New Delhi, March 31 -- AI-led wealthtech platform Bachatt, storytelling startup Fanon, and non-banking financial company Duggar Finvest have raised early-stage funding.

Bachatt

Bachatt, an AI-led savings and wealth platform targeting India's merchant and self-employed segment, has raised $12 million (around Rs 112.7 crore) in a Series A round led by Accel, with participation from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and Info Edge Ventures.

The Delhi-based startup plans to use the funds to scale its user acquisition and launch new AI-driven wealth and credit products.

Founded in 2025 by Anugrah Jain, Ankur Jhavery, and Mayank Agarwal, Bachatt focuses on financial solutions tailored for merchants and self-employed users, a segment often underserved by traditional products designed for salaried individuals.

Since its launch in May 2025, the platform has acquired over 3 million users, driven by its flexible savings product that allows small, variable contributions into debt mutual funds.

The company is now expanding into AI-led wealth advisory and credit solutions, leveraging proprietary tools that track thousands of mutual fund schemes and market signals to guide investment decisions. It also aims to address working capital needs through quick-access credit offerings, with plans to grow its user base to 30 million over the next 12-24 months.

Fanon

Fandom-focused storytelling platform Fanon has raised $1 million in a pre-seed funding round co-led by Kalaari Capital and Gruhas.

The Bengaluru- and San Francisco-based startup plans to use the capital to scale globally, expand its user base to over 1 million, and build monetization tools for creators.

Founded by Jatin Nayak, Nesar Rao, and Arvindmani Satyanarayan, Fanon aims to bring fragmented fan activity across platforms, like social media, forums, and content sites, into a single destination.

The platform enables users to create and engage with fanfiction, comics, videos, and alternate storylines across more than 250 fandoms, tapping into a category that generates over 500 billion views annually.

The startup, which currently has over 125,000 users, largely Gen Z audiences in the US, the UK, and Europe, has also partnered with Arka Media Works to allow fans to create alternate storylines from the popular Baahubali franchise.

Duggar Finvest

Chennai-based non-banking financial company Duggar Finvest has raised $5 million in a pre-Series A funding round led by HegdInvst.

The company plans to use the capital to expand its secured micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) lending business and deepen its presence in underserved semi-urban and rural markets.

It also plans to use the capital to scale operations across tier II to VI cities, while strengthening its lending franchise alongside its existing vehicle finance portfolio.

The lender, which currently operates in six states, aims to expand to 10 states over the next three years. It is targeting assets under management of Rs 2,000 crore over the next three-four years, while maintaining gross NPAs below 2% and return on assets in the 4-5% range.

Founded in 1987, the company has historically focused on vehicle finance but is now diversifying into secured MSME lending to build a more balanced and resilient loan book.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.