Bengaluru-based childcare startup Maasi has raised ₹6 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Better Capital, alongside Antler India. The company describes the investment as one of the largest pre-seed rounds in India’s childcare category.
The round also saw participation from several angel investors, including Rishikesh SR of Rapido, Vaibhav Khandelwal of Shadowfax, Sumit Khandelwal of Xoxoday, Siddhant Goyal of Crane VC, and Sanjay Ramakrishnan of Multiply Ventures.
Founded by Aashu Manchali, Gargi Pandey, and Reshov Roy, Maasi aims to address the challenges Indian parents face when finding reliable childcare at home. The company offers trained and verified caregivers through an organised service designed to provide families with greater consistency and accountability.
Maasi Sees Early Demand Following Public Launch
Maasi’s public launch on October 20, 2026, generated a waitlist of more than 4,000 parents within five days. The company has served over 1,200 parents with a network of more than 500 caregivers and is reporting week-on-week growth of 20%.
The startup emerged from Urban Parents Club, a community of more than 8,000 parents in Bengaluru. The founders observed that finding a trustworthy nanny was one of the most common concerns among families in the community.
The idea gained further momentum after a close friend of the founders left her job because she could not find reliable childcare. Coming from families that run schools, the founders decided to build a service focused on making childcare more dependable for working parents.
The name Maasi comes from the Hindi word for a mother’s sister, reflecting the trust and familiarity the company wants families to experience when choosing someone to care for their children.
Addressing the Challenges of Finding Reliable Childcare
Finding dependable childcare remains a major challenge for many Indian families. Parents often rely on personal recommendations, neighbours, or messages shared on WhatsApp to find nannies. These informal arrangements may offer limited assurance about training, accountability, or replacement options when a caregiver leaves.
Maasi aims to offer a more structured alternative by bringing caregiver verification, training, and support into the childcare process.
The company currently provides on-demand nanny services starting at ₹199 per hour, along with monthly subscriptions starting at ₹5,999.
Before being introduced to a family, every caregiver undergoes verification and training through a free programme led by preschool directors, nurses, and former airline cabin crew trainers.
The training is intended to help caregivers deliver a more consistent standard of care while giving parents greater confidence in the people looking after their children.
Maasi Introduces Its English-Speaking Governess Service
One of the company’s newer offerings is the Maasi Governess, an English-speaking nanny trained in screen-free engagement and childcare.
The service caters to parents looking for caregivers who can support children’s engagement and care without relying on screens. The category has attracted particular interest from parents, according to the company.
Through its service offerings, Maasi is seeking to make trained childcare more accessible while building a model centred on caregiver preparation and family trust.
What Investors Said About Maasi
Vaibhav Domkundwar, founder of Better Capital, said the lack of reliable childcare remains a significant problem for millions of Indian parents. He expressed confidence in founders Aashu Manchali, Gargi Pandey, and Reshov Roy as they work to bring greater trust and accountability to childcare in India.
Better Capital is an early-stage venture capital firm that backs companies at the inception stage.
Rajiv Srivatsa, Partner at Antler India, highlighted the strength of Maasi’s founding team and its approach to caregiver selection.
He said the company had been designed to be exclusive, with a high standard for every caregiver, and described the team as well suited to tackling a difficult problem in the childcare sector.
The participation of Better Capital, Antler India, and experienced founders from companies including Rapido, Shadowfax, and Xoxoday adds to the investor backing for Maasi as it develops its services.
How Maasi Plans to Use the Funding
Maasi will use the ₹6 crore raised to expand caregiver recruitment and training, develop its technology platform, and grow its Bengaluru team.
As the company scales, its ability to recruit and prepare caregivers while maintaining service quality will be important to its plans to build a more organised childcare offering.
With early demand following its public launch, Maasi is looking to build on its existing network of more than 500 caregivers and serve more families across Bengaluru.
About Maasi
Maasi is a Bengaluru-based childcare company founded by Aashu Manchali, Gargi Pandey, and Reshov Roy. It provides families with access to trained and verified caregivers for in-home childcare, including hourly services, monthly subscriptions, and its English-speaking Governess category. The company aims to establish a more reliable and accountable childcare experience for Indian families. It is operated by Elephant in the Room Infotech Private Limited.
-By Shivani Solanki
