Bengaluru: AppsForBharat, the parent company of the devotional platform Sri Mandir, raised Rs 175 crore led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital. Existing investors, including Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum, Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners, also participated.The company said the funds will be used to scale operations across over 20 temple towns, including Ayodhya, Varanasi, and Ujjain. Plans include expanding logistics and fulfilment infrastructure for the delivery of prasad and ritual goods, strengthening the services and commerce stack, and developing AI tools to personalise and simplify user experiences.Sri Mandir, which has over 4 crore downloads, allows users to book pujas and offerings online, stream devotional content, and receive temple prasad at home. In the past year alone, 12 lakh devotees conducted 52 lakh online pujas and chadhavas at 70 temples via the app. Nearly 20% of demand comes from the Indian diaspora in the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The company said digital engagement helped temples improve both reach and revenues. In temple towns such as Ujjain, Uttarakhand, and Tirunelveli, it reported increased devotee participation and footfall, while online puja bookings contributed an additional 25-30% to temple earnings. At the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, Sri Mandir partnered exclusively with the Vedashram Trust, enabling 3 lakh users to access services digitally.AppsForBharat said it plans to ramp up local hiring in temple towns to operate fulfilment hubs and expand temple partnerships. On the user side, it is developing AI features to support navigation, queries, and ritual guidance.“With this fundraise, we are entering the next phase of growth – scaling temple partnerships, improving digital infrastructure, and building AI capabilities,” said Prashant Sachan, founder and CEO. “We’ve not only improved access and convenience for devotees, but also created consistent income opportunities for priests and vendors who traditionally relied on seasonal footfall.”Founded in 2020, AppsForBharat is backed by a team that includes former operators and investors from Flipkart, Matrix Partners, Elevation Capital, and Airblack.
