Exclusive: Pratilipi Raises $1.2 Mn From Alteria Capital

Bengaluru-based self-publishing platform Pratilipi has raised INR 10.11 Cr (about $1.2 Mn) in a bridge funding round, which was a mix of equity and debt, from Alteria Capital. 

Out of the INR 10.11 Cr, about INR 5 Cr was raised in debt and the remaining was equity funding, as per the startup’s regulatory filings.

The funding round comes a month after Pratilipi raised about INR 15 Cr via optionally convertible debentures (OCDs) from individual investors. 

Talking about the latest funding round, Pratilipi cofounder and CEO Ranjeet Pratap Singh told Inc42 that the startup became cash-flow positive in July. The debt and funding via OCDs was raised after that to accelerate the growth till July 2025.

Pratilipi is also in talks to raise about $12 Mn this month, Singh said, adding that the startup is looking to get ready for an initial public offering (IPO) in early 2026. 

Founded in 2015 by Singh, Sankaranarayanan Devarajan, Rahul Ranjan and Sahradayi Modi, Pratilipi is an Indian language storytelling platform, which connects readers and writers in 12 languages. It claims to have an extensive readership and listener base of up to 15 Mn subscribers and be home to over 9.5 Lakh writers. 

It is backed by the likes of Tencent, Omidyar Network, WEH Ventures, Times Internet, and Nexus Ventures Partners, among others, and has raised over $80 Mn in funding to date.

On the financial front, the startup managed to reduce its net loss by 62% to INR 58.13 Cr from INR 152.63 Cr in FY23. Operating revenue surged over 65% to INR 57.8 Cr from INR 34.9 Cr in FY23. 

Earlier, Singh told Inc42 that Pratilipi is aiming to achieve an operating revenue of INR 110 Cr by FY25 and INR 180 Cr by FY26.

“We are now at a stage where we can become profitable whenever we want by reducing forward-looking investments or expenditures. We want to grow as quickly as possible before the last two quarters,” the cofounder said then.