Mayank Bidawatka, the co-founder of the former vernacular microblogging platform Koo, has successfully raised $4 million for his latest venture, Billion Hearts. The funding round was spearheaded by early-stage venture capital firm Blume Ventures, with additional support from General Catalyst and Athera Venture Partners.
Prior to this, the startup had secured approximately $250,000 in a pre-seed round from notable founders of redBus, Ola, InMobi, and Myntra in September.
The newly raised funds will be allocated towards building a robust global team and advancing the technology behind the product. Despite its expansion, the startup aims to maintain a lean team, planning to scale its workforce to 15 members by early next year.
Currently in its initial stages, Billion Hearts is accepting sign-ups for its upcoming product, which is expected to launch in beta early next year for select users. The app will be available on both Android and iPhone platforms.
Koo, Bidawatka’s previous venture, ceased operations in July due to limited traction and a lack of follow-up investments. Efforts to secure a merger or acquisition deal were unsuccessful.