Sequoia’s Surge leads $3.2 Mn round in Pankhuri

Pankhuri, a social community platform where women can network, learn, and shop online through live streaming, chat, and micro-courses, has raised $3.2 million in funding led by Sequoia India Capital’s Surge. India Quotient and Taurus Ventures have also participated.

The Bengaluru-based startup will use this money in building communities where women in tier II and III cities in India can participate in online conversations across beauty and lifestyle segments.

Floated by Pankhuri Shrivastava, the startup offers expert advice, product recommendations, and creates editorial content by covering daily breakthroughs in beauty, skincare, and wellness segments.

The startup claims to have a community of over 250,000 active women and has a completion rate of 95% for its live-streamed sessions.

Pankhuri is one among the 10 women founders which Surge has selected for its fifth cohort of 23 startups. Besides institutional investors, angels including Farid Ahsan, Kunal Shah and Sai Srinivas have also invested in it.