Inauguration of Ayodhya's Ram Mandir boosts growth of spiritual apps
What's the story
The Ram Mandir inauguration in Ayodhya has sparked a surge in demand for spiritual apps, with platforms like Vama, DevDham, and AppsForBharat seeing increased user engagement. Manu Jain, Vama's co-founder, likens the event to India's 2016 demonetization, which greatly boosted digital payments. Investors such as Peak XV Partners, Elevation Capital, Titan Capital, and India Quotient have shown interest in the spiritual app sector.
Details
Vama sees 35% increase in organic searches
Vama, a New Delhi-based start-up offering virtual pujas, darshans, and astrology services, has seen a 35% increase in organic searches this month. Jain said, "While we see a huge surge in spirituality searches for the Ram Mandir, people in general are more curious about the (spiritual) space and the sector." Vama has attracted funding from Wavemaker Partners and angel investors like Cred founder Kunal Shah, Mamaearth co-founder Varun Alagh, and Tata Play MD & CEO Harit Nagpal.
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DevDham records 30-35% rise in daily engagement
DevDham (formerly DevDarshan), backed by Titan Capital, raised Rs. 6 crore earlier this month. It has experienced a 30-35% rise in daily engagement on its mobile app. The start-up has partnered with over 500 temples across India. Pranav Kapoor, co-founder of Noida-based DevDham, said, "Enthusiasm for the inauguration is so high that individuals from even remote areas of the country are contacting us to make offerings."
Insights
SriMandir app gains traction
AppsForBharat's first app, SriMandir, allows devotees to create virtual shrines, join prayer groups, and access devotional content. Founded in 2020, the start-up has raised $14 million in funding so far. Prashant Sachan, AppsForBharat's founder, said, "People showering digital flowers have increased roughly 10-12x of what the previous volume was. The number of digital aarti (prayer ritual) that people can do has gone up five times more on that specific shrine."