Celebal Tech nears Rs 300 Cr revenue in FY24, but bleeds heavily

Entrackr · 11d

Celebal Technologies, an IT services provider, crossed the Rs 270 crore revenue mark with a 43% year-on-year growth in the fiscal year ending March 2024. However, losses for the Norwest Ventures-backed firm surged to Rs 60 crore during the same period. Celebal Technologies’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 275 crore in FY24 from Rs 192 crore in FY23, its consolidated financial statements sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) show. Co-founded in 2016 by Anupam Gupta and Anirudh Kala, Celebal Technologies specializes in data science, AI, and enterprise cloud solutions. Technology consulting remains the sole revenue driver for the Jaipur-headquartered firm. It also earned Rs 6 crore from interest and the sale of current investments, bringing its total revenue to Rs 281 crore in FY24. With a presence in the USA, APAC, UAE, Europe, and Canada, the company generated Rs 122 crore from international markets. Like other SaaS firms, employee benefits were the largest cost center for the company, accounting for 71% of total expenses. This expense surged 87% to Rs 245 crore in FY24 from Rs 131 crore in FY23. Notably, the firm has a dedicated workforce of over 2,000 professionals. Technical services, rent, travel, advertising, and legal expenses were among the key overheads that pushed Celebal Technologies’ total expenditure up by 73%—from Rs 199 crore in FY23 to Rs 344 crore in FY24. An 87% rise in employee benefits—primarily salaries and wages—outpaced revenue growth, pushing Celebal Technologies’ losses to Rs 60 crore in FY24 from Rs 1 crore in FY23. At a unit level, the company spent Rs 1.25 to earn a rupee, while its ROCE and EBITDA margins declined to -39.1% and -19.2%, respectively. By the end of FY24, its total current assets stood at Rs 139 crore, with cash and bank balances of Rs 18 crore. Celebal Technologies secured its first institutional funding of $32 million in 2022, led by Norwest Venture Partners. The company later raised debt from BlackSoil. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Norwest holds the largest external stake at 19.58%, while the two co-founders collectively own over 70% of the company’s capital.