From Stars to Start-ups Technology is reshaping India’s $7-billion faith Market. Astrotech is leading the charge and its market size Is projected to reach $1 billion by the decade’s end Returning users spend up to 3x more each month, underscoring the power of repeat consultations drawing investors to the sector AI is offering more personalised, accurate, and accessible services Millennials and GenZers are driving the digital shift, seeking quick, customised guidance The industry is Seeing steady Growth as people turn to astrology for comfort during uncertain times The Indian business ecosystem is witnessing a surge in astrotech start-ups, blending centuries-old traditions with cutting-edge technology. Legacy players like Drik Panchang, Clickastro, Astroyogi and AstroSage have donned the tech avatar, while new-age startups such as Astrotalk, Cosmic Insights and InstaAstro are redefining astrology for the tech-savvy generation. What’s fascinating is how astrology, deeply rooted in Indian culture, is not just surviving, but thriving in the age of artificial intelligence. From AI-driven horoscope predictions to algorithm-powered kundali matching for marriages, the sector isn’t just keeping up with technology—it’s leveraging it to expand its reach and precision. The fusion of tradition and innovation is setting the stage for astrology’s next big evolution. Take for instance Astrotalk, an app-based platform providing on-demand consultation services to seekers of celestial divination. It first gained prominence during Covid-19, and caught the eye of venture capitalist Left Lane. Astrotalk raised $20 million in February 2024 in a Series A round of funding from New York-based Left Lane. It had attracted a seed round from QED Innovation Labs in August 2021, according to Tracxn, a platform that tracks start-ups. Astrotalk founder and Chief Executive Officer Puneet Gupta told Business Today that investors may not have believed in astrotech earlier, but given increasing consumer interest as well as a rising number of start-ups in the space, they are rethinking their recalcitrance. In sum, Astrotalk has raised over $30 million in two back-to-back rounds, one in February 2024 and an extended Series A fund raising in April that same year. Astrotalk and funded rivals like InstaAstro, Taaraka, Bodhi and AstroVision are propelling a sector that in recent years has not been spared from the sting of a general slowdown in investment in start-ups and in which the absence of successful investor exits is an impediment to funding. Drik Panchang is a widely used online panchang and Hindu calendar. In 2024, the platform recorded 58 million total visitors and served 32.6 million pages. Clickastro, incorporated in 2001, reported revenue of over Rs 18 crore, according to Tracxn. Covid triggered a wave of human misery across the world and had something to do with the new-found congruence between astrology and technology, experts like Jai Madaan say. “Post Covid-19, there’s been a significant transformation, with more people turning to spiritual practices. Millennials and younger individuals often seek guidance through video or teleconsultations, a trend that wasn’t prevalent a few years ago,” explains the celebrity astrologer and motivational speaker. Madaan says technology has made astrology accessible beyond local experts. Faith in the Stars India has always had an abiding faith in the stars, and the trust in astrology has remained resilient in present times. However, now there is lesser reliance on family astrologers and local pandits; astrology has donned a tech-savvy avatar, evolving into astrotech—an obvious derivation of the terms astrology and technology. Astroyogi has been around since 2001 and has transited from being one of the first automated kundli (horoscope) generators to a full-fledged global platform. “We launched our mobile app in 2017 and now serve a user base of 30 million globally,” says Meena Kapoor, founder of Astroyogi. AstroSage, which officially started in 2001 and is one of the most widely used platforms for online kundli generation, revamped itself as AstroSage AI in 2024 to leverage tech and launched AI Avatars, basically AI astrologers. Gupta of Astrotalk is so bullish about astrotech’s prospects that he is already planning an initial public offering in 2026-27. Business Model India’s growing faith market is worth as much as $7 billion. According to RedSeer Strategy Consultants, astrology is leading the charge, with astrotech alone projected to become a $1 billion opportunity by the end of FY25. Astrotech apps offer a wide range of services tailored to their target market, including tarot card readings, vastu consultation (advice on house layout and construction), Vedic astrology, matchmaking, horoscope readings, and more. The revenue model is simple: customers are charged on a minutes basis (mostly) for consultation. Rates typically range around Rs 12–15 per minute, climbing to Rs 200 or more for celebrity astrologers. Firms say a major portion of revenue is generated by repeat customers. Privacy concerns are more prominent now, especially among young people, who prefer the anonymity and convenience of online consultations -ANKUSH KAKKAR,FOUNDER, OM KAR ASTRO RESEARCH Per market leaders, including Astrotalk, Astroyogi and AstroSage, the primary user base for these services comprises millennials, or people born between the early 1980s and late 1990s, and Gen Z, or the internet-savvy cohort born between the mid-1990s and the mid-2010s. The shift in this traditional space is driven by increasing digital adoption and a rising demand for personalised, easily accessible services. Thriving in Tech The astrology sector is undergoing a technological renaissance, with AI and machine learning (ML) transforming the way astrologers provide personalised services. From generating future astrological and numerological reports to delivering tailored analyses, technology is enhancing efficiency and accuracy, making astrology more appealing to tech-savvy audiences. It is attracting VC investors’ interest as well. “The astrology sector has been one of the few pandemic-driven growth areas that not only sustained but thrived in subsequent years. With AI and ML integration, astrology platforms have evolved into habit-forming apps, especially for younger users,” says Anirudh A. Damani, Managing Partner at Artha Venture Fund. In May 2024, his fund backed InstaAstro, an online astrology and wellness platform, with a $2.3 million (approximately Rs 18 crore) pre-Series A investment. Damani believes the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) could revolutionise the astrotech sector, enabling astrologers to offer deeper, more tailored insights. He emphasises that astrology, increasingly popular globally, is a recession-proof industry. AI functions like a ‘big brain’ and... it is scalable. When properly trained, it can make highly accurate predictions-and I’m not even comparing it to astrologers -PUNIT PANDEY,FOUNDER AND CIO, ASTROSAGE AI Astrologer Punit Pandey, founder and Chief Innovation Officer at AstroSage AI, says that technology is the perfect tool for the transformation of astrology. It breaks barriers, reaching places and people that traditional methods cannot. And among all technologies, AI is the Holy Grail—it brings knowledge, speed, and precision to the masses. “With AI, we’re not just replicating astrology; we’re redefining it,” he says. When asked about the possibility that at anytime in the future AI will replace astrologers, Pandey says AI is as big as the industrial revolution and people are failing to see that. “If not evolved with the tech, all apps will die and that also stands true for AstroSage, hence, we are playing big on integrating AI in our app.” Elaborating on AI’s role in the age-old practice of astrology, Pandey explains that AI functions like a “big brain.” He likens its structure to the human brain, where neurons correspond to parameters in an Artificial Neural Network (ANN). The key difference, he says, is scalability. “In humans, the number of neurons is fixed—say, I have 80 billion neurons, but I can’t add another 100 billion. That’s a natural limitation,” he says. “AI, on the other hand, can continuously expand its parameters through artificial neural networks and transformer models, making the ‘brain’ scalable.” Pandey says this scalability gives AI an edge. “Whatever you teach or feed into this AI brain, it can replicate and enhance, making it far more precise than humans. If trained in astrology, AI could be a thousand times more accurate simply because it has more parameters to process and analyse.” In January 2025, Astrosure.ai, an app providing real-time, personalised astrology-based insights, raised $6 million in a seed round led by Pradeep Dadha, investor and CEO of Netmeds Marketplace Ltd. Unlike traditional platforms, Astrosure.ai does not on-board astrologers and instead engages users through its chatbot, Agastyaa. Vanya Mishra, the app’s founder, explains that its target audience is the younger generation, who often seek mental well-being without the intimidating presence of traditional astrologers. “Agastyaa serves as a companion, offering answers and support whenever users need it,” Mishra adds. Handsome Payback Investment in astrotech is paying back. Indian astrotech start-ups are performing strongly, with many achieving sustained monthly revenues over $1 million. Their revenue models primarily revolve around consultation fees and e-commerce sales of products like bracelets and gemstones. Notably, most of these start-ups have already attained profitability, one of the reasons fuelling investor interest. Platforms like Astrotalk and InstaAstro exemplify the sector’s potential, particularly when scaling into international markets where profit margins are often much higher, Damani says. Astrotalk, founder Gupta says, has been profitable since its inception in 2017 and claims that the company expects to close the current financial year with a profit of Rs 140 crore. The trajectory is noteworthy, considering the meteoric rise in revenue from Rs 17 crore in FY20 to Rs 659 crore in FY24. Profitability too leapt, from over Rs 8 crore in FY23 to Rs 100 crore in FY24—a nearly 13-fold jump in just one year, as per Tracxn data. “We capture 80-85% of India’s astrotech market,” says Gupta with pride. Pandey says astrology apps are witnessing remarkable growth, with major platforms seeing revenue increases of 5-10% per month, driven by the high demand for personalised, on-demand services—an impressive achievement in any industry. Charting New Paths AstroSage is also coming up with its new product Kundli AI which will help people in learning astrology with the help of AI. Pandey claims that AstroSage has a 90% market share among astrologers. Astrology requires a deep knowledge of ancient Hindu texts as well as the ability to make fast and accurate calculations, says Dadha, and AI’s accuracy will create platforms that offers both reliability and a deeper sense of connection to users. The evolution underscores how technology, powered by AI and ML, is redefining astrology. Even so, the offline space continues to hold significance. Traditional astrologers and offline consultations still play a vital role, especially in regions where digital adoption is slower. Astrology’s digital evolution has transformed the way people seek guidance, and while astrotech is ripe for disruption, offline consultations still remain relevant, especially among those aged 35 and above. Ankush Kakkar, an astrologer, Vastu consultant, and founder of Om Kar Astro Research, says: “While technology and online consultations have surged in the last two to three years, offline consultations are still significant for many.” Kakkar also agrees that younger individuals are opting for private online consultations rather than traditional family visits to astrologers. What attracts us as investors is the customer satisfaction score and NPS when evaluating astrotech companies -MARMIK MANKODI,INVESTMENT TEAM AT BLUME VENTURES Yet, Kakkar views AI as a support system for astrologers and not a replacement, enabling them to leverage technology to enhance productivity and analyse more kundlis within a given timeframe. He says that as technology evolves, so will astrotech. The progress does not mean the traditional appeal of meeting astrologers and receiving personalised insights will fade. A generational shift is also reflected in the revenue trends of astrotech start-ups. Madaan and Astrotalk’s Gupta note that online consultations, particularly from the younger demographic, are significant revenue drivers. Gupta adds that video call consultations account for less than 0.1% of revenue, underscoring privacy as a critical factor. Kapoor of Astroyogi says 35% of the app’s traffic comes from users aged 18-35. According to Mukesh Kumar, Associate Partner at RedSeer, India’s astrology market has the potential to move towards an organised structure, offering significant opportunities for participants. This trend extends globally. In India, the top three players by customer base are Astrotalk, AstroSage, and AstroYogi, with Astrotalk being the only funded company among them, says Kumar. When it comes to funding, Astrotalk, InstaAstro, Taaraka, Bodhi, and Astro-Vision lead the sector, according to Tracxn. Marmik Mankodi of Blume Ventures, which backs InstaAstro, notes a curious paradox: while the space is growing fast and companies are delivering strong results, the lack of global benchmarks for successful exits remains a challenge. This gap leaves investors only cautiously optimistic. Endgame Mankodi believes deal-making activity could pick up once there is greater clarity on the long-term potential and endgame for the sector. Comparing the current landscape to Astrotalk, he notes that newer start-ups might emerge to expand the market and potentially reach Astrotalk’s scale, while Astrotalk itself continues to grow steadily. All the leading players in the astrotech sector are actively targeting overseas markets. According to Gupta from Astrotalk, the company generates a daily revenue of Rs 20 lakh from the US market. While this is relatively modest compared to its daily revenue in India, the firm is aggressively expanding its presence in the US, focusing on the NRI audience. Similarly, for AstroSage, approximately 25% of its revenue comes from international markets. In the West, apps like Moonly and Co-Star have gained prominence. Beyond astrology, the broader religious tech space, including e-commerce platforms like AppsforBharat, are thriving, having secured $892 million in funding so far, according to Tracxn. The stars and prospects of the sector seem to be in alignment. @PalakAgarwal64
