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Meesho announces its largest ESOP buyback worth Rs 200 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Meesho announces its largest ESOP buyback worth Rs 200 Cr
Medial

Meesho has announced the initiation of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) buyback program of Rs 200 crore (approximately $25 million), making it the company’s largest ESOP buyback pool to date. This marks the fourth buyback at the horizontal e-commerce unicorn. The company bought back shares worth $1 million in February 2020, $5 million in November 2020 and $5.5 million in October 2021. The new buyback will benefit around 1,700 past as well as present employees across junior-level executives to senior leadership. Meesho provides small businesses, which includes SMBs, MSMEs and individual entrepreneurs, access to millions of customers, selection from over 30 categories, pan-India logistics, payment services and customer support capabilities. The Vidit Aatrey-led company recently announced the launch of Valmo, a full fledged logistics marketplace that allows the network of micro-entrepreneurs to become Meesho logistics partners. In July 2023, Meesho claimed that it was the first horizontal Indian e-commerce company to turn profitable. Since announcing profitability in July 2023, the company continues to remain profitable and cash flow positive. The company also cut its losses in FY23 by 48% but its revenue spiked 77% year-on-year to Rs 5,735 crore in the last fiscal year. Recently, community management app MyGate rolled out employee stock buyback program for more than 50 employees. As per data compiled by TheKredible, the total EOSP buyback/payout/liquidity stood at nearly $802 million in 2023. In 2021 and 2022, the buyback amount was recorded at $440 and $200 million respectively.

Urban Company announces ESOP secondary sale worth Rs 203 Cr for 446 employees

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Urban Company announces ESOP secondary sale worth Rs 203 Cr for 446 employees
Medial

Home service marketplace Urban Company has announced its largest employee stock secondary sale worth Rs 203 crore (nearly $25 million). This is the fifth ESOPs buyback wherein 446 employees have participated, according to the company’s press statement. As per Urban Company, beneficiary employees are between 23 and 56 years old, with 28% of beneficiaries being women. This sale will give the company’s employees an opportunity to liquidate their vested stocks. Dharana Capital (an offshoot of existing investor Vy Capital), along with existing investors Vy Capital and Prosus will be purchasing these shares from former and current staff. To date, Urban Company has granted ESOPs to 1,593 employees and around 784 of them participated in five buybacks, liquidating ESOPs worth Rs 306 crore ($37 million). The Abhiraj Bhal Singh-led company did its last ESOP liquidity program in December 2021 at a valuation of $2.8 billion. The company did not disclose the valuation of the latest buyback. However, Entrackr’s sources outline that the fresh buyback is happening at a valuation of around $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion. Just ahead of the fourth buyback, Urban Company achieved unicorn status in June 2021. It hasn’t raised any external capital since then. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Urban Company posted a revenue of Rs 637 crore in FY23 and managed to reduce its losses by 40.1% during the fiscal year. The buyback of ESOPs came a month after it turned profitable at PBT (profit before tax) level. On a consolidated basis in April, the company posted PBT of Rs 7 crore. Entrackr had exclusively reported the development earlier this month. The company also expects its operations in UAE to become profitable in the coming months. As per sources, Urban Company is preparing for a public listing which is likely to happen in the second half of next year (2025).

Agritech startup DeHaat completes its first ESOP buyback

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Agritech startup DeHaat completes its first ESOP buyback
Medial

Full stack agritech platform DeHaat has completed an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) buyback program worth Rs 10 crore ($1.2 million). This is the first ever ESOP buyback for the Patna and Gurugram-based company. “The buyback saw 153 team members spread across senior vice president rank to field teams got the opportunity of wealth creation,” said Rishu Garg, who heads the people function at DeHaat. To date, DeHaat has issued ESOPs worth over Rs 100 crore ($12 million) to more than 200 individuals. DeHaat is a marketplace for the agricultural sector which offers distribution of high-quality agrarian inputs, advisory, lending, and market linkages for selling their produce. The company recently roped in Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi as its brand endorser and onboarded agri industry veteran Dr. K V Subbarao as its first Independent Advisor. DeHaat’s gross revenue grew 54.2% to Rs 1,965 crore in FY23 from Rs 1,274 crore in FY22. The company said that its revenue from operations increased 40% to Rs 2,700 crore while losses was reduced by 50% in FY24. The firm aims to achieve full year profitability during FY25. Dehaat has raised around $230 million to date and was valued at over $705 million according to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible. Last week, study abroad platform Leverage Edu announced its second ESOP buyback program. In the ongoing calendar year, Urban Company, MyGate, Classplus, Meesho, The Sleep Company, XYXX, and Pocket FM also completed their ESOP buyback scheme.

The Sleep Company rolls out second tranche of ESOP buyback for 105 employees

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
The Sleep Company rolls out second tranche of ESOP buyback for 105 employees
Medial

Comfort-tech brand The Sleep Company has announced the second tranche of ESOP (employee stock ownership plan) buyback for its employees. The current buyback will benefit a total of 105 employees, including 50% of women employees. After securing Rs 13.4 crore in pre-Series A, and Rs 177 crore in a Series B round led by Premji Invest and Fireside Ventures, the company recently secured Rs 184 crore in Series C Funding. The Sleep Company has rolled out the second tranche of the programme in just four years since its inception, which is set to benefit employees irrespective of their seniority. The company rolled out its first ESOP buyback programme in 2023 worth Rs 83.47 lakh. Founded by Priyanka and Harshil Salot, The Sleep Company offers premium products with technology rooted in developments in material science and sleep science. In June 2022, the platform marked its foray into offline retail with the launch of its first store in Bengaluru, to open over 150 stores by end of 2024. The firm claims to have achieved significant growth with its revenue growing 2.6 times over the last 12 months, reaching Rs 130 crore in sales in 2023. Through its omnichannel model, the company has over 70 stores across the country and is well on its way to opening 150 stores by the end of 2024. Last month, audio series platform Pocket FM announced its first ESOP buyback worth $8.3 million. As per data compiled by TheKredible, the total EOSP buyback/payout/liquidity stood at nearly $802 million in 2023. In 2021 and 2022, the buyback amount was recorded at $440 and $200 million respectively. In 2024, MyGate, Classplus and Meesho also completed their ESOP buyback scheme.

Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 25d ago
Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr
Medial

Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr Retail advisory platform Univest has concluded its first Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) buyback worth Rs 1.61 crore. The program enabled early employees to liquidate a portion of their ESOPs, offering financial returns based on their equity holdings. The initiative aimed to reward employees who contributed during the company’s foundational years, particularly those across product, technology, marketing, and customer support. Employees participating in the scheme had joined during its seed and pre-Series A stages. According to Univest, the buyback is intended to align long-term incentives with the company’s growth trajectory. This development follows the introduction of its ESOP policy in late 2024 and is positioned as part of a broader strategy to retain skilled talent in the fintech sector. “The decision to offer early liquidity was based on recognizing the role of employee ownership in shaping organizational stability. Other co-founders echoed the importance of acknowledging contributions beyond salaries and bonuses, especially in areas like engineering and product development, where innovation cycles are fast-paced,” said Pranit Arora, CEO and co-founder of Univest. The Gurugram-based startup plans to explore future buyback opportunities in line with upcoming fundraising events. The company currently offers a technology-enabled trading and investment platform with a focus on research-backed tools for retail investors. Co-founded in 2022 by Arora, Avneet Dhamija, and Vikash Agarwal, Univest is a retail advisory platform offering general recommendations through its SEBI-registered RA entity, Uniresearch. It provides expert trading advice across stocks, derivatives, and commodities. In December last year, it raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII). The startup competes with other companies in this space, such as Liquide, Waya, Tejimandi, Stoxbox, Gapup Club, and INDmoney.

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