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JioStar urges content producers to embrace balanced deals with shared risk model
Economic Times · 26d ago
Medial
At APOS 2025, Prateek Garg urged content producers to embrace balanced deals with shared risk models. Platforms like JioStar aim for co-investment, moving away from one-sided arrangements. This approach, already gaining traction, aligns with the evolving Indian media landscape. Garg emphasized content diversification and viewer engagement beyond cricket, with substantial investments planned between FY24 and FY26. Despite challenges, JioStar remains competitive in streaming and television markets, focusing on innovation and robust revenue models.
Ride-hailing platform Rapido launches SaaS model for auto services
Economic Times · 1y ago
Medial
Ride-hailing platform Rapido has introduced a new software-as-a-service (SaaS) model for auto services. Moving away from the commission-led aggregator model, Rapido will now charge auto drivers a daily login fee ranging from Rs 9 to Rs 29, allowing them unlimited rides without paying any commission. This move aims to onboard offline auto drivers onto the platform and tap into the potential two crore daily auto rides happening across India. Rapido aims to achieve profitability in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA) by the end of this year and projects a revenue of Rs 600 crore by FY24.
Leegality turns profitable with 87% revenue growth in FY24
Entrackr · 9m ago
Medial
Document infrastructure platform Leegality maintained its growth trajectory in the fiscal year ending March 2024. After achieving 100% revenue growth in FY23, the IIFL Fintech Fund-backed company reported an 87% spike in scale in the latest fiscal year. Leegality’s revenue from operations jumped to Rs 62 crore in FY24, as per its financial statement filed with the Registrar of Companies. Leegality enables businesses to digitally transform document logistics, eliminating physical paperwork in the lending ecosystem by providing digital infrastructure, including eSign and eStamping solutions. The sale of these services was the only source of collection for the firm in FY24. Leegality additionally earned Rs 4.2 crore from interest on bank deposits, bringing its total income to Rs 66.41 crore in FY24, a substantial increase from Rs 35.51 crore in FY23. Looking at expenses, employee benefit was the major contributor, accounting for 56% of total costs, increasing by 62.5% to Rs 36.4 crore in FY24 from Rs 22.4 crore in FY23. E-Sign Charges made up 15% of total expenses, rising 2.3 times to Rs 9.5 crore.Tech infrastructure formed 10% of expenses, growing by 55% to Rs 6.6 crore. Other costs, including stamp processing, advertising, and legal fees, brought total expenses to Rs 65 crore during the last fiscal year, reflecting a 66% increase from Rs 39 crore in FY23. With significant revenue growth, Leegality turned profitable in FY24, reporting a profit of Rs 1.11 crore, compared to a loss of Rs 3.5 crore in FY23. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at -2.75% and 3.33%, respectively. On a unit-basis level, the company spent Rs 1.04 to earn each rupee of operating revenue in FY24. FY23-FY24 FY23 FY24 EBITDA Margin -8.53% 3.33% Expense/₹ of Op Revenue ₹1.18 ₹1.04 ROCE -7.49% 2.75% Even though it operates in a fairly competitive space, Leegality’s turn to profitability indicates the ‘sensible’ economics within the segment. Even as more and more transactions and the documentation required are being digitised, the scope of work for Leegality and its peers will only increase, providing a clear pathway to growth. The only risk we can see is any government backed alternative like say, Digilocker which expands services to overlap with what these offer.
Trade Spotlight: How should you trade HDFC AMC, Raymond, Exide, Bajel Projects, and others on Wednesday?
Money Control · 1y ago
Medial
These are some stock ideas for short-term trading: 1. Can Fin Homes: After forming a soccer pattern on the daily chart, Can Fin Homes had a pullback and revisited its prior support level. With significant volume increase and upward price movement, a long position can be initiated. 2. HDFC Asset Management Company: HDFC AMC has been consolidating within a broad range, but there has been a recent rise in price with strong volumes. Trading above its 20-day moving average and critical resistance zone, it indicates potential for further upward movement. 3. Lemon Tree Hotels: Lemon Tree Hotels is forming higher highs and higher lows, indicating a sustained uptrend. With a comfortable RSI and noticeable volume increase accompanying the price rise, a long position can be initiated. 4. Exide Industries: Exide Industries made a fresh record high and closed with a gain. The stock is showing strength in the ongoing trend, with the KST indicator also suggesting good momentum. Dips can be seen as buying opportunities. 5. Raymond: Raymond formed a large bullish candle with huge volumes and closed with a significant gain. The stock is on a positive trend as long as it doesn't close below the previous day's low. Buying on dips is considered a prudent strategy. 6. Craftsman Automation: Craftsman Automation is in a strong uptrend, and a breakout of the rounding bottom pattern is expected. The ADX indicator supports the trend, and buying on dips can be a strategy. 7. Apollo Tyres: Apollo Tyres has given a strong breakout above its trendline resistance. With strong momentum indicated by the RSI crossing above 65 and high volumes, a potential target can be set. 8. Granules India: Granules has re-tested its breakout mark and is holding well above it. Strong momentum is indicated by the RSI near 65, and volumes are equivalent to its 30-day average traded volume. An upside target can be set. 9. Bajel Projects: Bajel Projects has re-tested its breakout mark and is holding well above it. Strong momentum indicated by the RSI and equivalent volumes to its 30-day average trading volume. A strict stop-loss and potential upside target can be set. Note: These stock ideas are provided by different experts and it is advised to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Decoding $88.5 Mn Udaan-Shopkirana stock deal
Entrackr · 4d ago
Medial
Udaan has acquired Shopkirana in an all-stock deal, marking a notable consolidation in the grocery commerce space. While both firms have termed the deal strategic, Entrackr’s analysis suggests it is an unremarkable acquisition from an investor’s perspective. According to regulatory filings, the board of Info Edge has approved the transfer of its entire 26.14% stake in ShopKirana, held through its wholly-owned subsidiary Startup Investments Holding Ltd (SIHL), to Hiveloop Technology Pvt Ltd (HEPL), a subsidiary of Trustroot Internet (Udaan’s parent entity) based out of Singapore. In return, Info Edge will receive 1.68 crore shares of Hiveloop Technology, which translates to around 0.91% of HEPL on a fully diluted basis. These shares are linked to 73,561 reference shares at the Udaan parent and are valued at approximately $23.13 million, as per the agreement. The swap pegs Shopkirana’s total enterprise value at roughly $88.5 million, based on the value attributed to Info Edge’s minority stake (26.14%). According to the disclosure, the transaction is subject to customary closing conditions mentioned in the agreements. According to Entrackr’s analysis, ShopKiarana will get a 3.48% value of Udaan’s India business as per the Info Edge holding in Udaan’s Indian entity. Shopkirana has raised over $50 million in its lifetime from Info Edge, Sixth Sense Ventures, Oman India Joint Investment Fund, and others. Founded in 2015, ShopKirana focuses on digitizing procurement for kirana stores across smaller cities such as Indore, Bhopal, Lucknow, Agra, Surat, and Meerut. Its integration with Udaan will expand the latter’s reach in high-frequency categories like fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and hotel, restaurant, and catering (HoReCa) business. For the fiscal year ended in March 2024, Shopkirana’s gross revenue decreased 6.26% to Rs 639.16 crore in FY24 from Rs 681.81 crore in FY23. However, the firm managed to reduce its losses by 30% to Rs 55 crore in FY24. The transaction is yet another indicator of the investor fatigue and challenges in the grocery commerce space. Firms have found it extremely difficult to squeeze out profits, even as scale has been relatively easier to acquire thanks to the sheer size of the category. Only the biggest will offer a market-based exit to investors, while consolidation might be the way out for the rest. ShopKirana has probably tried to become acquisition-ready by controlling costs, but paid a price in terms of topline growth. For Udaan, which has been on a push towards reducing EBITDA losses for the past two years, a stock swap is the best outcome while it hopes for an upside in due course. With any potential exit some time away, ShopKirana is a relatively low-risk acquisition that it will hope can surprise on the upside.
Unpacking VerSe’s Josh: growth, monetization and future roadmap
Entrackr · 9m ago
Medial
The short video entertainment space has seen consolidation with the merger of MX TakaTak, the pivot of Chingari, and the shutdown of Mitron TV. This has left the fledgling market with two main players: ShareChat’s Moj and VerSe’s Josh. While Moj’s parent company, ShareChat, has been struggling to scale its short video offering and secure follow-on funding, Josh remains well-capitalized and holds a leading position in the segment with approximately 180 million active users. “We have a monthly active user base of 179 million, along with 91 million daily active users,” said a Josh spokesperson in an interaction with Entrackr. “By the end of FY24, we had over 150 million downloads via playstore.” Josh is available in 12 Indian languages and reports that over 80% of its content is viewed in local dialects. This feature is particularly crucial as more than two-thirds of its users are from tier II and III cities such as Bhubaneswar, Jaipur, Patna, and Raipur. OEM partnership: Key to Josh’s growth Josh’s DAU and MAU numbers appear staggering, but they don’t align with data from app trackers like App Annie and Appflyer. “These trackers are irrelevant in our case, as majority of our downloads come from pre-installed mobile phones,” the spokesperson clarified. Josh has secured more than two-thirds of its downloads through partnerships with smartphone manufacturers such as Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Samsung, among others. Creator-centric approach driving Josh’s topline The success of a short-video app largely depends on its creators and the ecosystem surrounding them. Josh has a community of over 100,000 creators and partnerships with 14 leading music labels. “Our monthly active creator base increased by 34% year-on-year, reaching 71 million in FY24,” added the spokesperson. Collaboration is a key focus for Josh, which launched Collab to tap into the influencer ecosystem. “Collab is designed to help brands discover influencers and engage with them seamlessly, without any friction,” said the spokesperson. After prioritizing traction for two and half years (September 2020 to mid 2023), Josh began monetization by opening the platform to brands for campaigns in the second half of 2023. Currently, Josh offers a range of advertising solutions which include diverse formats such as video ads, influencer-brand collaborations and influencer and content-led IPs. “Josh helps businesses in brand building, lead generation, user engagement, and creating overall awareness,” added the spokesperson. The platform has worked with 450 brands, including Amazon, Myntra, Nykaa, Xiaomi, since July last year. Around one-third of Josh’s user base was from tier 1 cities while 68% hailed from tier II and III cities. The popularity of short videos is 2X higher in tier II and III cities. Brands with a national presence who are looking to strengthen their brand recall in tier II markets and regional languages prefer Josh. While Josh didn’t give exact revenue numbers, it reported hitting an average revenue run rate of Rs 300 crore this quarter. “Our target is to achieve break even by the first half of 2025,” said the spokesperson. Live commerce/audio, audio stories to oil monetization roadmap In addition to tapping into the influencer ecosystem, Josh is exploring new formats such as brand shoppable commerce, live commerce, live audio, gifting and audio stories. As per the firm, these efforts aim to position Josh for revenue generation and profitability as it deepens its monetization road. The live audio feature on Josh enables users to have real-time conversations with specialised creators. Users initiating live audio calls pay per minute using Josh’s in-app currency, “Jems,” while creators earn “Diamonds,” redeemable in the Indian currency. Audio stories, particularly in regional languages, are also gaining traction. Josh offers subscription-based and micro-payments for specific content from partners like Velvet, Eight, and EarShot, viewing this as a substantial long-term opportunity. Josh has leadership in the Bharat-focused short video entertainment space and is actively working to demonstrate its platform’s ability to deliver real results and fulfil its promises to buyers. Josh’s strategic decision to remain closed to advertising until 2023 reflects its focus on building a robust user base and platform. With its recent monetization efforts, Josh is well positioned to address the market gap left by TikTok in India.
BluSmart drivers face uncertainty amid company troubles, founder issues
Entrackr · 2m ago
Medial
BluSmart suspended its operations in April in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru, asking its 10,000 driver-partners to return their vehicles. The move has left several drivers scrambling to find new sources of income. Rajesh [name changed], a 35-year-old man in Gurugram, secured a driving job with a heavily VC-funded electric vehicle cab hailing company which once aimed to take on the duopoly of Ola Cabs and Uber in India. An average income of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, Rajesh admits, was not much for his family but managed to pay bills. Though, Rajesh, who also is a father of two young children, put in 10 hours to 12 hours daily - to reach the estimated monthly income. With his company now pausing the services, Rajesh has no source of earning, and does not know how he will pay his kids’ education fees. "... Now, I don’t know how I’ll manage. I missed my kids' school fees this month. My family depends on me, and I’ve never felt so helpless,” a visibly stressed Rajesh told Entrackr. One of the things that is agonising Rajesh the most is the deceptive way his employer pushed them out. “On Wednesday (April 16th), we [drivers] received a message saying the car needed to be submitted to the hub for a breakdown. We thought it was just a minor technical issue. When we got there, they told us it was a failure and we’d be informed later. But there was no word from the company after that. We just had to go home. We were left in complete shock," says Rajesh as his voice strains, reliving the fateful moment. Rajesh says he was among the first lot of employees, when the company had just 50 cars. Like many others, he too bought the company’s promise of stability. “Now, it feels like we’ve been left out to dry,” he said. “I’m considering working with Uber or Ola… I’m looking for something else, maybe a different field altogether. But BluSmart was my livelihood, and I’d go back in a heartbeat if they reopened. It was my only source of income,” he added. Rajesh’s story resonates with another thousands of drivers who are now scrambling to find new sources of income after BluSmart’s sudden suspension of its services. Entrackr has reached out to BluSmart seeking responses on how they plan to compensate the affected drivers. In case they respond, we will incorporate their inputs. Staging the protest On May 4, a group of BluSmart drivers raised their grievances at Jantar Mantar, a historic site for protests. They pressed for demands for alternative income avenues as well as called for crucial policy reforms to prevent similar abrupt dismissals. Additionally, they also sought a government intervention. Tajinder Singh, president of Parivahan Morcha Athavale and also among those spearheading the protest, told Entrackr that women drivers of BluSmart were among those bearing the brunt the most as other taxi companies refused to recruit them. He further said that some drivers were working on a per day basis as and when required but asserted that this was not a long-term solution. “We are demanding compensation for affected BluSmart drivers. We have also sought government intervention so that the drivers can continue to earn their livelihood,” Singh said. Singh also claimed that hundreds of BluSmart employees working at charging hubs were affected by the company’s sudden suspension of its services. A business model that promised to be different than rivals Even as ‘sustainability’ remained the headline grabber, BluSmart also deployed a rather different business model compared to rivals Ola Cabs and Uber. The company used a full-stack B2C model wherein they owned and managed the vehicles whereas Ola and Uber work with independent drivers. The model allowed BluSmart to have a better control on the quality of cars, maintenance, and subsequently better customer service. For drivers, the company offered a fixed salary along with incentives. An assured income was a big factor why a lot of drivers showed interest in joining BluSmart. Ola and Uber, on the other hand, operated on a familiar commission-based system, also common with several gig working-reliant service providers. Singh also highlighted this stark difference between BluSmart and its rivals. He said that the job of driver was to pick and drop the passenger and earn a regular income (per day payout and incentives). They needed to work 10 hours to 12 hours a day. Other things like maintenance and documentation was taken care of by the company, giving drivers a more relaxed environment to operate. Blusmart has raised over $180 million to date, including its $50 million series B round in January this year. Though, it received only Rs 61 crore out of $50 million. That said, a heavily-funded BluSmart juggernaut appeared unstoppable, until it did. Earlier this year, reports emerged that BluSmart delayed salary payments to cash crunch. It had also shut down operations in Dubai and also saw an exodus of top management employees, including CEO, CBO, and CTO. A month later, SEBI published findings of its probe into Gensol Engineering, BluSmart’s partner and EV lessor. The SEBI order highlighted misuse of funds, and also barred promoters Anmol and Puneet Singh Jaggi from accessing the securities market and holding key positions in Gensol Engineering. What next for BluSmart drivers BluSmart drivers facing joblessness due to the shutdown can go for legal remedy and urgently demand clearance of any unpaid dues and better severance compensation, if not given already. The legal course, which may take a relatively long time, may also help them investigate if BluSmart violated the contract by sudden halting of their services and returning vehicles. Moreover, they can also seek intervention from regulatory boards. Singh, however, did not appear enthusiastic about taking the legal course. “Companies like these make such contracts that they keep them protected in such incidents and don’t have to own any responsibility towards people working so hard for them,” he said [loosely translated from Hindi]. As far as the future of the company goes, it’s hard to predict considering the massive VC money riding on the company. Despite the major dent in public image and also several legal troubles, it’s likely that the company may stay afloat with a rather new management and new board - a few known steps troubled companies often take to course correct. It’s worth noting that quality of drivers and cabs were the top highlight of the platform, and if it resumes, it should continue with that. With the ongoing protests and lack of communication between drivers and management, it seems unlikely that the company will enjoy the same level of trust from its network drivers.
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