Info Edge Leads Rs 8.9 Crore Seed Round in Industrial Workforce Platform Factrika, Taking an 18.58% Stake
Naukri.com parent Info Edge has led a Rs 8.9 crore seed funding round in Factrika, an on-demand industrial workforce platform, giving Info Edge an 18.58% stake in the company on a fully converted and diluted basis, with the right to invest in a second tranche that could push its holding up to about 26%.
Here's what Factrika is actually solving. Indian factories face a daily worker shortage of around 20 to 25%, largely because staffing still runs on fragmented, low-tech contractor models, leading to lost output, higher costs, and constant operational disruption. Factrika built a digital platform that matches manufacturers with verified, skilled workers based on availability, enabling deployment within just two hours and maintaining a show-up rate of more than 90%. Workers accept shifts digitally, while the platform handles attendance, payments, and maintains a verified digital work record that supports skill-based career progression, the company claims workers can boost their earnings by 20 to 30% through this progression.
The founder story adds real credibility here. Factrika, formally incorporated as Udyogtech Ventures Private Limited, was founded in July 2024 by Kshitij Puri, a second-time founder who previously built fintech NBFC ZipLoan and is an alumnus of UCLA Anderson and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India, along with Gaurav Asthana, a BITS Pilani and IIM Ahmedabad alumnus with over two decades of experience across recruitment, fintech, agritech and marketplace businesses.
The traction numbers are genuinely strong. Factrika already has more than 10,000 registered workers across 20-plus skill categories, with deployment hours growing 50 to 70% month-on-month, and counts Lenskart, Asahi India Glass, Munjal Kiriu and Jubilant Foods among its clients, operating currently across Bhiwadi, Manesar, Bawal, Noida and Bahadurgarh.
The bigger opportunity is what makes this space worth watching. Factrika is targeting what it estimates as a $23 billion manufacturing workforce opportunity in India, and it's not alone, WorkIndia raised Rs 97 crore in a Series B round led by Aavishkaar Capital just last December, signalling real investor conviction that India's blue-collar, industrial staffing sector is finally ready for serious digital disruption.
From white-collar recruitment dominance to blue-collar industrial staffing, Info Edge's bet on Factrika shows even established players see real opportunity beyond the desk job.
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— Sandeep Raiza