PublicNext funding, investors and company details

PublicNext is an emerging Advertising and Media startup from Hubli, working in the space of Hyperlocal news and community engagement platform to bridge the gap in reliable neighborhood-level reporting. Founded by Krupa Dilip Sheth, Manjunath Rao, Vishal Sheth, Raghavendra Gopal Rao, Sweta Mishra.

Company: Electreps Private Limited
Sector: Advertising and Media
Location: Hubli
Founders: Krupa Dilip Sheth, Manjunath Rao, Vishal Sheth, Raghavendra Gopal Rao, Sweta Mishra
Total funding raised: ₹1 Cr

Company overview

PublicNext is a hyperlocal news and community engagement platform to bridge the gap in reliable neighborhood-level reporting, particularly in regional languages where mainstream media coverage is often limited. By centering its content on local issues, events, and commerce, the platform has evolved into a grassroots digital media channel. A significant portion of PublicNext’s content is delivered in video form, with nearly 70% of updates designed to provide a TV-like viewing experience on mobile devices. Its strong emphasis on regional language content aligns with India’s rapidly expanding vernacular internet audience, where most smartphone users prefer consuming information in their native language. In addition to news, PublicNext fosters citizen participation through features that encourage debates, discussions, and expression of opinions. The platform also supports local businesses by allowing them to share job listings, promotions, and offers, effectively combining information dissemination with community-driven commerce to strengthen neighborhood ecosystems

Funding rounds

Latest round: ₹1.00 Cr. ($ 0.12 Mn), 2023-01-17. Investors: Google News Initiative