Kapil Dev leads investment in legal marketplace WizCounsel

WizCounsel, an online marketplace for freelance legal, tax and accounting experts, has raised Rs 1 crore ($145,000) in an angel round led by former Indian cricket team captain Kapil Dev.

Other participants in the round include Sunil Kumar Gupta, the founder and chairman of business consulting firm SARC Associates, and Manas Fuloria, the chief executive officer and founder of information technology consultancy firm Nagarro.

According to a statement issued by the startup, the capital will be used for marketing, sales and to strengthen current operations.

Operated by Blizzcraft Infotech Pvt. Ltd, WizCounsel was launched in March this year and is currently running in beta. The platform caters to both individuals and small businesses. It offers services ranging from filing income tax to outsourcing legal and accounting work.

"The vision is to create an open, affordable and a reassuring tax, legal & compliance ecosystem for all," said co-founder Ranu Gupta, a chartered accountant.

WizCounsel claims to have more than 100 verified professionals across different cities on its platform and has generated a total transaction value of around Rs 3 lakh.

“I am sure people will start looking for services from CAs and lawyers or even accountants online. Many directories exist, but the thing is there must be a platform to give them much more confidence about how they deal with experts for their work,” said Kapil Dev.

Among other deals in the segment, legal-tech startup SpotDraft in February raised $1.5 million (around Rs 11 crore) in a pre-Series A round of funding led by venture capital firm 021 Capital, which is backed by Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal.