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Daman Soni joins AstroTalk after exit from GlobalBees

EntrackrEntrackr · 4m ago
Daman Soni joins AstroTalk after exit from GlobalBees
Medial

Daman Soni joins AstroTalk after exit from GlobalBees Daman Soni, former President and Chief Business Officer of e-commerce roll-up company GlobalBees, has joined AstroTalk as CBO (e-commerce), sources familiar with the development told Entrackr. At GlobalBees, Soni played a key role in scaling the company’s business operations and driving marketing efforts for its portfolio brands. Notably, GlobalBees achieved unicorn status during his tenure. Prior to GlobalBees, Soni served as Vice President of the Growth division at boAt. He also had brief stints at WeCash, Milkbasket, and MobiKwik. According to sources, Daman Soni is overseeing AstroTalk’s e-commerce and direct-to-consumer (D2C) business. The Noida-based firm launched the Astrotalk Store late last year, offering gemstones and healing stones that astrologers charge with ‘positive mantras and chants.’ The company is now aiming to reach Rs 100 crore in annual recurring revenue (ARR) this month. Confirming the development to Entrackr, ⁠Anmol Jain, Cofounder & CBO, Astrotalk said, "We are thrilled to welcome Damandeep Singh Soni as the head of our e-commerce vertical. After building a Rs 1400+ crore ARR business in astrology consultations, our customers expressed a growing need for a trusted source for all their spiritual product purchases. With Daman’s extensive experience in scaling e-commerce businesses, we are confident and bullish about transforming this vertical into another Rs 1,000 crore ARR business in the coming years." AstroTalk, which is also planning an initial public offering in a year or two, elevated Anmol Jain to co-founder in late 2023 and appointed former Google executive Siddharth Prakash as Chief Technical Officer (CTO) in November 2023. AstroTalk saw strong growth in FY24, with revenue soaring 2.3X to Rs 651.12 crore and profit jumping 11.8X to Rs 99.99 crore. The firm aims to double revenue to Rs 1,250 crore in FY25 and targeting an operating profit of Rs 230-250 crore.

Paytm appoints Deependra Singh Rathore as new CTO, as Dhody transitions to AI Fellow

YourStoryYourStory · 9m ago
Paytm appoints Deependra Singh Rathore as new CTO, as Dhody transitions to AI Fellow
Medial

- Paytm has appointed Deependra Singh Rathore as its new Chief Technology Officer for Payments, replacing Manmeet Singh Dhody. - Deependra Singh Rathore has been with Paytm and its associate company, Paytm Payments Bank Limited since January 2016. - Rathore is currently the Senior Vice President - Technology and drives AI-led strategic initiatives at Paytm. - During his tenure at Paytm, Rathore has been responsible for building and enhancing payments technology, including online payment gateway, QR payments, and card payments. - The appointment of Rathore comes as part of Paytm's plans to revamp its senior leadership team following recent high-level departures. - Manmeet Singh Dhody, the former CTO for Payments at Paytm, has transitioned to the role of "AI Fellow".

Exclusive: AstroTalk seeks unicorn valuation in new round

EntrackrEntrackr · 7d ago
Exclusive: AstroTalk seeks unicorn valuation in new round
Medial

Exclusive: AstroTalk seeks unicorn valuation in new round Noida-based AstroTalk closed a $14 million funding round in June last year. As of now, it has raised $34 million from Left Lane and Elev8 Capital. Astrology-focused platform AstroTalk is in mid stage talks to raise a new funding round in the range of $50-100 million, according to three sources aware of the development. The fresh funding talks have been initiated after a gap of 12 months for the Noida-based company. “The discussions are ongoing with multiple investors, including a few existing backers,” said one of the sources on condition of anonymity. “The new round is likely to be the final one before the company files its DRHP for a public listing by the first half of the next year.” As per sources, the firm will begin the IPO process in a few months. AstroTalk closed a $14 million funding round in June last year. As of now, it has raised $34 million from Left Lane and Elev8 Capital. “Astrotalk is seeking a valuation of $1.3 to $1.5 billion in the new round, which is expected to close in the next couple of months,” said another source, who requested anonymity as the discussions are private. This will be a substantial increase from its earlier $300 million valuation. If the firm achieves this valuation, Astrotalk will join the ranks of Jumbotail, Drools, Porter, Netradyne, and Juspay, all of which became unicorns in the ongoing calendar year (2025). For the uninitiated, AstroTalk is an online platform that enables users to consult with astrologers through the internet, phone calls, and chat. It claims to host a network of 45,634 professionals, including astrologers, tarot readers, numerologists, and Vastu experts. The platform offers services for personalized predictions and guidance on areas such as marriage, relationships, career, health, and more. The Puneet Gupta-led company has recorded strong growth over the past two fiscal years. As per an internal document reviewed by Entrackr, Astrotalk ended FY25 with Rs 1,182 crore in revenue and a profit of over Rs 250 crore. This follows a sharp rise in FY24, when it reported Rs 651 crore in revenue and Rs 100 crore in profit. AstroTalk declined to comment on the story. AstroTalk recently diversified its offerings with the launch of a D2C vertical focused on spiritual and wellness products. This includes services like puja bookings, gemstones, and astrological remedies. According to co-founder Anmol Jain, the D2C business is expected to contribute 25-30% of overall revenue while maintaining profitability. AstroTalk’s planned IPO comes at a time when profitable, consumer-tech startups are seeing renewed interest from investors. If successful, it would be the first venture-funded player in the online astrology segment to go public. The company faces competition from platforms like Astrosage, Astroyogi, GaneshaSpeaks, and InstraAstro.

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