News on Medial

Exclusive: Battery Smart kicks off pre-Series C funding round

EntrackrEntrackr · 4d ago
Exclusive: Battery Smart kicks off pre-Series C funding round
Medial

Exclusive: Battery Smart kicks off pre-Series C funding round Battery Smart has initiated its pre-Series C funding round. While the size of the round is unknown, Acacia Inclusion, Blume Ventures and PC-SBI Kurashi Visionary Fund have already invested over $7 million. According to its regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies, the board of Battery Smart has passed a special resolution to allot 12,158 pre-Series C compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 54,407 each for Rs 66 crore (approximately $7.4 million). Acacia Inclusion led the round with an investment of Rs 36.3 crore, followed by PC-SBI Kurashi Visionary Fund with Rs 17.8 crore, while Blume Ventures joined the pre Series C round with Rs 12 crore. The proceeds will be used to support business expansion, capital expenditure, working capital requirements, and other general corporate purposes, as per filings. Battery Smart offers lithium-ion batteries for electric two- and three-wheelers that can be swapped within minutes at its network of swapping stations. Through its battery-as-a-service (BaaS) model, the company enables users, particularly gig economy drivers, to avoid the upfront cost of owning batteries. To date, Battery Smart has raised around $192 million in funding, including its $65 million Series B round and $29 million extended Series B round. Its cap table includes prominent investors such as Tiger Global, Blume Ventures, and Ecosystem Integrity Fund. On the financial front, the company reported a 52% year-on-year increase in operating revenue to Rs 249 crore in FY25, up from Rs 164 crore in FY24. Battery Smart also stated that it has achieved operating break-even and turned EBITDA positive.

Related News

Exclusive: The Whole Truth kicks off Series C with 3.6X valuation surge

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: The Whole Truth kicks off Series C with 3.6X valuation surge
Medial

Exclusive: The Whole Truth kicks off Series C with 3.6X valuation surge Clean-label health food brand The Whole Truth is raising Rs 133.3 crore (approximately $15.8 million) in a series C round led by Sofina Ventures, with the participation of Peak XV and Matrix Partners. The board at The Whole Truth has passed a special resolution to issue 45,097 Series C preference shares at an issue price of Rs 29,556.5 each to raise Rs 133.3 crore or $15.8 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. Sofina Ventures is leading the Series C round with an investment of Rs 65.8 crore, while Peak XV and Matrix Partners will contribute Rs 25 crore and Rs 29.5 crore, respectively. Sauce Continued Fund will also participate with an investment of Rs 13 crore. The fresh funds will be used to meet financial requirements and support business expansion. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the Mumbai-based company will have a post-allotment valuation of approximately Rs 2,135 crore ($254 million). This marks a 3.6X increase in valuation compared to its previous Series B round, which closed at $70 million. According to the filings, after the fresh funding round, Peak XV will hold 21.14% of the firm, while Matrix Partners will own 21.4%. Sofina Ventures and Sauce Continuity will hold 3.08% and 3.77%, respectively. The Whole Truth was reportedly in discussions to raise $25 million in a new funding round. The company has secured $15.8 million so far and may raise additional funds as the round progresses. The Whole Truth offers a range of products, including protein bars, peanut butter, dark chocolates, energy bars, immunity balls, and muesli. The company provides subscription options and claims that 80-85% of its sales come from its website, with the remaining revenue generated through partnerships. The Whole Truth recorded an 81% year-on-year growth, with revenue rising to Rs 65.3 crore in FY24 from Rs 35.96 crore in FY23. The company reduced its losses by 33% during the same period.

Exclusive: BetterPlace kicks off new round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: BetterPlace kicks off new round
Medial

Exclusive: BetterPlace, a blue-collar workforce management platform, is raising Rs 31.9 crore ($3.8 million) in its Series D round led by Jungle Ventures. This funding comes over two years after its $64 million Series C round. The board at BetterPlace has passed a resolution to issue 10,574 Series D CCPS at an issue price of Rs 30,174 each to raise Rs 31.9 crore or $2.8 million, its regulatory filing sourced from the Registrar of Companies shows. Jungle Ventures will invest Rs 20.7 crore, while the remaining amount will come from Capria Ventures. This investment is part of BetterPlace's ongoing Series D round, with the firm expected to raise additional funds. The funds will be used for general business operations, as per filings. According to Entrackr estimates, BetterPlace will be valued at approximately $250 million post-allotment, subject to change if further investments are secured. Founded in 2015, BetterPlace offers KYC-based digital employee onboarding, digitized employee records, background verification, skill development training and assessment. According to its website, the firm has provided full-stack workforce management solutions to over 1,000 enterprises, including Amazon, Ola, Uber, Swiggy, and Zomato. BetterPlace has acquired eight companies, including Oust Labs, AasaanJobs, OLX People, Waah Jobs, OkayGo, EzeDox, Troopers, and MyRobin. It competes directly or indirectly with platforms like Apna, GigIndia, and WorkIndia. The company has yet to file its FY24 annual results. In FY23, its revenue from operations stood at Rs 533 crore, while BetterPlace reported a loss of Rs 132 crore during the same period.

Exclusive: Battery tech startup LOHUM to begin pre-series C with $15 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Exclusive: Battery tech startup LOHUM to begin pre-series C with $15 Mn
Medial

Exclusive: Battery tech startup LOHUM to begin pre-series C with $15 Mn Battery tech startup LOHUM is set to raise Rs 131.4 crore ($15 million) in a pre-Series C round led by Growth I9 Opportunity LLP, with participation from Baring Private Equity, Singularity Growth, Asiana Fund, and others. This funding follows its $54 million Series B round raised in March 2024. The Lohum’s board passed a resolution to approve the issue of 748 pre-Series C CCPS at an issue price of Rs 17,56,714 each to raise the amount mentioned above, according to its filing with the Registrar of Companies. Growth I9 Opportunity LLP will lead the round with Rs 31.8 crore ($3.6 million), followed by Baring Private Equity at Rs 25.12 crore. Samriddhi Sehgal will also join with an investment of Rs 13.35 crore, while Asiana Fund and Rainbow Investments will contribute Rs 12.12 crore and Rs 9.83 crore, respectively. The remaining amount will be covered by Singularity Growth and 18 other investors, including a clutch of angel investors. According to the filing, the funds will be used for capital expenditure, marketing, and general corporate purposes. As per Entrackr’s estimates, the firm will be valued at around Rs 4,265 crore or around $485 million post-money. Founded in 2018, LOHUM builds next-gen Li-ion mobility and energy solutions by giving batteries multiple lives through reuse and extending battery materials indefinitely through recycling. It claims to be one of the largest producers of sustainable energy-transition materials. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Lohum has raised over $120 million to date, having Baring Equity, Singularity Growth, and Cactus Partners among the firms on its cap table. The Delhi-based company posted a 72% year-on-year increase in operating revenue to Rs 529 crore in FY24, while its profits surged over 3X to Rs 28 crore. The company has yet to disclose its FY25 numbers.

Exclusive: Ixigo-backed FreshBus kicks off Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Ixigo-backed FreshBus kicks off Series A round
Medial

Ixigo-backed EV bus startup FreshBus has raised Rs 43.7 crore (approximately $5.3 million) in its Series A round. This is the first round of funding for the Bengaluru-based company this year. The board at Fresh Bus has passed a special resolution to issue 2 equity shares and 63,825 CCPS at an issue price of Rs 6,845 each to raise Rs 43.7 crore or $5.3 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. Maniv Mobility led the round with Rs 35.68 crore while the remaining sum has been invested by Riverwalk Holdings during the Series A round. The company was in discussions to raise Rs 100 crore in its Series A round. This appears to be an ongoing fundraising and the company is likely to mop up more funds in this round. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Fresh Bus has been valued at around $20 million (post-allotment) in this round. The valuation may vary with the further capital injection. FreshBus has raised around $9 million to date including Rs 7.5 crore from Kunal Shah, TVS Motors MD Sudarshan Venu, and Rivigo CEO and founder Deepak Garg in October last year. FreshBus was founded by Sudhakar Reddy Chirra, who earlier built bus aggregator Abhibus which was acquired by ixigo in August 2021 in a cash and stock deal. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKrediblle, the company was still in pre-revenue stage with a loss of Rs 2.1 crore during the fiscal year ending March 2023. The company is yet to file its annual financial results for FY24.

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.