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Exclusive: Leap Finance in talks to raise $100 Mn; seeks over $1 Bn valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Leap Finance in talks to raise $100 Mn; seeks over $1 Bn valuation
Medial

Leap Finance, a fintech platform for Indian students pursuing higher education overseas, is in talks to raise around $70–100 million in a new round, according to two sources aware of the development. The company is seeking fresh investment after more than two years of its Series D round. “Leap has been doing well for the past two years which attracted interest from several investors including internals,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity as talks are private. “The firm is in talks with at least three new investors to raise up to $100 million in Series E round.” Leap is likely to become a unicorn with this round, said sources. San Francisco-incorporated Leap last raised $75 million in its Series D round led by Owl Ventures with participation from Steadview, Paramark Ventures, Jungle Ventures and Peak XV in June 2022 in a valuation range of $850-900 million. Its exact valuation, shareholding and revenue couldn’t be ascertained as the firm parent entity isn’t registered in India. “The terms of the deal are currently being negotiated with two of the three new investors and Leap would finalise lead for the new round in a few weeks,” said another source who also wished not to be named. “It’s seeking $1 to 1.2 billion valuation in the Series E.” Sources assert that Leap has grown multi-fold since its Series D round. The firm enables educational loans for students keen on pursuing education in overseas universities. It offers test prep apps for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT; admissions and visa counseling as well as financial offerings through LeapScholar, LeapFinance, and Yocke. It also assists with international bank accounts, credit cards, and money remittance. “The new round will be a mix of primary and secondary capital, and some early investors including angels may take partial or full exit from the company,” said the source quoted above. Leap has declined to offer comment on the story. Queries sent to Owl Ventures, Jungle Ventures, Steadview and Peak XV did not elicit any response until publication of the story. The five-year-old firm has raised $175 million until Series D round and claims to have funded more than 3,000 students since 2021. It largely focuses on institutes in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. While edtech startups have been struggling to raise funds for the past couple of years, overseas education-focused finance platforms have cornered decent funding during the period. As per data compiled by TheKredible, Leap and its competitors such as Auxilo, Avanse Financial, Financepeer, Propelld, Grayquest, and Eduvanz collectively cornered around $500 million in the last 24 months. The strong preference to study abroad for superior exposure is a significant growth driver for companies like Leap, Leverage Edu, and CollegeDekho. Incred, a prominent player in the overseas educational loan space, reported that such loans accounted for 21% of its total disbursal in FY24. According to InCred’s founder, Bhupinder Singh, the growth prospects and increasing awareness in this segment have contributed to its [overseas educational loan] rapid expansion.

Exclusive: Propelld to raise $30 Mn from WestBridge and Stellaris

EntrackrEntrackr · 2m ago
Exclusive: Propelld to raise $30 Mn from WestBridge and Stellaris
Medial

Exclusive: Propelld to raise $30 Mn from WestBridge and Stellaris Propelld, an education-focused lending platform, is set to secure Rs 260 crore (around $30.5 million) in its Series D round led by WestBridge Capital with the participation of Stellaris Venture Partners. Propelld’s board passed a special resolution to allot 20,732 Series D compulsory convertible preference shares (CCPS) at an issue price of Rs 1,25,408 each to raise the aforementioned sum, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. Westbridge Capital will invest Rs 240 crore ($28 million) via Setu AIF Trust, Konark Trust, and MMPL Trust while Stellaris Venture Partners will contribute Rs 20 crore. The investment will be utilized to meet the company’s working capital needs and capital expenditure for business expansion, the filing added. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the company is valued at around Rs 860 crore or $101 million post-allotment. Founded in 2019 by Bibhu Prasad Das, Victor Senapaty, and Brijesh Samantaray, Propelld provides education loan financing through 'Study Now, Pay Later' products and Income Sharing Agreements (ISA) via its NBFC arm. The company also offers collateral-free education financing options. Following the latest fundraise, WestBridge will hold a 46.9% stake in the company while Stellaris Venture Partners will hold a 15.69% stake. Propelld competes with other education loans-focused fintech startups like Leap Finance and Grayquest.

Exclusive: Moneyview raising $30 Mn debt via private placement

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Exclusive: Moneyview raising $30 Mn debt via private placement
Medial

Lending platform Moneyview is receiving Rs 250 crore (approximately $30 million) in debt through private placements. This will be the first major debt round for the Bengaluru-based firm in the past three years. The board Moneyview has passed a special resolution to issue non-convertible debentures up to Rs 250 crore, according to internal documents obtained by Entrackr from the Registrar of Companies. As per the documents, the debt infusion will be used for growth, working capital, and general corporate purposes. Moneyview is also on the brink of joining the prestigious unicorn club, with discussions underway to raise $50-60 million. The funding round will see participation from new investors alongside existing ones such as Apis Partners, Accel Partners, and Evolvence India. Entrackr had exclusively reported the development in July. The Tiger Global-backed company has raised around $190 million to date including a $75 million Series E round led by Apis Partners. The firm was valued at $900 million during its last equity round. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Accel was the largest external stakeholder in Moneyview with 22.28% followed by Tiger Global which held 12% of the company as of the last funding round. Its co-founders Puneet and Sanjay Agarwal cumulatively command 24% capital of the firm. Ribbit Capital, Apis Partners, Winter Capital, and Evolvence are other notable investors in Moneyview. See TheKredible for the detailed shareholding pattern. Founded in 2014, Moneyview largely deals in personal and home loans, credit cards, credit score viewing, motor insurance and loans against property. Besides third parties, the firm also offers credit through its own NBFC — Whizdm Finance. It claims to have disbursed loans worth Rs 1,2000 crore during its decade-old journey. While Moneyview is yet to disclose FY24 financial numbers, the company’s revenue from operations grew 2.6X to Rs 577 crore in FY23. Its profit mounted 27X to Rs 163 crore during the said fiscal year.

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