AppsForBharat Raises USD 20 Mn in Series C Round to Scale Sri Mandir Devotional Platform The newly raised capital will be deployed to strengthen and scale temple partnerships in over 20 temple towns across India, including Varanasi, Ayodhya, Ujjain, and Haridwar.
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AppsForBharat, the parent company of leading faith-tech platform Sri Mandir, has raised INR 175 crore (approximately USD 20 million) in a Series C funding round led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital. Existing investors: Fundamentum (co-founded by Nandan Nilekani), Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners, also participated in the round.
The newly raised capital will be deployed to strengthen and scale temple partnerships in over 20 temple towns across India, including Varanasi, Ayodhya, Ujjain, and Haridwar. The Bengaluru-based company also plans to expand its services and commerce verticals, set up logistics and fulfillment hubs for prasad and ritual item deliveries, and enhance user experience with AI-powered features.
"With this fundraise, we are entering the next phase of growth—scaling temple partnerships, improving digital infrastructure for temples, and building AI capabilities to serve our users better," said Prashant Sachan, Founder and CEO of AppsForBharat. "We've grown 2X in the last six months and are bringing consistent, year-round income to priests and local vendors in temple towns by digitising devotional services."
Founded in November 2020 by IIT Bombay alumnus and serial entrepreneur Prashant Sachan, AppsForBharat has quickly emerged as a category leader in the faith-tech space. Its flagship app, Sri Mandir, has seen over 4 crore downloads, enabling devotees to participate in online pujas, send offerings (chadhava), receive prasad, and consume devotional content—all from their homes.
In the past year alone, Sri Mandir has facilitated 52 lakh online pujas and chadhavas across more than 70 temples in India. The app also claims to have a strong global footprint, with nearly 20% of its demand coming from the Indian diaspora in countries like the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
At events like the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, Sri Mandir acted as the exclusive digital partner for Vedashram Trust, serving over 3 lakh devotees with hybrid devotional experiences and personalized pujas. It has also helped smaller temples in regions like Uttarakhand and Tirunelveli increase engagement and income, with digital puja bookings driving 25–30% additional revenue.
"Sri Mandir has evolved from a service marketplace to a comprehensive spiritual platform," said Sai Araveti, Investment Advisor to Susquehanna Asia VC. "We're excited to support their mission to blend tradition with technology."
With this round, AppsForBharat's total funding crosses USD 50 million, positioning it as a transformative player in India's spiritual and digital landscape.
