Mantra Softech Secures USD 14 Million in Private Equity to Advance Innovation in Identity, Security and AI

Mantra Softech Secures USD 14 Million in Private Equity to Advance Innovation in Identity, Security and AI

Ahmedabad (Gujarat) [India], November 25: Mantra Softech, an Indian deep-tech company focused on identity management, security systems and computer vision, has raised USD 14 million in its first institutional investment round. The funding was led by India SME Fund II, with participation from Motilal Oswal Principal Investments.

The company said the capital will be directed towards strengthening its research and development programmes, expanding its intellectual property portfolio, and establishing a dedicated Center of Excellence for AI-powered computer vision and security technologies.

“This investment represents a significant step in our long-term strategy to build globally competitive technologies from India,” said Hiren Bhandari, Co-Founder, Mantra Softech. “We are focusing on advanced R&D, core engineering talent, and systems that can support large-scale authentication and security applications.”

Mantra Softech develops biometric devices, access control infrastructure and AI-driven identity platforms used in high-security and high-volume environments. Its hardware and software solutions have been adopted across aviation, defence, financial services, workforce management and digital public infrastructure.

The company’s technologies are currently deployed in airport employee access systems, DigiYatra-linked identity solutions, defence identity management, and enterprise workforce authentication projects. According to the company, more than 20 of India’s top 100 corporates use its platforms for secure access, compliance and operational efficiency.

“We are expanding into new aviation and industrial projects and increasing our presence in international markets, particularly in the Middle East,” said Bhavyen Bhandari, Co-Founder, Mantra Softech.

Explaining the rationale behind the investment, Mitin Jain, Founder and Managing Director of India SME Fund II, said:

“Our partnership with Mantra Softech is backed by their consistent execution in biometric and security technologies. Their experience in national identity and critical infrastructure initiatives positions them well for the next phase of growth.”

About Mantra Softech

Founded in 2006, Mantra Softech designs and manufactures biometric sensors, RFID-based systems, access control terminals and AI-enabled IoT hardware. The company holds multiple U.S. patents and complies with industry standards including STQC and FBI biometric certification. Its solutions are deployed by government organisations and enterprises in more than 50 countries.

Ambit Private Limited served as the exclusive financial adviser for the transaction.

The Vale Dweller Is a Newest Addition in Kashmiri Fiction

The Vale Dweller Is a Newest Addition in Kashmiri Fiction

SRINAGAR, KASHMIR: The Vale Dweller announces a new arresting voice in Kashmiri fiction. With book endorsements from writers such as Shakoor Rather, Nayeema Mahjoor and JCB nominated author Shabir Ahmad Mir, this poignant novel written by columnist turned fiction writer Naveed Qazi tries to embody itself as a literary plea for a transformative change in Kashmir towards peace, prosperity, and is a rational attempt of literature involving intellectual and philosophical realms.

First self-published in 2019 by Amazon KDP, the novel is pitched by New Delhi based The Book Bakers Literary Agency, and is traditionally published by Alcove Publishers. In its 194 pages, the author laments on identity crises, economic troubles of the city, hostile political awakenings, political corruption and transcends the nature of storytelling due to usage of symbolisms, and a parable forming nature, due to multi-faceted characters. As there are several fictional places, made up organisations, and other strong imaginary things presented in the book’s universe, there are dashes of magical realism as well.
While the story mostly revolves around a neighbourhood, the novel, in its strong character arcs, involving several unusual characters, even generalises the human dimensions and turbulency of Kashmir since 1990s.

The characters consist of an introspective protagonist, a bibliophile friend working as part-time editor, a university professor turned politician, an assassination survivor, an old writer imparting stories to his scribes, a jail bird activist, a catch all revolutionary columnist, a moral centric bookseller and other minor characters that emerge through the story in an interesting manner.

The Vale Dweller is a narrative experiment about the contemporary life of the place in a coming-of-age story, through a bildungsroman type of narrative. What strikes the chord with the reader is the perpetual confusion which the youth has been sucked into. The story is dark, disturbing and challenges certain notions of Kashmiri psyche as well.

The book is not only an elegy for the city’s newest problems, but it also serves as an expression of esteem for Kashmir’s cultural and social past, witnessed during the years after the partition through a certain form of nostalgia, where the life still had mundane, simple, and feudal aspects to it.
Price: 299 INR