Gurugram based e-commerce startup DotPe has secured $27.5 million (about Rs200 crore) in series A funding from existing investors PayU and Info Edge Ventures, and Google which joined as a new investor. With this, the startup has raised a total of $35.5 million (Rs257 crore) through seed funding.
DotPe has made some key hirings recently and plans to use the fresh funds to accelerate product development, market expansion, and scaling up technology.
“In a very short time, DotPe has acquired a promising merchant base with its impeccable product experience and innovation. We believe DotPe is positioned for rapid expansion as it disrupts and transforms the offline to online segment. They also align seamlessly with PayU’s vision of digitising payments in India by enabling merchants of all sizes,” Anirban Mukherjee, CEO, PayU India, said in a statement.
Founded in March 2020 by ex-PayU founder Shailaz Nag with Gyanesh Sharma and Anurag Gupta, DotPe is an offline-to-online (O2O) platform that enables SMEs and merchants to digitise their business. It offers multiple solutions, ranging from online ordering, payments, and delivery.
In May last year, DotPe tied up with the National Restaurant Association of India to deploy a digital ordering solution for restaurants looking to minimise physical contact with customers. So far, over 10,000 restaurants and food courts across India have used their services. In the SMB segment, more than 5 million merchants are already using their Digital Showroom solution.
Offline to online e-commerce became immensely popular during the pandemic and has been embraced by thousands of small businesses, retailers and shopkeepers. Several other platforms such as Khatabook, Bikayi, OKShop, and Dukaan generated a lot of traction in the past year from small retailers, particularly neighbourhood stores which were severely affected during the lockdown and had to switch to online commerce to avoid business disruption.
“In the last few months we’ve seen acceleration in offline players seeking to move their businesses online. We’re pleased to back young companies like DotPe that are supporting India’s digital transformation by connecting consumers and merchants through helpful, innovative tools,” Sanjay Gupta, VP & Country Head, Google India said in a statement.
Google has emerged as one of the leading investors in the Indian startup ecosystem. The search engine giant plans to invest $10 billion in India over next five to six years.
