AI Entertainment Startup thumpN Raises $3.75 Million pre-Seed Funding
Before founding thumpN, Varun Khare spent 8 years at Paytm Insider, building one of India's largest live entertainment and ticketing businesses.
AI-powered live entertainment discovery platform thumpN has raised $3.75 million (₹35.7 crore) in a pre-seed funding round from a marquee group of investors.
The round was backed by VSS Investco, the family office of Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, along with Paytm CFO Madhur Deora, Hyperlink Brand Solutions founder VG Jairam, Capitalmind co-founder Shray Chandra, and renowned musicians Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, and Badshah.
The fresh capital will be used to strengthen thumpN’s AI-powered discovery platform, expand its presence across India’s rapidly growing live entertainment ecosystem, and build technology solutions for both consumers and event organisers.
Founded by Varun Khare, the former Chief Operating Officer of Paytm Insider, thumpN is an AI-native platform that helps users discover concerts, comedy shows, festivals, sports events, nightlife experiences, theatre performances, and other live activities through personalised recommendations.
At the centre of the platform is Shadow, an AI-powered entertainment assistant that combines artificial intelligence with insights from a network of local curators to recommend experiences based on users’ interests, location, and preferences.
Unlike conventional ticketing platforms that primarily focus on selling inventory, thumpN is built around solving the discovery problem. The platform recommends relevant events regardless of where tickets are sold, including those listed on competing platforms, while prioritising personalised recommendations and user trust.
Beyond consumer discovery, the startup is also developing AI-powered tools for event organisers. These products provide insights into audience behaviour, demand forecasting, genre preferences, pricing trends, and regional consumption patterns, helping organisers improve programming, marketing, and event planning, particularly across emerging Tier II and Tier III markets.
Before founding thumpN, Varun Khare spent more than eight years at Paytm Insider, where he played a key role in building one of India’s largest live entertainment and ticketing businesses. His experience in scaling entertainment commerce forms the foundation of thumpN’s product strategy.