AppsForBharat, the innovative force behind the spiritual technology platform Sri Mandir, has successfully secured INR 175 crore (approximately $20 million) in a Series C funding round. This financial boost was spearheaded by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital, with continued backing from existing investors including Nandan Nilekani’s Fundamentum, Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners. This latest investment builds upon a previous $18 million Series B round from September 2024, cumulatively raising the company’s funding to over $53 million. Headquartered in Bengaluru, AppsForBharat plans to channel these funds into expanding its reach across more than 20 prominent temple towns throughout India, such as Ayodhya, Varanasi, Ujjain, and Haridwar. A significant part of this expansion involves setting up logistics and fulfillment centers dedicated to the delivery of prasad and ritual items.
The company is also focused on bolstering its services and commerce sectors, as well as integrating AI capabilities to enrich the user experience. To support these efforts, the startup intends to increase local hiring, potentially creating between 500 to 1,000 new jobs or gig opportunities for managing temple operations. Founded in 2020 by Prashant Sachan, Sri Mandir has emerged as a leading devotional platform, boasting over 4 crore downloads. The app facilitates online pooja bookings, offerings, prasad deliveries, and access to devotional content. Over the past year, 12 lakh users have completed 52 lakh rituals at more than 70 temples through the app. Notably, approximately 20% of its user base resides outside India, with significant representation from the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. The platform also served as the official digital partner for the Vedashram Trust during the Mahakumbh Mela 2025, assisting over 3 lakh devotees.
The app’s ability to book online pujas has enhanced temple earnings by 25-30%, stimulating demand for prasad and ritual supplies among local vendors. AppsForBharat is currently developing AI tools to help users navigate rituals and provide content suggestions aligned with their devotional interests. The burgeoning faith-tech ecosystem in India, comprising over 900 startups, is driven by increased internet and smartphone penetration and the demand from both young Indians and the diaspora. Prominent competitors in this space include Astrotalk, Temple Connect, VAMA, and Phool. Astrotalk, in particular, boasts 78 million users and reported a net profit of INR 99.99 crore on an operating revenue of INR 651.12 crore in FY24. With this fresh capital infusion, AppsForBharat is poised to enhance its digital infrastructure and expand temple partnerships.
The company is piloting an AI agent designed to guide users through personalized rituals, leveraging its extensive devotional content library. CEO Prashant Sachan underscores the company’s dedication to generating value for temple partners and devotees, highlighting the platform’s role in enabling temples to maintain a consistent income stream through digital services. Looking ahead, AppsForBharat aims to onboard two of India’s top ten temples to its platform, marking a pivotal step in its mission to foster trust and growth within the faith-tech ecosystem
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