Qiroko raises ₹1.5 crore pre-seed

Terms in this story

• Bootstrapping: Bootstrapping means growing a startup from your own savings and customer revenue, while raising means selling shares to investors. Bootstrapping keeps control and ownership but usually grows slower. Raising buys speed at the price of dilution, board oversight and pressure to deliver returns, so each round should earn its place.
• Funding stage: Startups raise money in steps called funding stages: pre-seed, seed, Series A, B, C and later, ending in a listing or a sale. Each step is larger and asks for more proof. In India, Series A rounds run from a few million dollars to about $15 million, as of November 2026.
• Seed round: Pre-seed and seed are the first money a startup raises from outside investors. The difference is how much has been built when the cheque arrives: pre-seed backs an idea or prototype, usually with a cheque under ₹5 crore, while seed backs an early product and runs from a few crore rupees to a few million dollars.
• Angel investor: An angel investor is a wealthy individual who puts personal money into a very young startup, often before it has steady revenue, in return for shares. In India most angels write cheques from a few lakh to a few crore rupees, and as of November 2026 pooled angel funds may take money only from accredited investors.