thumpN raises $3.75 million in pre-seed round backed by Arijit Singh, Vijay Shekhar Sharma

New Delhi: AI-native live entertainment platform thumpN has raised over $3.75 million in a pre-seed funding round, with backing from music artists Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Badshah, along with Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Paytm CFO Madhur Deora, Capitalmind co-founder Shray Chandra and Hyperlink Brand Solutions founder VG Jairam. The startup plans to use the funding to expand its AI-powered live entertainment discovery and ticketing platform, which aims to personalise event recommendations for consumers while offering organisers AI-driven tools for audience engagement and event management. Founded by a team with more than two decades of experience in India's live entertainment industry, thumpN is targeting a market that hosts over 40,000 live events across 319 cities annually. At the core of the platform is Shadow, an AI-powered conversational assistant that helps users discover live events through natural language queries instead of traditional keyword-based searches. According to the company, Shadow combines AI with insights from artists, promoters, venue operators and genre experts to deliver personalised recommendations across concerts, comedy shows, festivals, sports, nightlife and community events. Varun Khare, CEO of thumpN, said, "This started from a simple frustration. Discovery today is fragmented across social feeds, algorithms, WhatsApp groups, and word of mouth. The explosion of India's live entertainment market, combined with the shift toward conversational and AI-native consumer behaviour, has created an opportunity to rethink discovery from the ground up." He added, "We're building thumpN to feel natural. Fans can ask Shadow for anything from 'a stand-up show this weekend under ₹1,500' to 'something fun for the family on Sunday,' and the platform understands context, intent, and taste." Explaining the product approach, Shreyas Srinivasan, Director & Strategic Advisor, thumpN, said, "Most ticketing platforms layer AI on top of a search bar. We rebuilt the experience to be AI Native. Shadow maintains context, reasons across live experiences throughout, and learns your taste over time. The result isn't a smarter search box, it's a fundamentally different way to discover live entertainment." The company said the platform also offers AI-powered onboarding, audience insights and operational tools for artists, promoters and venue partners. thumpN is launching as a pan-India platform with a focus on both metropolitan and Tier II and Tier III markets, where demand for live entertainment continues to grow. Commenting on the opportunity, Alaap Gosher, Strategic Advisor, thumpN, said, "Live entertainment has always been about connection - the right fan, the right artist, the right moment. The platforms that help build those relationships, not just sell access to them, will shape the next chapter of India's live entertainment ecosystem."