Bangalore based media-tech startup, ZAPR, has raised an undisclosed amount of funding led by Flipkart, with participation from Saavn, Micromax and Mu Sigma cofounders - Dhiraj Rajaram and Ambiga Dhiraj. This round also saw participation from existing investors - Dinesh Agarwal, Samir Bangara, Sanjay Nath and Arihant Patni. Funds raised will be primarily used to expand on the company’s product portfolio for the media & advertising industry as well as to scale up the technology team.
With its proprietary technology platform, ZAPR has been making waves in the Indian media industry and is now working with leading media agencies, brands and broadcasters. It helps them better understand the media consumption preferences of millions of Indians, and to engage with their audiences seamlessly across TV as well as the mobile and social universe. Over the past year, ZAPR has scaled tremendously and its media consumption data repository is now over 100 times larger than any other in India.
“We’re excited to have Flipkart, Saavn, Micromax as well as Dhiraj and Ambiga from Mu Sigma join our latest round of funding. These companies have redefined the concept of innovation and have disrupted their respective industries. We at ZAPR, share their DNA of leveraging technology to solve intractable problems and their participation in this round, along with the tremendous support we’re received from the media and advertising industry, further reinforces our beliefs," said Sandipan Mondal, CEO, ZAPR
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As the importance of seamless 360 degree marketing increases for brands, ZAPR’s ability to connect the TV screen with the mobile screen, ensures that the same user can now be engaged across several mediums. Brands are increasingly looking to move their budgets from TV to mobile and the ZAPR platform is suitably positioned to catalyse that shift. Additionally, the sheer scale of ZAPR’s data, drives incredible insights for brands and broadcasters.
“With mobile and internet bringing in a paradigm shift in the way media is consumed, Zapr is surely looking at a very exciting growth road-map. The team has firm grounding in terms of understanding of the media ecosystem. We are confident that with a well-defined strategy and innovation; Zapr will have a unique position in the media space," said Nishant Verman, Sr. Director- Corporate Development, Flipkart.
ZAPR was a graduate of the first batch of the GSF accelerator, founded by Rajesh Sawhney. Since graduating from the accelerator, it has been working closely with numerous media veterans like Samir Bangara. Samir, formerly MD Disney (Digital) and currently Co-Founder, MD Qyuki has been closely associated with ZAPR as an angel investor and mentor supporting the team on strategy and fund raising. Other media and technology veterans such as Roshan Abbas, Naveen Tewari, Vijay Shekhar Sharma and Rajesh Kamat, are also investors in ZAPR.
