Ripplr, a Bangalore-based tech distribution and logistics platform, has raised $40 million in a Series B round led by Fireside Ventures. The fundraising also saw participation from new investors Bikaji and Neo Foods and existing investors 3one4 Capital, Zephyr Peacock and Japanese conglomerate Sojitz Corporation. 

The funds will be utilised to fortify its tech platform, expand its team, and build a pan-India presence. The round also witnessed debt participation from Strides Ventures, Alteria Capital, Northern Arc Investments and Trifecta Capital. 

Set up in 2019, Ripplr is a plug-n-play integrated distribution network offering distribution as a service (DaaS) to brands managing and digitising operations, helping create visibility & reach with a management layer for the supply chain.

In the quest to build and scale up an asset-light, tech-enabled FMCG distribution network, Ripplr had earlier raised $12 million in a funding round with a mix of equity and debt from Japanese firm Sojitz Corporation and Stride Ventures in December 2021. The company has grown exponentially in last four years scaling business across 12 cities and is operationally profitable.

Abhishek Nehru and Santosh Dabke, co-founders of Ripplr, said, “With this round, we aim to increase our geographical footprints in India to solve the reach and visibility complications faced by all the FMCG brands in offline distribution and supply chain. We aim to become a trusted long-term partner for brands, distributors, and kirana stores by building an omnichannel model to optimise supply chain inefficiencies.” 

The Indian FMCG business is one of the fastest-growing markets globally. The Indian economy is also thriving at seven to eight per cent annually, with a population of 1.4 billion consumers. 

Commenting on the fundraise, VS Kannan Sitaram, co-founder and partner of Fireside Ventures, said, “There is an increasing focus on offline expansion that we see with D2C brands after they acquire a strong consumer franchise. Ripplr’s Plug -n-Play model will work well for D2C brands. We at Fireside Ventures believe that plug-and-play retail has a massive untapped potential. We are certain that Ripplr’s distribution platform operating nationwide will unlock the potential in the offline retail space”. 

Ripplr’s platform facilitates AI-based predictions and decisions, loading and routing decisions, live inventory tracking, and buying patterns, enabling brands to deliver an integrated customer experience by elevating consumer certainty and quality. It deploys predictive analytics to manage brands' and retailers' demand and inventory. 

Ripplr has raised a total of $56 million so far. Its distribution network has 24 warehouses across Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Pune, and tier 2 cities servicing over 80,000 retailers with long-term partnerships with all FMCG brands, including HUL, Britannia, ITC, Nestle, Mondelez, Colgate Reckitt Benckiser, Godrej, Dabur and Nivea.