Mumbai-based totally wearable tech startup, GOQii, has raised an undisclosed quantity of Series C investment from Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar.
Akshay Kumar has joined the organization’s board as an investor and strategic consultant. As a part of this association, Akshay Kumar will host one in all GOQii’s fitness training initiative referred to as the ‘India Health Quiz’ on GOQii Play. Kumar can be carrying out live training classes on GOQii Play.
. The business enterprise has raised $43.4 Mn from investors such as Mitsui & Co, DSG Consumer Partners, NEA, Edelweiss Financial Services, Cheetah Mobile and greater.
Founded in 2014, GOQii is a smart wearable that allows human beings to music their steps, sleep, and other physical activities, and then does more. Its smart fitness environment integrates gear for real-time personalized education, an explosive high-increase fitness ecommerce store, scheduling fitness checkups, a health locker.
It also gives a ‘GOQii Cash’ program in which healthful behavior is rewarded with coins discounts and coverage reductions based totally on fitness management information.
GOQii: Targeting 10 Mn Users
“We are extraordinarily happy to have Akshay Kumar as a part of our GOQii Family. He personifies the values that GOQii stands for and is a dwelling example of what we advise – Exercise, Eats healthily and relaxation well,” Gondal stated.
Mitsui’s investment was to allow GOQii to penetrate similarly throughout India and additionally mark GOQii’s entry into Japan. It is also launching in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Malaysia in July.
Akshay Kumar said, “I accept as true within the GOQii preventive health atmosphere, and am proud to be associated with this kind of passionate team. Health is not a short time period aim and may be finished through adopting a healthful lifestyle.”
With a user base of approximately 2.7 Mn, GOQii is trying to develop to ten Mn users with the aid of the give up of FY20.
During Ask Me Anything with Inc42, Gondal pointed out his vision of GOQii and said that “at GOQii, what we’re seeking to construct is an era-enabled platform that will guide human beings, motivate them, and make them help others via becoming an agent of exchange. That’s the way you scale the model.”
Bollywood: Deeply Invested In Startups
The largest tech startup environment of the sector, Silicon Valley, has had a tinge of glamour on with investments from Hollywood stars and celebrities.
The fashion has now trickled all the way down to India, that’s domestic to the 1/3 biggest tech startup surroundings of the arena and the third largest film enterprise within the international too. Bollywood stars and celebrities have also been exploring investments in the generation area to diversify their hobbies and use their reach for entrepreneurial goals.
Here are a few other latest investments:
Deepika Padukone has invested in an extension of the currently closed Series C spherical of investment in Epigamia led by Verlinvest, Danone Manifesto Ventures, and DSG Consumer Partners.
Indian actress Priyanka Chopra invested in two US-based startups — alternate university education startup Holberton School and dating app Bumble. Along with Chopra, tennis celebrity, Serena Williams has additionally sponsored Bumble.
Mumbai-primarily based fitness startup SARVA raised approximately $6 Mn – $eight Mn from a group of countrywide and worldwide celebrities along with international icon Jennifer Lopez, US baseball participant Alex Rodriguez, Indian actress Malaika Arora, and health brand Zumba
Hritik Roshan-sponsored health startup Cure. The suit had raised $75 Mn from Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Accel Growth, Kalaari Capital, IDG Ventures India in May
Popular actor and film manufacturer Aamir Khan has invested $300K in online furnishings apartment platform Franco, in his private capability
