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Exclusive: Pravega and IIFL invest in GrayQuest’s Series B

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Exclusive: Pravega and IIFL invest in GrayQuest’s Series B
Medial

Education loans-focused fintech startup GrayQuest is set to raise Rs 53 crore ($6 million) in a Series B round co-led by Pravega Fund and IIFL Fintech Fund. The board of GrayQuest has passed a resolution to offer and issue 6,228 fully paid up and 1,530 partly paid up Series B preference shares at an issue price of Rs 69,062 each to raise Rs 53.57 crore. Pravega Ventures and IIFL Fintech Fund each invested Rs 21.50 crore, while the company’s founder, Rishab Sumer Mehta, also participated with shares worth Rs 10.56 crore. The shares allotted to Rishab are partly paid, meaning the remaining amount will be called upon when the board decides. GrayQuest will utilize the fresh funding to meet financial requirements and support its expansion plan, the firm’s regulatory filings disclosed. The company has also increased its ESOP pool size by adding 1,204 new options, bringing the total ESOP pool to 5,718 options, as per a separate filing. Entrackr estimates that GrayQuest’s ESOP pool is currently valued at $4.5 million. The Mumbai-based startup had raised $7 million in its Series A round back in March last year, and $1.2 million worth pre-Series A round in August 2020. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, GrayQuest has been valued at around Rs 530 crore ( $64 million) post-allotment. The Series B round appears to be ongoing, and the startup is likely to raise additional funds, which could result in a variation in its valuation. Following the fresh proceeds, Pravega Ventures will hold 10.94% of the company, while IIFL Fintech Fund will own 4.07%. Its Founder Rishab Sumer Mehta will command a handsome 38.59% stake in the company. Seven-year-old GrayQuest is an integrated fee collection platform for educational institutions, allowing parents to pay annual education fees in flexible monthly installments with zero interest. Recently, Grayquest was selected for Co-Lab initiative, which was launched by HDFC Bank in collaboration with Pravega Ventures. For the fiscal year ending in March 2023, the startup reported Rs 8.76 crore in operating revenue with Rs 26.3 crore loss. It has yet to publish FY24 results. According to data compiled by TheKredible, GrayQuest and its competitors, including Leap, Auxilo, Avanse Financial, Financepeer, Propelld, Mpower Financing, and Eduvanz, have collectively secured approximately $500 million in funding over the past 24 months. In July, Entrackr exclusively reported that Leap is in talks to raise a new round at unicorn valuation.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [03-08 Jun]

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [03-08 Jun]
Medial

As many as 17 Indian startups raised around $402.34 million in funding this week. These deals count 4 growth-stage deals and 11 early-stage deals. Moreover, two early-stage startups kept their transaction details undisclosed. In the previous week, about 39 early and growth-stage startups cumulatively raised close to $387.23 million capital. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, 4 startups raised $317 million in funding this week. Eyewear retailer Lenskart led the list with its $200 million secondary funding followed by a digital lending startup Fibe with $90 million, electric two-wheeler manufacturer Ather Energy with $15 million, and Small and medium enterprises-focused digital lending platform LendingKart with its $12 million debt funding. [Early-stage deals] Subsequently, 11 early-stage startups secured funding worth $85.34 million during the week. Spun off from Polygon, blockchain startup Avail spearheaded the list followed by online astrology platform AstroTalk, AI-based low-code test automation platform Testsigma, fintech platform iPiD, and robotics startup Botsync. The list of early-stage startups also includes two startups that kept the funding amount undisclosed: IoT-driven green robotics solution provider Aegeus Tech and D2C nutrition brand Greenday (Better Nutrition). For more information, visit TheKredible. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of the city-wise number of funding deals, Bengaluru-based startups led with 7 deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Lucknow, Pune, Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Segment-wise, e-commerce and fintech startups grabbed the top spot with three deals each. Robotics, SaaS, Blockchain, ClimateTech, and EV startups followed this list among others. [Series-wise deals] During the week, Series A funding deals led the list with 5 deals followed by 4 Seed and 3 pre-Series A deals. Further, the list includes Debt, Secondary, Series E, and Series F funding deals. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding barely increased 3.9% to $402.34 million as compared to around $387.23 million raised during the previous week. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $326 million with 28 deals per week. [Key hirings] Among key hirings, Hardeep Singh has been appointed as CFO by Stride Ventures, Good Glamm Group appointed Lauren Bloomer as International OPS, while Abhaya Hota has been appointed as the Independent Director by Cashfree Payments. [Layoffs] Simpl, a Bengaluru-based fintech startup, has undergone its second round of layoffs in less than a month, cutting around 30 employees. This move follows a previous layoff of around 100 employees. Ashish Kulshrestha, head of communications at Simpl, explained that these layoffs are part of the company’s efforts to achieve profitability by mid-2025 and to enhance operational efficiency. The affected employees will receive a severance package including a pro-rated fixed salary up to the effective date and a two-month notice period salary as per the employment agreement. [M&A] Last week, Entrackr reported that Times Internet-owned MX Player is nearing an acquisition by Amazon. Amazon has now confirmed the acquisition of certain assets from MX Player, although the transaction isn’t yet complete. An Amazon spokesperson mentioned their continuous efforts to enhance customer experiences with local content available on Prime Video and miniTV in India. Additionally, Absolute Sports, the parent company of Sportskeeda.com and ProFootballNetwork.com and a subsidiary of Nazara Technologies is set to acquire all assets of SoapCentral.com, a leading entertainment content source in the US. The all-cash deal is valued at $1.4 million (approximately Rs 11.6 crore) and is expected to close within the next 30 days. [ESOP buyback] Leverage.biz, the company behind the study abroad platform Leverage Edu, Fly.Finance, and Fly Homes, has completed its second ESOP buyback exercise. This initiative benefited over 50 employees across various functions, although the exact amount of the stock buyback was not disclosed. Leverage Edu previously concluded its first ESOP buyback in June 2022. [Potential deals] Scimplify, a platform for sourcing and manufacturing specialty chemicals, is raising a new $5 million round led by Omnivore with participation from existing investors, just six months after its previous round. Meragi, an online platform for wedding-related services and products, is set to raise $8 million in a new round led by Accel, with existing investors Surge and Venture Highway also participating. The deal is in the final stages. Statiq, an electric vehicle charging network operator, is in discussions to raise $50 million in its Series B round, with existing investors Shell Ventures and Y Combinator, along with new investors. InsuranceDekho, the insurance arm of CarDekho, is in the final stages of acquiring a majority stake in wealth tech startup BankSathi through a share swap deal, allowing BankSathi shareholders to receive a stake in InsuranceDekho. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [Financial results this week] After 4X growth in FY23, Ather Energy’s revenue declines in FY24 After Rs 215 Cr profit in FY22, Molbio reports Rs 3 Cr loss in FY23 [News flash this week] UPI in May: PhonePe maintains domination, Paytm sees marginal growth Amazon says it has purchased some assets of MX Player, not entire company No hurry to sell, indefinite horizon on Zomato: Sanjeev Bikhchandani Trading app Investmint halts services; explores M&A deal Baron Capital marks up Swiggy’s valuation to $15.1 Bn [Conclusion] The weekly funding increased 3.9% to $402 million, driven mainly by Lenskart’s $200 million secondary funding. Additionally, the week saw a layoff as fintech startup Simpl has undergone its second round of layoffs in less than a month, cutting around 30 employees. PhonePe maintained its lead in the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) ecosystem with a market share exceeding 48% in May 2024, processing 6.8 billion of the 14 billion UPI transactions recorded by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI). Google Pay and Paytm processed 5.2 billion and 1.14 billion transactions, respectively. Info Edge, renowned for its recruitment portal Naukri, has seen significant success with its investments in Zomato and Policybazaar, with Zomato’s market cap increasing 2.3 times since its IPO. Under the leadership of founder and chairman Sanjeev Bikhchandani, the company remains patient with its profitable investments while nurturing its brands. Read here for more. Investmint, a signal-based trading app, has ceased operations due to challenges in establishing a reliable business model despite having decent traction and funds. The company is now exploring acquisition opportunities with wealth management firms. Baron Capital has increased Swiggy’s valuation to $15.1 billion, a 25% rise from the previous $12.1 billion valuation in December 2023. Following Baron’s lead, Invesco also raised Swiggy’s valuation to $12.7 billion in April.

Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [16 - 21 Sep]

EntrackrEntrackr · 9m ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [16 - 21 Sep]
Medial

During the week, 36 Indian startups raised around $628.24 million in funding. These deals count 14 growth-stage deals and 17 early-stage deals while 5 startups kept their transaction details undisclosed. Last week, 24 early and growth-stage startups cumulatively raised over $228 million in funding. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, 14 startups raised $566.44 million in funding this week. Edtech startup Physics Wallah spearheaded with a $210 million funding round. SaaS-based digital adoption solution provider Whatfix raised $100 million followed by, API infrastructure platform M2P Fintech, omnichannel diagnostics service provider Redcliffe, digital infrastructure company iBUS, and mobility startup Everest Fleet with $50 million, $42 million, $34 million, and $30 million in funding, respectively. Swiggy continued to onboard big names under its investor list, including Madhuri Dixit, Ritesh Malik, and Moder Insulators in its pre-IPO funding. [Early-stage deals] Further, 17 early-stage startups secured funding worth $61.8 million during the week. Fintech startup Kaleidofin led the list followed by data intelligence platform e6data, luxury wellness clinic chain The Wellness Co (Rollins International), SaaS-enabled marketplace for metal manufacturers NowPurchase, and vacation home rentals platform ELIVAAS among others. As many as 5 startups that did not disclose the funding amount raised are; Venttup, Kaatil, Salt Oral Care, Ticket9, and TraqCheck. For more information, visit TheKredible. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of the city-wise number of funding deals, Bengaluru-based startups led with 12 deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, and more. Segment-wise, E-commerce, SaaS, and Fintech startups are on the top spot with 5 deals each. Healthtech, HRtech, Foodtech, Proptech, Edtech, and Telecom startups followed this list among others. [Series-wise deals] During the week, seed funding deals are on top, with 10 deals followed by 7 Series A, 5 Series B, 3 Series C, and more. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding surged 174.59% to $628.24 million as compared to around $228.79 million raised during the previous week. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $393 million with 28 deals per week. [Fund launches] z21 Ventures announced the first close of its $40 million Fund II, with WestBridge Capital investing $20 million. Capital A launched its second fund, targeting a corpus of Rs 400 crore, focused on sectors such as manufacturing, deeptech, climate, and fintech. Shivalik Investment Fund secured 50% of its targeted corpus of Rs 150 crore for its inaugural fund, with plans to raise an additional Rs 150 crore. [Key hirings and departures] Bizongo reshuffled its management by onboarding Kiran Dev, Prahlad Krishnamurthi, Gaurav Singhania, and Amol Wanjari. While Amazon, Yum! Brands and ACT Fibernet hired Samir Kumar, Rohan Pewakar, and PVV Srinivas Rao, respectively. Meanwhile, Nine months after joining Ola Consumer (Ola Cabs) as global chief business officer (CBO), Sidharth Shakdher quit the firm. [Mergers and Acquisitions] As many as five acquisition deals happened this week. Fintech startup Veefin acquired a 26% stake in EpikIndifi, infra solutions provider Acru by Stockal, influencer marketing brand OPA by Wondrlab, and computer vision firm AJA Vision Technologies by Marsh Harrier. Oyo also marked one of its largest acquisitions by snapping up G6 Hospitality, which operates Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands. [Layoffs] Byju’s-owned Aakash Educational Services Limited (AESL) laid off 80 to 100 employees over the past couple of months. Several long-time employees, some with over 4 years of service, were also laid off in the past few weeks. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [New launches and partnerships] MobiKwik’s Zaakpay partners Meta to offer in-app payments on WhatsApp GoMechanic gears up for EV workshop expansion [Potential Deals] Moglix to invest $50M in Credlix expansion to US, Mexico D2C brand Kapiva to raise ~$40 Mn funding Qure.ai eyes $60 Mn funding to expand operations [Financial results this week] Livspace revenue crosses Rs 1,200 Cr in FY24; losses shrink by 46% KrazyBee ProcMart GMV zooms 3X to Rs 621 Cr in FY24; profit slips 56% [News flash this week] MensXP looks to break free from Mensa Brands EY resigns as advisor to BYJU’S IRP amidst controversy: Report Quick Commerce players under CCI scrutiny PhonePe captures 50% of UPI market share by value in August Elara Capital sees a lower valuation for Swiggy compared to Zomato Infibeam entering UPI payments with a new app RediffPay Amazon selects 7 Indian startups for global accelerator program Ola Electric can achieve EBITDA breakeven by FY27: Goldman Sachs [Conclusion] The weekly funding jumped around 175% to $628.24 million this week. The week also saw three startup-focused fund launches namely Z21 Ventures, Capital A, and Shivalik Investment Fund. India Lifestyle Network (ILN), the parent company of MensXP, iDiva, and Hypp, is exploring a separation from its parent company, Mensa Brands. ILN founder Angad Bhatia is in talks with investors about acquiring Mensa’s stake and operating as an independent entity. The move is driven by differing growth priorities and Mensa’s inability to provide sufficient capital. Once separated, ILN plans to raise capital and expand its operations, including restarting its influencer-commerce business. The insolvency proceedings of BYJU’S have taken another turn with the resignation of EY as advisor to the IRP, Pankaj Srivastava. This news comes amidst growing controversy surrounding Srivastava, who has been facing legal challenges from multiple creditors of the company. The resignation of EY further complicates the situation and raises questions about the future of BYJU’s restructuring process. Elara Capital believes Swiggy will likely have a lower valuation than Zomato. This is primarily due to Zomato’s larger business size, faster growth rate, and stronger market position, particularly in the quick commerce segment. Zomato has also achieved profitability in certain segments, while Swiggy is still working towards that goal. Since its IPO, Zomato’s valuation has surged significantly, reaching a market capitalization of $28.55 billion. This suggests that investors have placed a higher premium on Zomato’s growth prospects and performance compared to Swiggy. PhonePe solidified its position as the leading UPI player in India, capturing over 50% of the market share in August. This growth is attributed to its user-friendly interface, extensive network, and innovative features. Infibeam Avenues Limited is taking a big leap into the competitive world of UPI payments. Their new app, RediffPay, aims to disrupt the market currently dominated by giants like PhonePe and Paytm. This move comes after Infibeam acquired a majority stake in Rediff.com, hinting at a bigger play in the consumer digital finance space. With RediffPay, Infibeam hopes to offer a comprehensive financial services platform, potentially including insurance, lending, and investment options. The All India Consumer Products Distributors Federation (AICPDF) has filed a complaint against quick commerce players like Blinkit, Zepto, and Instamart, alleging predatory pricing and deep discounting practices. The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) has referred the complaint to the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for investigation. The CCI will now examine the practices of these quick commerce companies to determine if they violate competition laws.

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