers.
SureWaves founder and CMD Rajendra Khare says, “Our vision is to leverage the power of media through use of technology for all-round and inclusive socio-economic growth. The funding will be used to invest in the growth of the company and support further innovation. The backing from such prestigious investors is a clear and strong sign that they believe in our vision and the market itself. ”
Canaan Partners India partner Alok Mittal says, “SureWaves is revolutionising television advertising by infusing the smartness of digital media like internet and mobile into the mainstream medium of television. Canaan recognises the huge potential of SureWaves to become one of the foremost media company in television advertising and we are excited to be associated with them”.
Accel Partners in India Partner Shekhar Kirani says, “SureWaves has built a completely disruptive technology that solves the challenges arising out of growing media fragmentation in television and we are excited to continue supporting SureWaves”.
India Innovation Fund’s Rajesh Rai says, “We’ve been associated with SureWaves since 2011, since that time we’ve seen the business grow and evolve into a robust model and we wish them solid momentum in 2014”.
SureWaves is headquartered in Bangalore with offices in Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata.
iWorld
Pocketful appoints Prateek Singh as CEO to drive next growth phase
Ex-Bajaj Broking executive to scale digital investing platform in India
MUMBAI: Pocketful has appointed Prateek Singh as its chief executive officer, marking a key leadership move as the company looks to scale its presence in India’s fast-evolving investment market.
Backed by the three-decade legacy of Pace Group, Pocketful is positioning the appointment as a strategic step to accelerate growth and strengthen its foothold among retail investors.
Singh brings over 13 years of experience in building digital financial platforms, with expertise spanning customer acquisition, product development and business expansion. He joins from Bajaj Broking, where he served as chief growth officer and played a key role in enhancing the company’s digital capabilities and platform experience.
Commenting on the appointment, Pocketful co-founder Sarvam Goel said, “Prateek’s appointment represents an essential milestone for Pocketful as we expand our operations and strengthen our position in the Indian investment market.” He added that Singh’s experience aligns closely with the company’s vision of building a user-focused, technology-driven platform.
For his part, Singh said, “I am truly excited to join Pocketful at such a pivotal stage of its growth journey,” highlighting the rising retail participation and shift towards digital investing in India. He added that the focus will be on simplifying the investing experience and enabling more informed participation in capital markets.
Pocketful offers zero brokerage on equity delivery trades, along with no account opening charges and lifetime zero annual maintenance fees, positioning itself as an accessible platform for new-age investors. It also caters to active traders with advanced tools and features such as margin trading and its in-house intelligence layer, Pocketful GPT, designed to assist with trade ideas and portfolio analysis.
The company has recently expanded into mutual funds, signalling its ambition to evolve into a full-stack investment platform. With Singh at the helm, Pocketful is looking to ride the wave of India’s growing retail investor base and sharpen its competitive edge in the crowded brokerage space.
