by Surabhi Nijhawan Indus OS, a homegrown smartphone operating system has raised $4 million (Rs. 26 crore) in its pre-series B funding from investors Omidyar Network, Ventureast and JSW Ventures. After this, Indus OS' total funding is $13 million. The company did not reveal its valuation. It will be using the funding for expansion in brand partnerships, user acquisition and new product development, read the statement. Micromax, Intex, Karbonn, Celkon and Swipe, and cab aggregator Ola are some of the brand partners. The company has 10 million users currently and intends to have 100 million users in three years. In November, it announced its first international brand partnership with Itel Mobile. Indus OS' future operations Indus OS will be working closely with major developers in India for the expansion of its brand accounts, an integration of internet services within the OS platform. These features will create an easy to use interface for users as it is made to reduce battery and data consumption. Basically, one would be able to do a lot more without downloading the apps. In August 2017, Ola cabs launched its brand account on IndusOS platform. The Ola app was preloaded in Indus OS. It incorporated Ola cabs in its default messenger which made booking a cab easy for Indus OS users. In early 2017, they announced that they will be creating the first Aadhaar authenticated and UPI integrated OS in the country. Indus OS history Indus OS, previously named Firstouch, was founded in 2013 by IIT-Bombay alumni…
