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Agritech startup Superplum raises $15 Mn in Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Agritech startup Superplum raises $15 Mn in Series A round
Medial

Agritech startup Superplum has raised $15 million in its Series A financing round led by Erik Ragatz, former partner and current senior advisor of private equity firm Hellman & Friedman. Ragatz joins a group of Superplum’s current investors including Mark Siegel, Dan Rose, Steve Jurvetson, Rick Kimball, Binny Bansal, and Kabir Misra. The Noida-based startup closed its pre-Series A round of $3.8 million in June 2021 and has raised close to $22 million to date. The funds will enable Superplum to continue to build out its infrastructure and accelerate its journey to transform produce supply chains in India, the company said in a press release. Started in 2019 by Shobhit Gupta, Superplum has built a direct-from-farm produce supply chain, using proprietary technology and cold-chain infrastructure to improve how produce is grown and brought to market. The company extends shelf lives and enhances fruit quality, reducing food waste and improving farmer incomes. It claims to be India’s first premium fruit brand that provides consumers with superior quality and healthier produce—across mangoes, litchis, apples, grapes, cherries, and plums, among others. The company works with farmers across 22 states in India including Bihar, Kashmir and Karnataka and runs modern sourcing and supply chains for 25 fruits across the year. Superplum sells its produce through Amazon Fresh, Zepto, Swiggy, and Blinkit. Its premium fruits are also available at major retailers such as Spar, Metro, Lulu, Modern Bazaar, More, and Trent as well as grocery stores in NCR and Bengaluru. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, agritech startups saw a sharp fall in investment to $182 million in 2023 from $773 million in 2022 and $635 million in 2021.

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ErlySign raises $1.8 Mn in pre-Series A round from Ashish Kacholia

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
ErlySign raises $1.8 Mn in pre-Series A round from Ashish Kacholia
Medial

ErlySign raises $1.8 Mn in pre-Series A round from Ashish Kacholia Healthtech startup ErlySign has raised Rs 16 crore ($1.8 million) in its pre-Series A round from Ashish Kacholia. The proceeds will be used in clinical trials, securing CDSCO (Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation) approvals, and bringing ErlySign’s oral cancer detection kit to market. Founded in 2019 by Shubhendra Singh Thakur and Deovrat Begde, ErlySign develops solutions for early detection of oral cancer. The startup also claims to offer India’s first salivary biomarker-based test which can identify pre-cancerous conditions much before visible symptoms emerge. Looking ahead, ErlySign plans to use CRISPR miRNA-based testing technology to detect multiple types of cancer using the same saliva sample within 15–20 minutes.

Exclusive: Waycool raises $12 Mn debt from Grand Anicut

EntrackrEntrackr · 9m ago
Exclusive: Waycool raises $12 Mn debt from Grand Anicut
Medial

Waycool, the Chennai-based agriculture supply chain firm, has raised Rs 100 crore (about $12 million) in debt financing from Grand Anicut. This is the first major infusion in the company in the last two years. The board at 1,000 Series B6 debentures at an issue price of Rs 10,00,000 each to raise Rs 100 crore or $12 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. The debt carries a coupon rate (interest) of 18% per annum with a tenure of 18 months. The company plans to use the funds for ongoing business operations, according to the filings. This debt round is a significant breakthrough for Waycool, as the company has been struggling to raise an equity round. Founded by Karthik Jayaraman and Sanjay Dasari, Waycool buys fresh produce, including dairy products, from farmers and sells them to retailers and restaurants. It also runs private label brands and handles distribution for fast moving consumer goods or FMCG companies. Waycool has raised around $160 million in funding to date from Lightrock, International Finance Corporation, FMO, and 57 Stars, among others. It was also negotiating for more than $50 million which could have propelled its valuation in the range of $900 million to $1 billion. However, the talks did not go through. The firm was valued at $700 million in its last equity round. To cut costs, the firm also laid off 200 employees across departments as the company was eyeing profitability by July this year. Waycool registered 62% growth in its operating revenue to Rs 1,251 crore in FY23 whereas its losses surged by 89% to Rs 685 crore during the same period. It’s yet to file an annual report for FY24. The debt funding for Waycool highlights the scarcity of equity capital for agritech startups. Notably, three companies—Waycool, Dehaat, and Ninjacart—have been close to achieving unicorn status for the past couple of years. However, the sector has yet to produce its first unicorn. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, agritech remains one of the least funded segments in 2024, with over 30 startups raising only $150 million by September. This follows a challenging trend, as last year saw just $178 million in agritech funding, a steep decline from $772 million in 2022 and $636 million in 2021. On Monday, agritech firm Greenikk shut down its operations due to operational challenges.

Zomato-backed AdOnMo raises $7 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Zomato-backed AdOnMo raises $7 Mn
Medial

Ad-tech firm AdOnMo has raised Rs 58.21 crore (around $7 million) in its Series B1 round. This is the first major infusion in the Hyderabad-based company after its Series A round led by Zomato last year. The board at AdOnMo has passed a special resolution to issue 36 equity and 4,156 CCPS at an issue price of Rs 1,38,850 each to raise Rs 58.21 crore or $7 million, its regulatory filing with the RoC shows. Healthcare veteran Ravindranath Kancherla and his son Kancherla Pruthvinath injected Rs 16.6 crore while Qatar Insurance Company and ZNL Growth (Z Nation Lab) pumped in Rs 8 crore and Rs 1.80 crore, respectively. Three dozen individual investors including Manish Kailash Chhabra, Vindhya Guduru, Vikram Malhotra, Usha Reddy Chigarapalli, and Desireddy Srinivasa Reddy also invested in AdOnMo’s Series B round. The company will use these investments for business expansion and to meet working capital requirements, according to the filing. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, AdOnMo has been valued at around Rs 858 crore or $105 million (post-money). During the ongoing fiscal year, the company also raised Rs 20 crore in debt from Northern Arc and Alteria Capital. Founded in 2016 by Sandeep Bommireddi and Sravanth Gajula, AdOnMo is an ad-tech company which provides targeted digital advertising to outdoor digital screens (residential & corporate parks) across 21 cities. As of now, the company has raised around $25 million across rounds including its $15 million round led by Zomato last year. Before this round, Zomato was the largest external stakeholder with a 17.49% stake followed by BAce Capital and Astarc Ventures. AdOnMo grew at a rapid clip in the last fiscal year as its revenue from operations surged four-fold to Rs 75 crore in FY23. Meanwhile, the company’s losses stood at Rs 38 crore in the same period.

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