Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture, Offbeat Studios, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. While details about the startup's offerings are not disclosed yet, it is expected to back early-stage ideas. Meanwhile, Boat has delayed its IPO despite returning to profit.

Boat cofounder Aman Gupta's Offbeat Studios raises Rs 100 crore led by Bessemer Venture Partners

Synopsis

Aman Gupta has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding for his new venture, Offbeat Studios, led by Bessemer Venture Partners. While details about the startup's offerings are not disclosed yet, it is expected to back early-stage ideas. Meanwhile, Boat has delayed its IPO despite returning to profit.

Aman Gupta, cofounder of Boat, has announced that his new venture, Offbeat Studios, has raised Rs 100 crore in seed funding. The round was led by Bessemer Venture Partners.

Gupta did not disclose further details, including other participating investors or the startup’s offerings.

“Having built from scratch before, I know what capital can do and what it cannot. This time, I was looking for partners with a global perspective who can help me leverage technology and AI, because that’s where the future lies. Bessemer’s track record with companies like Anthropic, Shopify, Canva, and LinkedIn says it all,” he said in a post on social media platform X.

Gupta announced the launch of Offbeat Studios in early March, but did not disclose details at the time. According to media reports, Offbeat Studios is expected to operate as a venture studio, supporting new ideas and founders from an early stage.

His latest move comes months after he stepped into a non-executive director role at Boat in September last year. In recent years, several founders have taken a similar path, stepping back from day-to-day operations to start new ventures.

This shift also comes as Boat has been exploring plans to go public. However, its IPO ambitions have faced hurdles after statutory auditors flagged discrepancies between quarterly filings made to lenders and the company’s books.

As a result, the company has reportedly delayed its listing plans. It had been looking to raise Rs 1,500 crore through the IPO, including Rs 500 crore in fresh shares and Rs 1,000 crore via an offer for sale by existing investors.

Coming to financials, Boat posted a net profit of over Rs 60 crore in 2024–25, compared to a loss of Rs 80 crore the previous year. However, its revenue dipped slightly to Rs 3,098 crore from Rs 3,122 crore.

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