AI-Powered Childcare Management Startup illumine Bags $2.5 Mn

AI-powered childcare management startup illumine has secured $2.5 Mn (INR 21.68 Cr) in a seed funding round from Prime Venture Partners.

The startup plans to use the fresh capital to boost product development and expand its global footprint. illumine also looks to focus on innovation, educator empowerment and helping childcare owners scale up their businesses.

Founded in 2018 by Navneet Rastogi, Sourabh Agarwal and Purva Goyal, illumine was established to address the prime challenge of quality childcare operating with disjointed systems and outdated manual processes. The Bengaluru-based startup solves the issue by offering a vertical AI SaaS platform built specifically for childcare.

“Whether it’s a single preschool or a multi-center operation, the system is built to flex and adapt to each centre’s unique needs,” Goyal said.

illumine claims that this platform is currently used by more than 3,000 centres across 56 countries, including the US, UAE, Southeast Asia, Europe, and India.

Since its inception, the startup has raised $800K in angel investment from undisclosed investors.

The development comes at a time when the B2B SaaS sector has been seeing a steep rise in investments, comprising 40% of the overall funding bagged in the past year. In total, Indian SaaS startups raised over $2.1 Bn in 2024, up 31% YoY.

Investors have been encouraged to back SaaS platforms that are built on AI. Notably, more than 35 deals have been recorded in the first two months of the year in the SaaS and enterprise tech space.

Earlier this week, SaaS company Capillary Technologies filed its DRHP with SEBI for its potential public listing, and its IPO will comprise a fresh issue of up to INR 430 Cr and an offer for sale of up to 1.83 Cr shares. The company plans to raise INR 86 Cr in its pre-IPO placement.