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Cashfree Payments announces ESOP buyback for over 400 employees

EntrackrEntrackr · 3d ago
Cashfree Payments announces ESOP buyback for over 400 employees
Medial

Cashfree Payments announces ESOP buyback for over 400 employees Bengaluru-based fintech firm Cashfree Payments has announced an ESOP buyback programme covering over 400 employees, including 175 former employees. The buyback provides liquidity to current and former team members holding vested stock options. Cashfree did not disclose the size of the buyback or the valuation at which the shares were repurchased. The move comes a year after Cashfree’s $53 million funding round led by Krafton. Overall, the company has raised $95 million from investors, including Y Combinator, Smilegate Investments, and State Bank of India. Founded in 2015, Cashfree Payments operates a payments and payouts infrastructure platform for businesses. The company processes more than $80 billion in annual payment volumes and serves over one million merchants, including startups and large internet companies. Cashfree has also been expanding its cross-border payments business, which currently contributes around 10% of the company’s revenue, following strong growth in transaction volumes over the past year. According to TheKredible, Cashfree reported operating revenue of Rs 640 crore in FY25, compared with Rs 643 crore in FY24. The company’s net loss widened 14% to Rs 154 crore from Rs 135 crore in the previous fiscal year. This marks the third major ESOP buyback announcement in 2026. Recently, healthtech firm Innovaccer completed an ESOP buyback worth around $75 million, while SaaS unicorn BrowserStack announced a $125 million ESOP liquidity programme. For context, ESOP buyback activity in 2025 remained muted at just over $75 million. In comparison, total ESOP buybacks, payouts, and liquidity stood at about $190 million in 2024, significantly lower than $802 million in 2023, $440 million in 2021, and $200 million in 2022.

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Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn
Medial

Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn This announcement follows Flipkart’s record $700 million payout to employees in 2023, one of the largest ESOP buyback events in Indian startup history. Flipkart has announced a fresh ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan) liquidity opportunity for its employees, according to an internal note from the company’s chief executive officer Kalyan Krishnamurthy. As per the note, eligible employees will be allowed to liquidate up to 5% of their vested ESOPs as of July 5, 2025, at a buyback price of $174.32 per option. Payouts will be made in August 2025 under the Flipkart Stock Option Plan 2012. An ET report estimates the size of the ESOP buyback at $50 million, with 7,000 to 7,500 employees expected to benefit from the liquidity program. Flipkart is currently valued at around $36 billion. Krishnamurthy also added that if key performance goals are met by the end of 2025, another 5% liquidity window could open in early 2026. A Flipkart spokesperson confirmed the development to Entrackr. This announcement follows Flipkart’s record $700 million payout to employees in 2023, one of the largest ESOP buyback events in Indian startup history. Media reports indicate the firm plans to launch its IPO with a valuation of $60-$70 billion. The company’s board has already approved the process to shift its holding structure from Singapore to India. In 2025, a clutch of startups including Darwinbox, Rapido, Univest, Deserve, and Even Healthcare have implemented ESOP buyback, liquidity, and payout programs worth around $67 million. In 2024, more than 20 startups implemented $200 million. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the ESOP buyback or liquidity amount stood at $802 million in 2023, $440 million in 2021, and $200 million in 2022.

MyGate announces ESOP buyback for over 50 employees

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
MyGate announces ESOP buyback for over 50 employees
Medial

Community management app MyGate has announced employees stock buyback program for more than 50 employees. The buyback has come on the back of improved financial results for the Bengaluru-based company in the last and current fiscal year. MyGate has announced the buyback plan of 20% of vested shares for employees who have completed four years at the firm. “We are in the strongest financial position that we have ever been and well capitalised to fuel our growth and new initiatives,” said Abhishek Kumar, co-founder of MyGate. MyGate grew without raising venture capital money for nearly four years. The firm’s operating revenue jumped 77.3% to Rs 71.10 crore in FY23 from Rs 40.1 crore in FY22. During the period, it managed to cut losses to the tune of 35%. The company primarily generates income through subscription revenue from resident welfare associations and from brands promoting themselves on the MyGate app. The firm also said that it achieved zero cash burn in November 2023. MyGate raised $56 million in a Series B round in October 2019. Later, it raised strategic money worth $12 million from home service marketplace Urban Company and insurance provider Acko in November 2022. Entrackr exclusively reported the development. While the number of ESOP buybacks saw a downward trend in 2023, the amount of buyback and payout created a new record in the last year. As per data compiled by TheKredible, the total EOSP buyback/payout/liquidity in 2023 stood at nearly $802 million. In 2021 and 2022, the buyback amount was recorded at $440 and $200 million respectively. Last month, edtech company Classplus announced ESOP buyback for more than 150 employees.

Meesho announces its largest ESOP buyback worth Rs 200 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Meesho announces its largest ESOP buyback worth Rs 200 Cr
Medial

Meesho has announced the initiation of an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) buyback program of Rs 200 crore (approximately $25 million), making it the company’s largest ESOP buyback pool to date. This marks the fourth buyback at the horizontal e-commerce unicorn. The company bought back shares worth $1 million in February 2020, $5 million in November 2020 and $5.5 million in October 2021. The new buyback will benefit around 1,700 past as well as present employees across junior-level executives to senior leadership. Meesho provides small businesses, which includes SMBs, MSMEs and individual entrepreneurs, access to millions of customers, selection from over 30 categories, pan-India logistics, payment services and customer support capabilities. The Vidit Aatrey-led company recently announced the launch of Valmo, a full fledged logistics marketplace that allows the network of micro-entrepreneurs to become Meesho logistics partners. In July 2023, Meesho claimed that it was the first horizontal Indian e-commerce company to turn profitable. Since announcing profitability in July 2023, the company continues to remain profitable and cash flow positive. The company also cut its losses in FY23 by 48% but its revenue spiked 77% year-on-year to Rs 5,735 crore in the last fiscal year. Recently, community management app MyGate rolled out employee stock buyback program for more than 50 employees. As per data compiled by TheKredible, the total EOSP buyback/payout/liquidity stood at nearly $802 million in 2023. In 2021 and 2022, the buyback amount was recorded at $440 and $200 million respectively.

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