Software Startup Aarna Networks Bags $3.5 Mn, Plans To Build Up Sales Growth, Talent Acquisition

Aarna Networks, a software startup in the 5G and edge computing application management space has raised $3.5 Mn in its seed funding round led by SVQuad Ventures.

Other investors in the funding round included Inventus Capital, RiSO Capital and Arka Ventures.

The startup plans to utilise the funds to hire additional engineering talent and to expand its sales efforts, the startup said in a statement.

Aarna Networks plans to come up with a SaaS offering as the fund raise would support product development.

Commenting on the funding round, Amar Kapadia, cofounder and CEO of Aarna Networks said, “It will help us accelerate the development of our product, which will be available as a licensed product as well as a SaaS offering. This will also allow us to concentrate on new possibilities and opportunities.”

In 2020, the startup had raised $716,000 in a pre-seed funding round.

Aarna Networks is an open-source software startup creating a platform for orchestration, lifecycle management, and automation of 5G network services and edge computing applications.

Its flagship product, AMCOP (Aarna Networks Multi-cluster Orchestration Platform), automates cloud-native 5G network services and edge computing applications using intent-based orchestration, lifecycle management, and real-time closed-loop automation.

The San Francisco-based startup was founded in 2018 by Amar Kapadia and Sriram Rupanagunta.

According to Aarna, its open source collaborators include Airbus, Samsung, Facebook, Intel, Juniper Networks and Tata Communications.

The startup’s plans to come up with a SaaS product comes at a time when Indian SaaS companies are making great strides. In September this year, homegrown SaaS major Freshworks came under the limelight when it made a bumper listing on the NASDAQ.

5G technologies and networks are witnessing a rapid growth across the globe and are under trial in several markets including India.

Telecom major Reliance Jio recently conducted trials of connected drones on its indigenously developed 5G network.

In May this year, the government allowed telecom operators such as Jio, Bharti Airtel, Vodafone Idea and MTNL to conduct 5G trials in India. The telecom service providers (TSPs) have been allowed to conduct trials with their partner original equipment manufacturers (OEM) and technology providers, provided they are not based out of China.

In June, Jio partnered with Intel Corporation to develop 5G networking technology. Last year, the semiconductor manufacturer had invested $250 Mn in Reliance Jio.

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