Key Takeaways
- Total funding: Vama raised ₹19.03 crore in an ongoing Pre-Series A round.
- Lead investor: Writers and Publishers Private Limited, the family office of Dainik Bhaskar, contributed ₹12.5 crore.
- Reported valuation: The transaction values Vama at approximately ₹180 crore.
- Other investors: Wavemaker Partners, Silver Needle Ventures, Harit Nagpal, Swati Parikh, Vinay Mittal and Nikhil Bhandarkar participated.
- Business model: Vama offers digital temple services, astrology consultations and spiritual products.
- Growth opportunity: The investment could help Vama expand its reach, particularly across Hindi-speaking markets.
- Fundraising status: The round is reportedly ongoing, so additional investment may follow.
What Happened in Vama’s Latest Funding Round?
Spiritual technology startup Vama has raised ₹19.03 crore through a funding round led by Writers and Publishers Private Limited, the family office associated with the Dainik Bhaskar group.
According to Entrackr, the company allotted 3,452 compulsorily convertible preference shares at an issue price of ₹55,134.39 per share. Such shares can convert into equity under specified conditions, making them a common instrument for startup fundraising.
The family office contributed ₹12.5 crore, while the remaining ₹6.53 crore came from other participating investors. The transaction reportedly gives the Dainik Bhaskar family office a stake of approximately 6.98% in Vama.
The funding round remains open, according to the report. Therefore, the ₹19.03 crore figure represents the disclosed funding to date rather than necessarily the final amount Vama will raise.
Funding round at a glance
| Particular | Details |
|---|---|
| Startup | Vama |
| Sector | Spiritual technology and consumer services |
| Total disclosed funding | ₹19.03 crore |
| Dainik Bhaskar family office investment | ₹12.5 crore |
| Other investors’ contribution | ₹6.53 crore |
| Reported valuation | Approximately ₹180 crore |
| Funding stage | Pre-Series A |
| Announcement date | October 28, 2026 |
| Reported family office stake | Approximately 6.98% |
Source: Entrackr and related funding reports.
Who Invested in Vama?
The funding round brings together a media-linked family office, venture capital investors and individual backers.
Writers and Publishers Private Limited: The Dainik Bhaskar family office is the lead investor, contributing ₹12.5 crore. Its participation provides Vama with capital as it develops its digital spiritual-services business.
Wavemaker Partners: The venture capital firm has backed Vama in previous funding rounds. It led a ₹22 crore funding round announced in September 2025, according to The Economic Times.
Silver Needle Ventures: The investor has also participated in Vama’s funding activity, reflecting continued interest in the company’s business model.
Individual investors: The latest round also includes Harit Nagpal, Swati Parikh, Vinay Mittal and Nikhil Bhandarkar.
The participation of existing backers alongside a new lead investor gives Vama access to additional capital while maintaining continuity with its earlier fundraising history.
What Does Vama Do?
Founded in 2020, Vama operates a digital platform for religious and spiritual services. Its offering connects users with temple rituals, devotional experiences, astrology consultations and spiritual products.
The platform is designed to make selected religious services accessible through a mobile or online experience. Customers can arrange certain pujas and offerings remotely rather than travelling to a temple for every ritual.
Vama’s services include:
- Online temple services: Users can arrange selected rituals and offerings through the platform.
- Virtual darshan: Devotees can access digital experiences connected with temples.
- Astrology consultations: Users can seek consultations through the platform.
- Spiritual products: Vama Mall offers products associated with devotional practices.
The company has previously reported a network of more than 250 temples and over 300 astrologers. These relationships are important to its model because digital customer acquisition must be matched with reliable service delivery by temples, astrologers and other providers.
Rather than operating as a conventional e-commerce marketplace alone, Vama combines digital discovery and booking with services rooted in physical religious institutions.
How Vama Makes Money
Vama generates revenue by connecting customers with paid spiritual services and products.
Temple services are a major part of the business. Reporting on the latest funding round indicates that temple-related services account for around 70% of Vama’s revenue, with astrology consultations and its spiritual-commerce business making up the remainder.
| Revenue stream | How it works |
|---|---|
| Temple services | Customers pay for eligible pujas, offerings and related services |
| Astrology consultations | Users pay for consultations with astrologers |
| Spiritual commerce | Customers purchase devotional products through Vama Mall |
| Potential travel services | Temple-related travel could extend the business beyond digital bookings |
The company has also discussed expanding into offline spiritual tourism. In September 2025, co-founder Manu Jain told The Economic Times that Vama planned to facilitate temple visits and expand into travel-related services.
That strategy could create additional revenue opportunities, but travel services also involve operational complexity, including coordination with service providers, logistics and customer support.
Why Is Dainik Bhaskar’s Investment Significant?
Dainik Bhaskar is a major Indian media group with a substantial presence in Hindi-language markets. Its family office’s investment gives Vama a backer with potential insight into the preferences and information habits of audiences across several Hindi-speaking regions.
This could be relevant as Vama seeks to reach users who are comfortable using digital services but want familiar, trusted ways to access religious rituals and spiritual products.
The strategic opportunity is not simply about advertising. A media group’s understanding of regional audiences may help a consumer startup refine its marketing, identify demand and build awareness. However, the investment announcement does not establish that Vama will receive a specific advertising package or distribution agreement from Dainik Bhaskar.
The deal is also notable because it is among the first publicly reported startup investments associated with the Dainik Bhaskar promoter family’s investment activity, according to funding coverage.
Vama’s Previous Funding and Growth
Vama has raised capital from investors in earlier rounds to develop its product and expand its services.
In September 2025, the startup announced a ₹22 crore funding round led by Wavemaker Partners, with participation from 500 Global, Sadev Ventures, Venture Catalysts, Silver Needle Ventures and other investors.
At the time, The Economic Times reported that Vama had approximately 600,000 monthly active users and had doubled its revenue in FY2025 to around ₹20 crore. The company had also outlined plans to increase investment in its product, marketing and expansion into offline spiritual tourism.
Those figures are historical disclosures, not a confirmation of Vama’s current user base or its latest annual financial results.
The latest funding round adds another source of capital as the company seeks to grow its customer base and broaden its services.
India’s Faith-Tech Opportunity
Vama is part of a wider category of Indian startups using digital platforms to make religious and spiritual services easier to access.
The opportunity is driven by several factors: widespread smartphone use, online payments, demand for convenience and the ability to connect consumers with service providers in different locations. Digital platforms can also help temples and other providers reach devotees who live far away or have limited time to travel.
However, the sector has its own challenges. Service quality and authenticity are important to customers, while trust can be difficult to establish when religious experiences are booked through an app. Platforms must also ensure that pricing, service descriptions and fulfilment expectations are clear.
For Vama, growth will depend on more than attracting downloads. It must retain customers, maintain reliable temple and astrologer relationships, manage acquisition costs and deliver a consistent experience.
The Bigger Picture
Dainik Bhaskar’s family office investment signals continued investor interest in consumer businesses that connect established cultural practices with digital distribution. Vama’s model combines online access with services delivered through temples, astrologers and spiritual-product providers, giving it multiple potential revenue streams.
The investment does not guarantee that Vama will become profitable or dominate the faith-tech market. Its long-term performance will depend on customer retention, operating efficiency and the ability to expand without compromising service quality. The next phase will show whether additional capital and access to new audiences can translate into sustainable growth.
FAQs
1. How much has Dainik Bhaskar’s family office invested in Vama?
Writers and Publishers Private Limited, associated with the Dainik Bhaskar family office, invested ₹12.5 crore as part of Vama’s ₹19.03 crore ongoing Pre-Series A round.
2. What is Vama’s valuation after the funding round?
The startup’s valuation has been reported at approximately ₹180 crore, around 20% above the previous round’s reported valuation.
3. What services does Vama provide?
Vama offers online temple services, puja bookings, virtual darshan, astrology consultations and spiritual products through its digital platform.
4. Who are the other investors in Vama?
The reported participants include Wavemaker Partners, Silver Needle Ventures, Harit Nagpal, Swati Parikh, Vinay Mittal and Nikhil Bhandarkar.
5. How does Vama generate revenue?
Vama earns revenue from temple services, astrology consultations and spiritual products. Reports indicate that temple services contribute the largest share of its revenue.
Looking Ahead
Vama’s immediate priority will be to turn the new funding into stronger customer acquisition, broader service availability and sustainable unit economics. The participation of Dainik Bhaskar’s family office could offer strategic advantages, particularly if the company can reach more users across Hindi-speaking markets, although the scale of any commercial collaboration has not been disclosed.
The investment also provides another signal that India’s faith-tech market is attracting capital beyond specialist venture investors. Whether Vama can convert this interest into durable growth will depend on the trust it builds with devotees, the quality of its service network and its ability to make digital spiritual services convenient without losing the authenticity customers expect.
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