New Delhi, Aug. 6 -- Claims collection startup DPDzero, food brand Gladful, nuclear energy firm Hylenr, dashcam maker Cautio, and software development platform CodeKarma have secured funding in separate early-stage rounds, the companies said on Wednesday.

DPDzero

DPDzero has secured $7 million (Rs 61.3 crore) in Series A funding led by Japanese fintech-focused VC firm GMO Venture Partners, SMBC Asia Rising Fund, and existing investor Blume Ventures. The round also saw participation from India Quotient, Sinarmas Group, among others.

The startup will use the funds to develop its multilingual AI collection agent and fuel the launch of a network of professional field collection agents.

Founded by Ananth Shroff, DPDzero blends behavioural data, AI agents, and human operations to optimize debt collections. The company claims sixfold revenue growth over the last 18 months and has partnered with fintechs and NBFCs like Tata Capital, Moneyview, L&T Finance, and Manappuram Finance.

Gladful

Food brand Gladful has raised Rs 8 crore ($0.9 million) in a funding round led by Eternal Capital, founded by former BharatPe COO Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl. The round also saw participation from existing investors Antler India and Venture Catalysts, along with RWA Advisors, Arav Ventures, and angel investors Aman Tekriwal and Sairam Krishnamurthy.

Founded by siblings Parul and Manu Sharma, Gladful offers products focused on child nutrition like chilla, dosa, pancake, and idli mixes, providing 5-8 grams of protein per serving from largely plant-based sources.

Hylenr

Hylenr has secured $3 million in a pre-Series A round led by Valour Capital and Chhattisgarh Investments Ltd, early-stage investors focused on deep-tech/energy transition technologies. Individual investors Karthik Sundar Iyer and Anant Sarda also participated.

PwC served as Hylenr's advisor on the transaction, while Samvad Partners was the legal advisor.

The Hyderabad-based company, which uses Low Energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR) to develop carbon-free heat energy systems for industrial heat and power, said the funding will help it fast-track from pilot to market launch.

"Our recent lab results show unprecedented energy gain ratios, and this round gives us the momentum to focus on our product roadmap. We have begun early proof-of-concept tests, with several government bodies and large corporations showing interest in our LENR systems," said Siddhartha Durairajan, chairman and managing director of Hylenr. "The next phase will focus on scaling manufacturing and expanding globally," he added.

Founded in 2024, Hylenr Technologies' proprietary LENR-based hybrid heat systems provide thermal energy generation across industries such as manufacturing, oil and gas, district heating, and clean water desalination.

Cautio

Video telematics startup Cautio has raised an additional $1.8 million in seed funding led by Amal Parikh, with participation from 8i Ventures, AU Small Finance Bank, Vibha Chetan (partner at Cheravi Ventures), and Venture Catalysts. The round also saw participation from Multiply Ventures founding partner Raveen Sastry, Bounce co-founder Vivekananda Hallekere, and JAR co-founder Nishchay AG.

With the fresh funding, Cautio has raised a total of $3 million in the seed round, with $1.2 million announced in April.

Founded by Ankit Acharya and Pranjal Nadhani, Cautio provides advanced dash cameras, paired with an AI-driven safety platform, to help fleet operators detect and prevent risks in real-time.

CodeKarma

Software productivity platform CodeKarma has raised $2.5 million in a pre-seed funding round led by Prosus, Accel, and Xeed Ventures, with participation from SenseAI Ventures, and Stargazer Ventures.

The startup said it plans to use the capital to create autonomous, self-improving software systems. It also plans to advance its AI-driven capabilities, expand into new enterprise verticals, and strengthen its strategic hiring and global presence, especially in the US.

Founded by Ananth Vanchi, CodeKarma's platform integrates real-time production insights into development workflows by identifying hidden risks, eliminating unused code, and shipping software faster. The platform creates a closed-loop feedback system that continuously improves code quality, performance, and maintainability.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from VC Circle.