Vahak loads up $14m in series A funding led by Nexus Venture Partners

The open road transport marketplace Vahak today announced its $14m Series A fundraise as it scales operations with a sharp focus on supplier well-being and sustainability.

Nexus Venture Partners led the funding round with participation from Foundamental, iSeed Ventures, Leo Capital, RTP Global, & Titan Capital. Vahak has now raised a total of $20.3m since its first round in March 2020.

The funding will be used for rapid user-base expansion, building tech infrastructure by incorporating AI, ML, Big Data, and providing additional value-added services. Vahak aims to create an all-encompassing ecosystem for truck suppliers and become the go-to digital solution for them.

Founded by Karan Shaha and Vikas Chandrawat in 2019, Vahak is a free-to-use, open marketplace for shippers and transport SMEs to discover and connect with truckers to help with their transportation needs.

Karan Shaha, CEO, and co-founder at Vahak commented: "Tech adoption is increasing rapidly in the Indian logistics industry and digitally-driven logistics services are the need of the hour in the current post-pandemic India. Through our platform, we are enabling truck drivers to operate for 25-26 days a month, as compared to the meagre 12-15 days they would operate otherwise. We are now all set to scale our technology and operations to capture 10% of the Indian logistics market and go from 1.5 mn users to 10 mn users in the next one year. We plan on expanding rapidly, enabling millions of Indian transporters and businesses with the power of technology. We have already integrated our platform with escrow payments and plan on bringing in services like insurance, GPS, spare part purchase, etc. very soon."

On leading the investment round Sameer Brij Verma, managing director, Nexus Venture Partners, said, "Despite posting good growth, the Indian logistics market continues to face certain challenges due to the lack of technology integration. Platforms like Vahak are now bringing about the digital transformation of this sector by providing tech-driven features and services to aid millions of truck drivers and shippers in the country. As India aims to cross the $5 trillion economy mark, and build common wealth for all citizens, it is imperative that such tech-driven initiatives receive adequate support from all quarters. We appreciate the tremendous work Vahak is doing and are glad to support them in their journey towards enabling digital, sustainable and cutting-edge transport operations in India."

Vahak has collaborated with MediBuddy to provide over 6 lakh truck drivers with free online doctor consultations. And very soon, it is set to bring in a wide range of VAS (value-added services), like fuel cards, insurance, GPS, truck tyres & spare parts, and more. Alongside tertiary services, Vahak has also launched Vahak Payments, an in-app feature to make transactions faster and safer. Truck drivers can request for advance/balance payments and consignors can pay with a single click. Vahak Payments are safe and fast and help mitigate major payment issues.

Through faster & smarter supply-demand matchmaking, Vahak has helped save over 27 million litres of diesel in just one year, effectively reducing the carbon footprint by 70,000 metric tonnes. With climate change becoming increasingly worrisome by the day, steps like these go a long way in promising a greener tomorrow.