July 10, 2026
By Mandy Dalugdug
thumpN, an India-based live entertainment discovery and ticketing platform, has launched with an AI agent at its core
The thumpN platform went live on Monday (July 6) and bills itself as India’s first “AI-native” discovery and ticketing service
thumpN has raised over $3.75 million (₹35.7 crore) in a pre-seed round, according to Inc42, which first reported the raise
Backers of the round include Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s family office VSS Investco and Paytm CFO Madhur Deora, alongside Hyperlink Brand Solutions founder VG Jairam and Capitalmind co-founder Shray Chandra, Inc42 reported
The company’s cap table also includes singers Arijit Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan and Badshah, according to the report
thumpN was founded by Varun Khare, the former COO of Paytm Insider
Zomato acquired Paytm Insider in 2024 and folded it into its District going-out app, now one of thumpN’s rivals
At the center of the platform is Shadow, a conversational AI agent that recommends live experiences based on a user’s tastes
Shadow is backed by a network of curators, including artists, promoters and venue insiders
“This started from a simple frustration,” said Khare. “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 behavior, has created an opportunity to rethink discovery from the ground up. We’re building thumpN to feel natural.”
“We want to become India’s most trusted platform to make the plan to go out
“Discovery is the piece we’re going after. We don’t want to produce or create our own IPs and compete with the ecosystem. We want to enable it and help it grow.”
Varun Khare, thumpN
“Discovery is the piece we’re going after. We don’t want to produce or create our own IPs and compete with the ecosystem. We want to enable it and help it grow,” Khare told Inc42
Live events were the fastest-growing segment of India’s media and entertainment economy in 2025, expanding 44% year-on-year, according to the FICCI-EY report
The report valued India’s overall media and entertainment sector at ₹2.78 trillion
India’s recorded music revenue grew to ₹59 billion (USD $677 million) in 2025, as
thumpN enters a market led by BookMyShow, alongside Zomato’s District and SkillBox
BookMyShow co-promoted Travis Scott’s India shows with Live Nation, drawing more than 125,000 fans across two dates
Shreyas Srinivasan, a Director and Strategic Advisor at thumpN and the founder of Paytm Insider, 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.”
Shreyas Srinivasan, thumpN/Paytm Insider
“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.”
thumpN’s launch lands as the wider music industry moves discovery and ticketing onto AI surfaces, from Ticketmaster‘s rollout on Google‘s Gemini to Spotify’s move to reserve concert tickets for superfans
“Live entertainment has always been about connection – the right fan, the right artist, the right moment. When that connection happens, you get something far more valuable than a ticket sale.”
Alaap Gosher, thumpN
Alaap Gosher, a Strategic Advisor at thumpN, said: “Live entertainment has always been about connection – the right fan, the right artist, the right moment. When that connection happens, you get something far more valuable than a ticket sale.”
“You get loyalty, belonging, advocacy. The platforms that help build those relationships, not just sell access to them, will shape the next chapter of India’s live entertainment ecosystem.”Music Business Worldwide
NewsIndiapre-seedthumpN
