Recently launched live entertainment discovery and ticketing platform thumpN has raised over $3.75 Mn (₹35.7 Cr) in its Pre-Seed funding round from a host of investors, including Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s family office VSS Investco, Paytm CFO Madhur Deora, Hyperlink Brand Solutions’ founder VG Jairam and Capitalmind cofounder Shray Chandra. Singers Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Badshah, also joined the startup’s cap table.
The startup, which officially launched yesterday (July 6), plans to use the fresh capital to build its AI-powered discovery platform and expand presence across the fast-growing live entertainment ecosystem.
Founded by ex-Paytm Insider COO Varun Khare, thumpN is positioning itself as an AI-native discovery and ticketing platform that aims to help users find live experiences tailored to their interests via a conversational interface.
The platform’s AI assistant ‘Shadow’ recommends concerts, comedy shows, festivals, sports events, nightlife experiences and other live activities based on a user’s preferences. The assistant combines AI with a network of curators spread across cities and genres to surface relevant recommendations.
“We want to become India’s most trusted platform to make the plan to go out,” founder Khare told Inc42. “Discovery is the piece we’re going after. We don’t want to produce or create our own IPs and compete with the ecosystem. We want to enable it and help it grow.”
The startup estimates that more than 40,000 live events take place across 319 cities every year, but discovery remains fragmented, with users often relying on social media, messaging apps and word-of-mouth to discover events, especially in beyond metro markets.
Unlike traditional ticketing platforms that primarily focus on facilitating transactions, thumpN says its emphasis is on solving the discovery problem first. Khare said the platform is willing to recommend relevant events even if they are listed on rival platforms, arguing that building user trust is more important than prioritising proprietary inventory in the early stages.
Beyond discovery, the startup is also building software tools for event organisers. It plans to provide insights into audience preferences, event demand, genre trends and consumer behaviour to help organisers make better programming and marketing decisions, particularly in tier II and III cities where live entertainment is expanding rapidly.
The startup said these capabilities will be bundled into its existing ticketing commission model instead of being offered as standalone paid products. It expects improved organiser tools to ultimately translate into more events and higher ticket sales on the platform.
The startup enters a competitive market dominated by players such as BookMyShow, District by Zomato and SkillBox.
The post Exclusive: Live Entertainment Discovery Platform thumpN Nets $3.75 Mn From Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Others appeared first on Inc42 Media.
