VerSe Innovation appoints Prakashan Manikoth as Group CFO

VerSe Innovation, the parent company of Dailyhunt, Josh, NexVerse.ai, VerSe Collab, Magzter, and ValueLeaf, has appointed Prakashan Manikoth as its Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO).

Based in Bengaluru, Manikoth will oversee global finance, strategic planning, investor relations, M&A, and capital allocation. He will also lead VerSe’s IPO preparation, focusing on financial discipline, governance, and risk management.

Manikoth has more than 25 years of experience across Wipro, TCS, Tata Teleservices, and LeadSquared. At Wipro, he managed finance for global operations, and at TCS, he led finance for its emerging markets and core banking business units. Before joining VerSe, he served as CFO of LeadSquared, where he helped expand global operations. 

VerSe operates an AI-powered local language technology platform that delivers personalized content to over 350 million users through Dailyhunt, and supports creators through Josh, India’s leading short video app. Its portfolio also includes NexVerse.ai, Dailyhunt Premium, and VerSe Collab, which offer AI-driven digital content and creator tools.

As per TheKredible, VerSe Innovation’s operating revenue jumped to Rs 1,930 crore in FY25 from Rs 1,029 crore in FY24. The company expects to breakeven and achieve group-level profitability in the second half of FY25.

VerSe is backed by investors such as CPP Investments, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Qatar Investment Authority, Carlyle Group, Baillie Gifford, Goldman Sachs, and Peak XV. As of now, the Bengaluru-based company has raised over $1.5 billion and was valued at $5 billion in its last round.