IIT Delhi backed startup raises 20 crores in series A

IIT Delhi startup Clensta is a direct-to-consumer personal and home care products startup, it has raised over INR 20 crore in a series A funding led by Venture Catalysts and Inflection Point Ventures.

Besides Hem Angels, part of Hem Securities Limited, N+1 Capital (RBF), the existing investors along with other marquee investors also invested in this funding round, the IIT-backed startup  said in a statement.

The funds raised will be used to scale up the company's sales, ramp up brand marketing and expand Clensta’s online and offline presence across India.

“Clensta’s entry into the D2C segment is likely to create a new category of personal and home care products. We are optimistic that it will become a billion dollar tech-driven personal care brand in the next few years. Wishing the team a great journey ahead,” said Apoorva Ranjan Sharma, co-founder, Venture Catalyst.

The five-year old start-up founded by Puneet Gupta in 2016, started with the flagship products based on Waterless Technology (Waterless Body bath & Shampoo) to enable bathing without the use of water.

As a developer of waterless technology and the curator of this category, the startup has a big presence in the B2B and B2B2C segment. However, Clensta is now tapping the D2C segment with its Super Cleansers filled with smart concentrates for household cleaning and plans to launch an innovative technology based personal care category.