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Chaayos scale remains flat in FY24; turns EBITDA positive

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Chaayos scale remains flat in FY24; turns EBITDA positive
Medial

Fintrackr: Chaayos Scale Remains Flat in FY24; Turns EBITDA Positive Over the past 18-20 months, growth and late-stage Indian startups have shifted their focus toward profitability. While many managed to significantly reduce their losses in FY24, their growth was constrained by a sharp reduction in cash burn. Chaayos followed this trend, reporting a more than 50% drop in losses, though its operational scale remained flat for the fiscal year ending March 2024. Chaayos’ revenue from operations grew by 4.85% to Rs 248.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 237 crore in FY23, according to its consolidated financial statement filed on the Registrar of Companies (RoC). The company sells a variety of teas and other snacks and beverages with dine-in, takeaways, and online ordering facilities. It has over 200 outlets across Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, and Bengaluru. Chaayos’ core revenue streams include sales of manufactured goods such as tea, which accounted for 95.32% of the revenue. This revenue increased 3.1% to Rs 236.87 crore in FY24. Revenue from traded goods (snacks, tea leaf) almost doubled, rising by 98.52% to Rs 10.74 crore, while income from services fell by 51.89% to Rs 0.89 crore. The company made an additional Rs 22.7 crore from non-operating sources which pushed its total income to Rs 271.2 crore in the last fiscal year. On the expense front, Chaayos' largest expense category, employee benefit expenses rose by 4.45% to Rs 81.15 crore in FY24. Cost of materials decreased by 11% to Rs 76.54 crore. Other significant costs included depreciation, which remained stable at Rs 51.83 crore, and commissions, which declined by 4.62% to Rs 26 crore. Miscellaneous expenses added Rs 89.69 crore to the company’s overall spending. In the end, the company managed to reduce its total expenses by 11.07% to Rs 325.21 crore in FY24, down from Rs 365.68 crore in FY23. Due to controlled expenses across verticals, Chaayos’ losses shrank 50.6% to Rs 54 crore in FY24. It is worth noting that the company achieved positive EBITDA of Rs 28.35 crore in FY24. Its ROCE and EBITDA Margin stood at -6.02% and 10.45% respectively. On a unit basis, the company spent Rs 1.31 to earn a rupee of operating revenue in FY24. As of March 2024, the firm reported Rs 181.42 crore of current assets including Rs 89.16 crore of cash and bank balance. Like almost every marketer out there, Chaayos has also been betting big on premiumisation, even as the break up between online and offline sales remains broadly equal. Those are both tough choices to make from a margin perspective, as premiumisation pits it against stronger competition, and online is still all about putting margins on the line. The firm is truly at an inflection point, twelve years after it first started. It is a well-regarded brand, can boast of some innovations and experiences unique to it, and has some level of scale. The problem now is to repeat all of the above at half the cost and time, to put it simply. Does Chaayos have a plan?

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XpressBees turns EBITDA positive in FY24, warehousing biz grows 60X

EntrackrEntrackr · 2m ago
XpressBees turns EBITDA positive in FY24, warehousing biz grows 60X
Medial

XpressBees turns EBITDA positive in FY24, warehousing biz grows 60X E-commerce-focused logistics and supply chain firm XpressBees managed only modest double-digit growth in the fiscal year ending March 2024. However, the company turned EBITDA positive during the same period, despite an increase in overall expenses. XpressBees’ operating revenue increased by 12% to Rs 2,831 crore in FY24 from Rs 2,531 crore in FY23, as per its consolidated financial statement sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). XpressBees provides B2B/B2C express delivery service, cross-border logistics, and warehousing services to e-commerce players including Snapdeal, Myntra, Meesho, Netmeds, and Bigbasket, among others. Revenue from logistics services remained the primary source of income for XpressBees, accounting for 97% of the company’s total revenue. However, the company’s warehousing business, though smaller in size, posted an impressive jump (60X) — soaring from Rs 0.77 crore in FY23 to Rs 48 crore in FY24, signaling a strong push toward expanding its non-courier biz. The remaining revenue came from warehouse services (Rs 48 crore) and support services (Rs 31 crore), both of which witnessed notable growth. The firm also added Rs 109 crore from non-operating activities, which pushed its overall income to Rs 2940 crore in FY24. On the expense side, courier charges remained XpressBees’ largest cost component, rising 12% to Rs 1,816 crore in FY24. Linehaul charges saw a modest 6% increase to Rs 494 crore, while employee benefit expenses rose by nearly 10% to Rs 355 crore in the said fiscal year. Depreciation costs spiked 49% to Rs 159 crore, and other operational expenses contributed an additional Rs 319 crore. Overall, XpressBees’ total expenditure increased 13% year-on-year, reaching Rs 3,143 crore in FY24 from Rs 2,785 crore in FY23. With expenses growing faster than revenue, XpressBees' net loss widened by 11%, rising to Rs 200 crore in FY24 from Rs 180 crore in FY23. However, the Pune-based firm achieved EBITDA positivity, reporting an EBITDA of Rs 5 crore for the same period. The company’s ROCE stood at -8.32%, while its EBITDA margin came in at a modest 0.17%. On a per-unit basis, XpressBees spent Rs 1.11 to earn every rupee in revenue during FY24. XpressBees recorded current assets worth Rs 1867 crore in FY24, including Rs 1331 crore in cash and bank balances. Recently, Xpressbees acquired courier firm Trackon and named Uday R. Sharma as CBO for B2B, 3PL, and cross-border operations. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, XpressBees has raised a total of $625 million in funding to date, having Norwest Venture Partners and Alibaba Group as its lead investors. The company’s Co-Founder & CEO Amitava Saha owns 3.15% of the company.

Shadowfax posts Rs 1,885 Cr revenue in FY24, turns EBITDA profitable

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Shadowfax posts Rs 1,885 Cr revenue in FY24, turns EBITDA profitable
Medial

Shadowfax, one of India's leading new-age logistics and delivery platforms, delivered a strong financial performance in FY24, reducing its losses by 90%. Simultaneously, the company recorded over 33% year-on-year growth in operating revenue, and turned EBITDA positive with Rs 23 crore for the fiscal year ending March 2024. The Flipkart-backed firm’s revenue from operations spiked to Rs 1,884.8 crore in the last fiscal year, from Rs 1,415 crore in FY23, as per its annual financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies. Shadowfax claims to provide 3PL logistics (third party logistics) to e-commerce and D2C firms across 2,500 cities and 18,000 pin codes in the country. The sale of logistics and delivery services are the only source of revenue for Shadowfax. Co-founder and chief executive Abhishek Bansal attributed the company’s sustainable growth in FY24 to its focus on value-added services, including reverse logistics, same-day delivery, and quick commerce offered through its Flash service. “While most logistics companies have chosen to focus on a single service and transition into B2B, Shadowfax has remained in the B2C space. Quick commerce gives us an edge, as we are the only 3PL offering these services,” said Abhishek Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Shadowfax, in a telephonic conversation with Entrackr. The company also generated Rs 11.6 crore from non-operating activities, contributing to a total income of Rs 1,896.4 crore in FY24. On the expense side, transportation and distribution (delivery partners) expenses accounted for the bulk of costs, surging 24.7% to Rs 966.2 crore in FY24. This cost represents 50.63% of total expenses during the last fiscal year. Vehicle running costs increased by 35.8% to Rs 394.5 crore, while costs related to lost shipments rose by 39.7% to Rs 94.6 crore. Employee benefit expenses marginally declined to Rs 211.5 crore, constituting 11.08% of total expenses, whereas other costs added another Rs 241.5 crore. Overall, the Bengaluru-based firm’s total expenses rose by 21.9% to Rs 1,908.3 crore in FY24. By the end of FY24, the company's net loss declined by 92% to Rs 11.8 crore, compared to Rs 142.6 crore in FY23. Shadowfax also achieved a positive EBITDA of Rs 23 crore in the last fiscal. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at -1.06% and 1.21%, respectively. On a unit basis, Shadowfax spent Rs 1.01 to earn a rupee of operating income in the last fiscal year. The company’s assets nearly doubled, rising to Rs 619.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 320.8 crore in FY23. Its cash and bank balance at the end of FY24 stood at Rs 102.8 crore. Just before FY24 ended, Shadowfax scooped up $100 million Series E round led by TPG NewQuest. Recently, Uber has partnered with Shadowfax to integrate its two-wheeler fleet with UberMoto, allowing Shadowfax to offer bike-taxi services during lean hours. Reports indicate that the Bansal-led company is gearing up to launch its initial public offering (IPO). It will join industry peers like Delhivery and Blackbuck, which are already listed on the stock exchange, while another player, Ecom Express, has also secured SEBI approval for its IPO. Shadowfax has emerged as the fastest-growing logistics company in India, evident from its performance relative to competitors. Ecom Express recorded a modest 2.3% growth, reporting flat revenue of Rs 2,607 crore in FY24. Meanwhile, listed competitor Delhivery posted 12.7% year-on-year revenue growth in the last fiscal year.

K12 Techno Services touches Rs 430 Cr revenue in FY24, turns EBITDA positive

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
K12 Techno Services touches Rs 430 Cr revenue in FY24, turns EBITDA positive
Medial

K12 Techno Services, which runs a school chain under the brand name Orchids, has shown efficient financial performance in the last fiscal. The company reported around 20% year-on-year growth in its operating revenue during FY24, with over a 75% reduction in losses. K12 Techno Services’s revenue from operations rose to Rs 429.2 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2024, from Rs 358.3 crore in FY23, its financial statement filed with the Registrar of Companies shows. Apart from operating over 90 Orchids School branches across the country, K12 Techno Services has six verticals, including Sparklebox, an e-commerce store for activity kits, and Eduvate, which provides custom solutions for school operations and curriculum design. The sale of services accounted for the majority, contributing 58.72% (Rs 252.02 crore) of the revenue, with a modest 7.1% year-over-year growth. However, the sale of products for the Bengaluru-based firm surged by 46.5% to Rs 171.72 crore in FY24, making up 40.01% of the total operating revenue. Including non-operating income of Rs 18.47 crore, K12 Techno Services’ total income grew 17% to Rs 447.67 crore in the last fiscal year. On the expense side, employee benefit expenses remained the largest cost component, rising by 28.2% to Rs 173.38 crore in FY24 and constituting 37.92% of the total expense. The cost of materials grew by 23% to Rs 89.2 crore, while depreciation expenses rose by 64.4% to Rs 58.69 crore. Advertising expenses decreased by 20.5% to Rs 58.86 crore. Despite registering 17% growth in scale, the company’s total expenses grew by 8.5% to Rs 457.2 crore in FY24, up from Rs 421.5 crore in FY23. In the end, K12 Techno Service’s losses shrank 75% to Rs 9.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 38.75 crore in FY23. The firm also achieved a positive EBITDA of Rs 80.37 crore in the last fiscal. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at 1.69% and 17.95%, respectively. On a unit basis, the company spent Rs 1.07 to earn a rupee of operating income in the last fiscal year. The company’s assets rose to Rs 402 crore in FY24 from Rs 312 crore in FY23, while its cash and bank balance at the end of FY24 stood at Rs 174.65 crore.

Amazon-backed ToneTag turns profitable after 10 years of operations

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Amazon-backed ToneTag turns profitable after 10 years of operations
Medial

After experiencing slow growth over the past two years (FY22 and FY23), contactless payment solution provider ToneTag has made a strong comeback, doubling its revenue in the fiscal year ending March 2024. By effectively cutting expenses, the Bengaluru-based company has also achieved profitability for the first time since its inception in 2014. ToneTag’s revenue from operations jumped 111.7% to Rs 47.78 crore during FY24 in contrast to Rs 22.57 crore generated in FY23, its financial statement sourced from the Registrar of Companies shows. ToneTag offers three product categories for businesses—voice commerce, online store, and in-store solutions—that cater to retail and F&B businesses. The firm enables businesses to integrate voice-powered interactions for shopping, ordering, and payment through its Oyeti platform. For customers, its VoiceSe UPI payment service facilitates voice-based transactions that work without internet access. The company collected Rs 30.87 crore via upfront customization services in FY24 accounting for 64.6% of the total operating revenue during the year. Revenue from smart stores dwindled 53.8% to Rs 10.33 crore year-on-year (YoY) from Rs 22.36 crore. The company also generated revenue of Rs 4.14 crore from monthly fees (from businesses), Rs 1.63 crore via one-time integration fees, and Rs 81 lakh through license fees. Moving toward the expense side, employee benefits formed 49% of the total expenditure. This cost remained almost flat at Rs 13.22 crore during the last fiscal year (FY24). Finance cost ballooned over 5X to Rs 2.49 crore while telephone cum IVR charges surged 143.8% to Rs 2.17 crore during the period. Overall, the company spent Rs 26.95 crore in FY24, 9.3% less compared to FY23 (Rs 29.70 crore). Followed by an impressive growth in scale and controlled expenditure, ToneTag turned profitable and booked Rs 20.94 crore profits during FY24 against Rs 6.12 crore loss in FY23. Operating cash outflows, however, increased 73.6% to Rs 2.24 crore in FY24. ToneTag’s improved bottom line also helped it to register positive EBITDA margin and ROCE which bettered to 54.18% and 30.09%, respectively. On a unit level, the firm spent Re 0.56 to earn a rupee of operating revenue in the last fiscal year. At the end of FY24, the company reported Rs 1.6 crore in cash and bank balances. However, its current assets nearly tripled to Rs 41.94 crore, driven by a significant spike in trade receivables during the period. According to media reports, ToneTag is looking to raise $50 million in primary and secondary funding from Iron Pillar and other investors. As per TheKredible, ToneTag has raised over Rs 90 crore ($11 million) to date and was valued at nearly Rs 800 crore ($96 million) in its last round. The company, which is backed by Amazon, Reliance, and 3one4 Capital, hasn’t raised a new round for more than six and a half years. Among contactless payment solution providers, ToneTag competes with Paytm, PhonePe, PineLabs, BharatPe, and MobiKwik et al.

Leegality turns profitable with 87% revenue growth in FY24

EntrackrEntrackr · 9m ago
Leegality turns profitable with 87% revenue growth in FY24
Medial

Document infrastructure platform Leegality maintained its growth trajectory in the fiscal year ending March 2024. After achieving 100% revenue growth in FY23, the IIFL Fintech Fund-backed company reported an 87% spike in scale in the latest fiscal year. Leegality’s revenue from operations jumped to Rs 62 crore in FY24, as per its financial statement filed with the Registrar of Companies. Leegality enables businesses to digitally transform document logistics, eliminating physical paperwork in the lending ecosystem by providing digital infrastructure, including eSign and eStamping solutions. The sale of these services was the only source of collection for the firm in FY24. Leegality additionally earned Rs 4.2 crore from interest on bank deposits, bringing its total income to Rs 66.41 crore in FY24, a substantial increase from Rs 35.51 crore in FY23. Looking at expenses, employee benefit was the major contributor, accounting for 56% of total costs, increasing by 62.5% to Rs 36.4 crore in FY24 from Rs 22.4 crore in FY23. E-Sign Charges made up 15% of total expenses, rising 2.3 times to Rs 9.5 crore.Tech infrastructure formed 10% of expenses, growing by 55% to Rs 6.6 crore. Other costs, including stamp processing, advertising, and legal fees, brought total expenses to Rs 65 crore during the last fiscal year, reflecting a 66% increase from Rs 39 crore in FY23. With significant revenue growth, Leegality turned profitable in FY24, reporting a profit of Rs 1.11 crore, compared to a loss of Rs 3.5 crore in FY23. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at -2.75% and 3.33%, respectively. On a unit-basis level, the company spent Rs 1.04 to earn each rupee of operating revenue in FY24. FY23-FY24 FY23 FY24 EBITDA Margin -8.53% 3.33% Expense/₹ of Op Revenue ₹1.18 ₹1.04 ROCE -7.49% 2.75% Even though it operates in a fairly competitive space, Leegality’s turn to profitability indicates the ‘sensible’ economics within the segment. Even as more and more transactions and the documentation required are being digitised, the scope of work for Leegality and its peers will only increase, providing a clear pathway to growth. The only risk we can see is any government backed alternative like say, Digilocker which expands services to overlap with what these offer.

Elevation-backed The Souled Store turns profitable in FY24

EntrackrEntrackr · 4m ago
Elevation-backed The Souled Store turns profitable in FY24
Medial

The Souled Store, a direct-to-consumer pop culture brand, witnessed impressive growth with a 54.5% year-on-year increase in the fiscal year ending March 2024. The Xponentia Capital-backed company also achieved profitability during this period. The Souled Store's revenue from operations grew to Rs 360 crore in FY24 from Rs 233 crore in FY23, its annual financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC) show. Founded in 2014, The Souled Store designs, manufactures and sells apparel inspired by pop culture, featuring themes from superheroes, movies, and TV shows. Its product lineup includes footwear, books, mobile covers, notebooks, mugs, and more. According to the company's website, it has 18 stores across India. Revenue from the sale of products in stores and online accounted for 98.6% of the revenue, which increased 55% to Rs 355 crore in FY23. The rest of the operating income comes from membership fees. The Souled Store also added Rs 5 crore from interest on deposits and gain on current investment which tallied its overall revenue to Rs 365 crore in FY24, compared to Rs 236 crore in FY23. For the D2C brand, the cost of procurement accounted for 42.2% of the total expenditure. To the tune of scale, this cost grew by 68.5% to Rs 150 crore in FY24. Its employee benefits and rent also increased by 34.5% and 77.8% respectively in the previous fiscal year. The Mumbai-based firm spent Rs 68 crore on advertising in FY24. Legal, freight, job work charges, and other overheads increased the overall expenditure by 40.3% to Rs 355 crore in FY24 from Rs 253 crore in FY23. Over 50% YoY growth coupled with controlled expenditure led the firm to register a net profit of Rs 18 crore in FY24 compared to a loss of Rs 16.5 crore in FY23. Its ROCE and EBITDA margins improved to a positive 6.38% and 5.21% respectively. On a unit level, it spent Rs 0.99 to earn a rupee of operating revenue. At the end of FY24, the company’s total current assets stood at Rs 225 crore including the cash and bank balances of Rs 44 crore. The Souled Store has raised nearly $30 million to date, including a $16 million round led by Xponentia Capital in 2023 and a $10 million round led by Elevation in 2021. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Elevation is the largest external stakeholder followed by Xponentia Capital.

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