Antiques e-tailer Phantom Hands raises funding from Google India head Rajan Anandan, others

Bangalore-based Phantom Hands Vintage Collectibles LLP, the company behind Phantom Hands, an online shop for antique products, has bagged an undisclosed amount in funding from four individuals, including Rajan Anandan, head of Google India, and Ravi Shah, director of Mumbai-based design firm Mind's Eye Creative, according to a report by Forbes India. The company will use the capital raised to expand to new geographies and add more categories, according to the report.

We have contacted Phantom Hands's co-founder Aparna Rao for more details, and will update the story as soon as we hear from her.

Phantom Hands was founded last year by Rao and Deepak Srinath. Rao is a contemporary artist, making sculptures and installations. She is also a senior TED (Technology, Entertainment and Design) fellow. Srinath's professional experience spans across technology startups, entrepreneurial ventures and investment banking.

Phantom Hands is an online store for curated rare antiques and collectibles. The firm has partnered with various antique dealers in South India and Gujarat to source the products. The items will then get authenticated by experts and listed on its site. Each product has the details including the period in history it belongs to, its provenance, condition, dimensions, besides prices.

While there are not many niche e-commerce sites for antique products, horizontal e-tailers like Amazon, eBay and Pepper Fry are selling such items. Recently, Bal Krishn Birla - the co-founder of online hypermarket ZopNow.com who was ousted from the company in August last year –launched A Dal B Dal, an online platform to exchange antique items such as old books, mobiles, clothes, stamps and coins.