Dailyhunt fundraise a signal that self-reliance pitch works

The $200 million that it has attracted in under two months indicates a broader revival of interest in made-in-India apps.

Harveen Ahluwalia

Mumbai

12 February 2021

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It’s the kind of announcement that makes everyone—investors, rivals, and the press—sit up and take notice.

Earlier this week, news aggregator Dailyhunt’s parent announced that it had raised $100 million in funding. This comes just over a month after it raised a similar sum of money. But it’s not just about the money. The company, Verse or Ver sé or Ver se Innovation (depending on the document you look at), now counts the likes of Google, Microsoft and Qatar Investment Authority as its key investors.

There is no other way to say this. The sum involved is big and the names are impressive. There are a lot of digital and social companies in India right now that would kill for even half that money. For a company that has been in the news aggregation business for years and is now looking to reinvent itself with a new pitch, this fundraise is as good as it gets.

A few months ago, we looked into Dailyhunt’s business and its many efforts to find a direction

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