Dailyhunt parent VerSe Innovation appoints Prakashan Manikoth as Group CFO

Bengaluru-based VerSe Innovation, the parent company of Dailyhunt, Josh, NexVerse.ai, VerSe Collab, Magzter, and ValueLeaf, has appointed Prakashan Manikoth as its Group Chief Financial Officer (Group CFO).

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Manikoth, who will be based in Bengaluru, will lead VerSe’s global finance operations, including strategic planning, investor relations, mergers and acquisitions, and capital allocation. He will also oversee the company’s IPO readiness, focusing on financial discipline, transparent reporting, and stronger governance.

With over 25 years of experience across large technology and telecom enterprises, Manikoth has held leadership roles at Wipro and the Tata Group, including TCS and Tata Teleservices. At TCS, he served as Head of Finance for its emerging markets and core banking business units, while at Wipro he managed finance for global operations and delivery. Before joining VerSe, he was Chief Financial Officer at SaaS firm LeadSquared, where he helped scale operations and drive international expansion.

Umang Bedi, Co-founder of VerSe Innovation, said: "We are delighted to welcome Prakashan to VerSe Innovation’s leadership team. His deep domain expertise and proven experience across global technology enterprises make him the perfect partner to guide our financial strategy as we accelerate toward becoming India’s first global AI-led technology powerhouse. His leadership will be critical as we scale responsibly, deepen our governance standards, and gear up for our IPO journey."

Prakashan Manikoth, said, "VerSe is redefining how Bharat engages with content, creators, and commerce, powered by cutting-edge AI and bold ambition. I look forward to partnering with the founders and leadership team to amplify impact, driving sustainable enterprise value creation for all stakeholders, and help shape the company’s global financial trajectory."

VerSe operates one of India’s largest AI-powered local-language content and creator ecosystems. Its flagship platform, Dailyhunt, serves more than 350 million users, while Josh has emerged as a leading short-video app for Indian creators. The company’s portfolio also includes NexVerse.ai and VerSe Collab, which focus on AI-driven digital content and creator tools.

The company has raised more than $1.5 billion to date from investors including CPP Investments, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan, Qatar Investment Authority, Carlyle Group, Baillie Gifford, Goldman Sachs, and Peak XV. It was last valued at $5 billion.