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Retail advisory platform Univest raises $10 Mn in Series A

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Retail advisory platform Univest raises $10 Mn in Series A
Medial

Retail advisory platform Univest has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII). The startup had previously raised $1.5 million in a seed funding round from Trinity Media Group, Akash Anand, Deep Bajaj, and others. The fresh funds will be deployed towards accelerating its aim to democratize access to high-quality research and providing a full-stack brokerage offering, Univest said in a press release. Co-founded in 2022 by Pranit 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. The platform aspires to become India's most trusted, research-first stock market super app, solving all retail investor challenges from selecting the right picks to timely exits on a single platform. “Our focus will remain on delivering seamless, personalized, and actionable insights that simplify the investment journey for our users. We look forward to leveraging this partnership to redefine the brokerage model and establish Univest as the go-to platform for retail investors in India,” said Pranit Arora, co-founder & CEO of Univest. According to the Gurugram-based company, it combines human expertise with advanced algorithms and real-time stock screening and delivers timely & reliable trading recommendations. The company offers flexible subscription plans across equity, futures, options, and commodities for 3, 6, and 12 months, and 5-year plans. Investors receive entry and exit signals from SEBI-registered analysts during live market hours, ensuring timely and accurate decision-making. Univest has been selected for the prestigious Google for Startups Accelerator Cohort 2024, recognized among the top 20 startups in India for its impactful solutions and immense growth potential. The platform claims that since inception, it has attracted over 3 million sign-ups and more than 150,000 paying subscribers, driven by an impressive success rate of 85% on profitable calls, with 60% of calls reaching their target prices. It competes with other startups in this space, such as Liquide, Waya, Tejimandi, Stoxbox, Gapup Club, and INDmoney.

Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m 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.

Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8
Medial

Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8 Wealthtech startup Smallcase has raised $50 million in its Series D round led by Elev8 Venture Partners, a $200 million growth-stage fund focused on high-potential Indian startups. The round also saw participation from State Street Global Advisors, Niveshaay AIF, Faering Capital, and Arkam Ventures. The capital will be used to expand Smallcase’s investment product offerings across asset classes and strengthen its relationships with retail investors and ecosystem partners, Smallcase said in a press release. The new round is coming after a gap of more than 3.5 years. Smallcase has raised around $120 million to date, including $40 million in a Series C round led by Faering Capital in August 2021. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Peak XV is the largest external stakeholder, followed by Faering Capital and Blume Ventures. Launched in 2016, Smallcase offers a model portfolio platform that has served over 10 million investors. It also provides technology solutions to more than 250 financial institutions, including research firms, advisors, wealth managers, and brokerages. The platform recently expanded its offerings through a joint venture with Zerodha to launch an asset management company focused on index funds and ETFs. Smallcase's revenue from operations surged to Rs 67.4 crore in FY24 from Rs 30.6 crore in FY23. A drop in advertising and employee benefits enabled the company to reduce its losses by 74.4% to Rs 34 crore in the last fiscal year. According to TheKredible, Indian wealthtech startups such as Neo, Dezerv, Centricity, Stable Money, Fisdom, InvestorAi, and Wealthy have garnered nearly $250 million in funding across 15 deals in the past 18 months. Elev8 Venture Partners, backed by South Korea’s KB Investment, focuses on B2B SaaS, enterprise tech, consumer tech, and fintech. This is its third investment after supporting identity verification platform IDfy and astrotech platform Astrotalk.

Exclusive: Wealthtech startup Stable Money raises $15 Mn in new round

EntrackrEntrackr · 12m ago
Exclusive: Wealthtech startup Stable Money raises $15 Mn in new round
Medial

Wealthtech startup Stable Money has raised over Rs 123 crore nearly $15 million in a new round from RTP Capital, Lightspeed India, and Matrix Partner. The Bengaluru-based company has become one of the few startups to close two rounds within a year, especially during the so called funding winter. The board at Stable Money has passed a special resolution to issue 77,135 CCPS at price of Rs 16,019 each to raise Rs 123.56 crore or $14.74 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (ROC) shows. RTP Capital led the round with Rs 54.26 crore ($6.5 million) while Lightspeed India and Matrix Partners India pumped in Rs 34.64 crore ($4.15 million) each in this round. In August 2023, Stable Money scooped up $5 million in its first equity fundraise led by Matrix Partners and Lightspeed. Titan Capital, Mar Shot Ventures and a clutch of prominent angel investors also participated in the round. As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Stable Money will be valued at around $60 million post money. This is nearly four fold jump in valuation from $16.5 million in the last round. Founded in late 2022 by Saurabh Jain and Harish Reddy, Stable Money is building a fixed-return investment platform to provide financial consultation services to investors. The platform will also publish financial literacy content on its online platform to create awareness among investors. A clutch of wealthtech startups have managed to score decent funding in the ongoing calendar year. Recently Deserv raked in $32 million in its Series B round led by Premji Invest. In May, wealth management platform Wealthy raised $5.4 million in a new round led by Alpha Wave Incubation Fund.

Exclusive: Agrostar raises fresh funds from existing investors

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Exclusive: Agrostar raises fresh funds from existing investors
Medial

Exclusive: Agrostar raises fresh funds from existing investors Agritech startup Agrostar has raised Rs 57.65 crore in a fresh round from existing investors. This is the first round of investment for the Accel-backed company this year. Agritech startup Agrostar has raised Rs 57.65 crore or $6.7 million in a fresh round from existing investors. This is the first round of investment for the Accel-backed company this year. The board at Agrostar has passed a special resolution to issue 1,45,397 compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 3,965 each to raise Rs 57.65 crore, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Existing investors Accel India, Evolvence, Chiratae Ventures, Hero Enterprises, Bertelsmann, and Aavishkaar India participated during the round. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the company has been valued at around $293 million post-allotment. Agrostar operates as a comprehensive platform catering to farmers, offering both online and offline channels for farm advisory solutions and agricultural inputs. Agrostar generates revenue from the sale of agri inputs. Agrostar has raised over $110 million to date, including $70 million Series D led by Schroders. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, before this round, Chiratae Ventures was the largest external stakeholder, followed by Aavishkaar Capital, Accel, and Bertelsmann. The company last filed its financial statements in FY22, where it recorded 88.4% year-on-year growth to Rs 260 with the loss of Rs 142 crore in the same period. It competes with Ninjacart, DeHaat, and Waycool. Disclaimer: Bareback Media has recently raised funding from a group of investors. Some of the investors may directly or indirectly be involved in a competing business or might be associated with other companies we might write about. This shall, however, not influence our reporting or coverage in any manner whatsoever.

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