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Alpha Wave-backed 1K Kirana’s valuation nosedives 60% in internal round

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Kiranatech platform 1K (formerly 1K Kirana Bazaar) secured Rs 32 crore or $4 million in its extended Series B round (bridge round) from existing investors in July last year at a 60% haircut in valuation. The sharp fall in valuation appears to be driven by the company’s sluggish growth, inability to raise any large follow-on investment and absence of a solid business model. It’s worth noting that 1K laid off 40% of its workforce (over 400 employees) in April 2023. The board at 1K Kirana Bazaar passed a special resolution to issue 3,676 Series B1 CCPS at an issue price of Rs 87,141 each to raise to Rs 32 crore, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Alpha Wave Ventures led the bridge round with Rs 16 crore while Info Edge and Kae Capital put in Rs 8 crore each. According to the filings, the company will use these funds for capital expenditure, marketing, and general corporate purposes. As per sources, 1K Kirana was talking to several investors for a Series C round until the first half of 2023 but the talks didn’t go through. Media reports also outlined that Alpha Wave wasn’t willing to put any further money in the company and 1K explored M&A opportunities with DealShare. Queries sent to 1K Kirana did not elicit an immediate response. As per TheKredible’s estimates, 1K Kirana Bazaar was valued at $42 million (post-money) reflecting a significant 61.8% decrease in valuation compared to the previous round where it was valued at $110 million. Significantly, 1K’s valuation soared 5.4X to $110 million as compared to $20 million during its Series A round in April 2021. Following the fresh proceeds, Info Edge remains the largest external stakeholder followed by Kae Capital and Alpha Wave Ventures. See TheKredible for the detailed cap table and financials. Six-year-old 1K Kirana Bazaar is a consumer-focused retail brand that partners with neighborhood kirana stores in smaller towns enabling them to compete with both online and offline (organized) retail. As per its website, the company has a network of over 100 stores across India. The Gurugram-based company has raised around $37 million to date, including a $25 million series B round led by Alpha Wave. It’s yet to file its financial statements for FY24, the firm’s gross revenue surged 2.6X to Rs 224 crore during the fiscal year ended March 2023. Its losses shot up 2.95x to Rs 182.5 crore in the same period.