Founded by Aashu Manchali, Gargi Pandey and Reshov Roy, the Bengaluru childcare startup will use the capital to recruit and train caregivers, strengthen its technology and expand operations.
Bengaluru-based childcare startup Maasi has raised ₹6 crore in a pre-seed funding round led by Better Capital and Antler India, with participation from angel investors. The company plans to use the fresh capital to expand caregiver recruitment and training, build its technology platform and grow its team in Bengaluru.
The angel investors include Rishikesh SR of Rapido, Vaibhav Khandelwal of Shadowfax, Sumit Khandelwal of Xoxoday, Siddhant Goyal of Crane VC and Sanjay Ramakrishnan of Multiply Ventures.
Three Founders Build on a Parent Community
Maasi was founded by Aashu Manchali, Gargi Pandey and Reshov Roy after they saw how difficult it was for families to find reliable childcare. Before launching the startup, the trio built Urban Parents Club, a Bengaluru-based community of more than 8,000 parents.
The community gave the founders direct exposure to a recurring problem: families often struggle to find caregivers they can trust, while managing screening, training and replacements themselves.
Maasi aims to address this gap through a managed service that connects families with trained and background-verified nannies. Its services include on-demand care, monthly subscriptions and Maasi Governess, a premium category offering English-speaking caregivers trained in screen-free engagement and childcare.
Training and Trust at the Centre of the Model
The company says caregivers undergo verification and training before being placed with families. Its training programme draws on professionals including preschool directors, nurses and former airline cabin crew trainers.
The business is built around more than matching a family with an available nanny. Maintaining consistent care standards, supporting caregivers and arranging replacements when needed will be central to the service as the company expands.
Maasi’s early traction points to interest from urban families looking for more structured childcare options. The company has reported serving more than 1,200 families during its beta phase and building a waitlist of thousands of parents.
Can Managed Childcare Scale?
India’s home childcare market is highly dependent on personal referrals and informal hiring. A managed platform could make the process easier for parents, but scaling will require a dependable supply of caregivers, consistent training and quality checks across placements.
For Maasi, the next phase will be about turning early demand into repeat usage while maintaining service standards. Recruitment and training will also need to keep pace with customer growth.
The ₹6 crore pre-seed round gives Manchali, Pandey and Roy capital to build that operating base in Bengaluru. Whether Maasi can expand beyond its initial market will depend on its ability to deliver reliable care for families while building a sustainable model for the people providing it.
