Google’s profits surge; Tiger Global backs Zolve; DeHaat raises $115 mln; and a chat with Microsoft India’s Sangeeta Bavi

Google’s parent Alphabet reported strong results for its fiscal third quarter that ended September 30, with better-than-expected ad sales at Google. The company reported revenues for the quarter rose 15 percent in constant currency terms year-on-year to $65.1 billion. Profits rose 68 percent to nearly $19 billion. Google Cloud saw revenues rise to almost $5 billion from $3.45 billion a year ago, with operating losses halving to $640 million. Zolve, a digital bank, has raised Rs. 300 crore ($40 million) in Series A funding. The round was led by partners of DST Global, who have previously led rounds in prominent fintech companies such as Robinhood, Nubank, Chime, Revolut, and Wealthsimple. The round also saw participation from Tiger Global, Alkeon Capital, as well as existing investors Accel and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The 10-month old startup will use the money to scale up its services, including offering banking services to Indians going to the US. The investment values the startup by Raghunandan G, co-founder of ride-hailing service TaxiForSure, at Rs. 1,575 crore or about $210 million, according to the release. DeHaat, an agri-tech company in Gurugram, near Delhi, has raised $115 million in Series D funding to expand its operations, Shashank Kumar, co-founder and CEO, tweeted. DeHaat sees itself as a ‘full-stack’ agri platform, meaning it aims to help farmers with everything from farm inputs and finance to scientific information and advice to selling their produce. This investment, co-led by Sofina and Lightrock, is the largest funding round for an agritech startup in India, according to TechCrunch. Temasek and existing investors Prosus Ventures, RTP Global, Sequoia Capital India and FMO also participated in the new round, which brings DeHaat’s total funding to $161 million. In more agri-startup news, Gramophone, which also offers services similar to DeHaat, has raised $10 million in Series B funding led by Z3Partners. Gramophone will use the money to expand its operations, including acquiring other ventures, the company said in a press release on Tuesday. Existing investors Info Edge, Asha Impact, and Siana Capital also joined the funding. Dhruva Space, a space tech startup in Hyderabad, has raised Rs. 22 crores (about $3 million) led by IAN Fund and Blue Ashva Capital, as it gears up to launch satellite-as-a-service, space-grade solar arrays and ground station solutions, in India and abroad. The company made the announcement in a press release on Tuesday. With operations in Hyderabad and Austria, Dhruva is already executing orders worth several millions of dollars and expects to add customers in the US and West Asia. (3:40) Interview: Sangeeta Bavi, director of startup ecosystem, Microsoft India on the AI Innovate programme. Sangeeta Bavi spends a lot of time talking to startup founders every day. The director of Microsoft India’s startup ecosystem unit started out as a developer herself and is active in multiple networks, including SaaS BOOMi. In conversation with Forbes India, Sangeeta tells us about AI Innovate, a new programme at Microsoft India, focused on helping startups take advantage of Microsoft’s AI technologies.