Billion Hearts, the new venture founded by Mayank Bidawatka, co-founder of the now-defunct Koo, has successfully raised $250,000 in an angel funding round. Bidawatka announced this development through a LinkedIn post on Wednesday, highlighting the support from a network of esteemed founders, venture capitalists, and friends who have built iconic consumer brands in India.
In his post, Bidawatka expressed gratitude for the backing received, stating, “Billion Hearts raised $250K in an angel round from founders, VCs and friends who’ve built iconic consumer brands in India.” The Economic Times was the first to report on this funding milestone.
The venture has attracted investment from a diverse group of 13 angel investors, including notable figures such as:
- Phanindra Sama (co-founder of redBus)
- Ankit Bhati (co-founder of Ola)
- Raveen Sastry (former Myntra executive)
- Mekin Maheshwari (co-founder of Flipkart)
- Piyush Shah (co-founder of InMobi)
- Rekuram Varadharaj (founder of healthi)
- Narasimha Reddy (MoEngage)
- Bhaskar Raju (Rattle)
- Puneet Chawla (Jaypore)
- Darshit Vora (Acherman Capital)
- Vibhore Sharma (Capital 2B)
- Nithin Chandra (Facebook)
- Nizamabad Angels
On Tuesday, Bidawatka officially announced his role as the founder of Billion Hearts and indicated that the venture’s official launch is just a few months away. He conveyed his appreciation for the overwhelming support he has received, stating, “Thanks a lot for the love and blessings for the new venture! Loads of gratitude to have so much support from the good folks here.”
He elaborated on the meaning behind the name “Billion Hearts,” expressing a vision to represent the dreams of many and to create beautiful digital products for billions of users worldwide.
As part of its early development, Billion Hearts has opened subscriptions for its beta version, allowing early adopters to engage with the platform ahead of its full launch. This venture comes just under three months after the shutdown of Koo, the homegrown microblogging platform, reflecting Bidawatka’s quick transition to new entrepreneurial pursuits.
With a solid foundation of support from prominent figures in the Indian startup ecosystem, Billion Hearts aims to carve out a niche in building innovative digital products. As the venture prepares for its launch, the backing from experienced investors and the vision of its founder position it for potential success in the competitive tech landscape.