Bengaluru-Based Startup AppsForBharat Secures Rs 175 Crore in Series C Funding to Expand Faith-Tech Ecosystem India’s digital spirituality landscape is rapidly evolving, and Bengaluru-based startup AppsForBharat is at
India’s digital spirituality landscape is rapidly evolving, and Bengaluru-based startup AppsForBharat is at the forefront of this transformation. The company, known for its flagship app Sri Mandir, recently raised Rs 175 crore (approximately $20 million) in a Series C funding round led by Susquehanna Asia Venture Capital. This fresh capital injection marks a significant milestone in AppsForBharat’s journey, reinforcing its position as the country’s leading faith-tech platform.
Existing investors—including Fundamentum, co-founded by Indian tech luminary Nandan Nilekani, Elevation Capital, and Peak XV Partners—also participated in the round. This latest funding brings the company’s total raised capital to nearly $50 million, underscoring strong investor confidence in the startup’s vision and business model.
Founded in 2020 by Prashant Sachan, an IIT Bombay alumnus and serial entrepreneur, AppsForBharat was born from the idea of merging India’s deep-rooted spiritual traditions with cutting-edge technology. The company’s core product, Sri Mandir, is designed to digitize devotional experiences, enabling millions of devotees to engage with temples and religious services online in a seamless and meaningful way.
Sri Mandir’s features include:
This comprehensive digital platform caters to a vast and diverse user base, helping devotees maintain their religious practices regardless of location or circumstance.
Since its launch, Sri Mandir has become the most downloaded faith-tech app in India, boasting more than 4 crore downloads. The platform’s rapid adoption reflects a growing appetite for digital access to religious services, particularly among younger and tech-savvy demographics.
In the last 12 months alone, Sri Mandir facilitated over 52 lakh pujas and chadhavas across more than 70 temples nationwide. These impressive figures highlight the platform’s ability to scale operations and deliver authentic spiritual experiences in a digital format.
AppsForBharat plans to deploy the newly raised funds strategically to accelerate growth and broaden its impact. Key areas of focus include:
According to Prashant Sachan, these initiatives represent the startup’s next phase of growth: “With this fundraise, we are entering the next phase of growth—scaling temple partnerships, improving digital infrastructure for temples, and building AI capabilities to serve our users better.”
A significant societal impact of AppsForBharat’s platform is its role in creating steady income streams for temple priests and local vendors. By digitizing traditional devotional services, the company ensures year-round engagement, breaking the seasonal or festival-only income cycles historically experienced by religious communities.
This democratization of income also empowers small businesses and temple economies, helping preserve age-old traditions while embracing modern commerce.
AppsForBharat’s success spotlights the emergence of faith-tech as a distinct and promising sector in India’s startup ecosystem. Catering to India’s vast religious population, faith-tech combines spirituality with digital tools to make devotional practices more accessible and inclusive.
Sri Mandir’s multilingual approach and user-friendly design help bridge urban-rural divides, bringing spiritual engagement to previously underserved populations.
Beyond India’s borders, Sri Mandir is making waves internationally. Nearly 20% of the app’s users come from the Indian diaspora, reflecting the platform’s role in helping overseas communities maintain cultural and religious ties.
This global footprint presents new opportunities for AppsForBharat to expand services and deepen engagement with Indians abroad, who often face challenges accessing traditional religious institutions in foreign countries.
Prashant Sachan’s vision extends beyond simply digitizing rituals. He envisions AppsForBharat evolving into a holistic platform that not only facilitates devotional services but also nurtures a connected spiritual community supported by technology.
His leadership has positioned AppsForBharat as a category leader, balancing innovation with respect for tradition.
With Rs 175 crore in new funding, AppsForBharat is well-equipped to scale its operations, deepen temple partnerships, and enhance its technology platform. As Sri Mandir continues to grow, it not only transforms how millions of devotees engage with spirituality but also strengthens the economic foundations of temples and local communities.
In an increasingly digital world, AppsForBharat’s pioneering work in faith-tech offers a compelling model of how tradition and technology can coexist and thrive together.
