Kunal Shah, other tech founders invest Rs 5 crore in Bengaluru rental startup Helium

Bengaluru-based proptech startup Helium has raised Rs 5 crore in its first funding round led by a group of prominent Indian startup founders.

The investors include Albinder Dhindsa, Kunal Shah, and several co-founders of Zomato, including Pankaj Chaddah, Mohit Gupta, Akriti Chopra, and Gunjan Patidar, along with Nitin Gupta and others from the startup ecosystem.

Founded in January 2025 by Sahil Ludhani and Ashutosh Tandon, Helium offers a full-stack rental management platform focused on gated residential communities. Both founders previously worked at Zomato, before moving to CRED and Stanza Living.

Helium said the funds will be used to expand its operations across Bengaluru and strengthen its presence in the Whitefield area, a major IT hub in the city.

“The capital will primarily be deployed towards product and marketing, with a focussed strategy of deepening our presence in the Whitefield cluster while beginning expansion into select micro-markets across Bangalore,” Tandon said.

The startup operates a model in which it leases homes directly from property owners and pays the full security deposit upfront, removing the need for tenants to arrange large deposits themselves.

Tenants instead pay a reduced deposit based on their credit profile, while the remaining amount is financed through a non-banking financial company partner under what the firm describes as a zero-cost structure, with no instalments during the tenancy.

Helium also guarantees rental income to homeowners and manages tenant relationships, positioning itself as an intermediary between both parties.

“What we’ve realised is that the best homes people are looking for often never come online, largely because most owners don’t upload properties themselves. So, we tell owners we will rent out their apartment instantly and take on the vacancy risk,” Ludhani said.

“It’s a win-win — owners get the full deposit they expect, while tenants pay significantly less upfront as the remaining amount is covered through a credit line,” Ludhani added.

Helium currently operates in Whitefield and has onboarded around 170 homes, primarily in developments built by large real estate groups such as Prestige Group, Brigade Group, Sobha Limited, and Godrej Properties. The company reports an average rental cycle of about two weeks.

Its deposit product, known as “Deposit Saver”, allows tenants to secure homes with deposits as low as one month’s rent, with the remainder financed through lending partners.