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Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [22 - 27 July]

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Funding and acquisitions in Indian startup this week [22 - 27 July]
Medial

During the week, as many as 22 Indian startups raised around $113.39 million in funding. These deals count 5 growth-stage deals and 8 early-stage deals while 9 early-stage startups kept their transaction details undisclosed. During the previous week, 35 early and growth-stage startups cumulatively raised more $261.21 million in funding. [Growth-stage deals] Among the growth-stage deals, 5 startups raised $49.3 million in funding this week. Renewable energy firm Rays Power spearheaded with its $15.1 million funding. Education loan provider Auxilo, NBFC NeoGrowth, EV company Ather Energy, and wealth and asset management firm Neo followed with $12 million, $11.2 million, $7 million, and $4 million in funding, respectively. [Early-stage deals] Further, 8 early-stage startups secured funding worth $64.09 million during the week. Manufacturer of high precision tooling for aero-engines and airframes Unimech Aerospace led the list followed by wealthtech startup Stable Money, co-working solution provider Incuspaze, quick service restaurant chain Charcoal Eats, and D2C luggage brand Nasher Miles. Provider of smart building solutions Nhance, two-wheeler service provider VOC Automotive, and HR technology platform Umwelt also raised funding. As many as 9 startups did not disclose the funding amount raised are; Pneucons, Godaam Innovations, VedaFit Foods, Aqin Biotech, Mkelly Biotech, Devnagri, WTF, Empyreal Galaxy, and Mayhem Studios. For more information, visit TheKredible. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of the city-wise number of funding deals, Mumbai-based startups led with 6 deals followed by Delhi-NCR, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Bareilly, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Nashik, and Rupnagar. Segment-wise, Agritech and Fintech startups grabbed the top spot with 4 deals each. E-commerce, Manufacturing, and Proptech tech startups followed this list among others. [Series-wise deals] During the week, pre-Seed, Seed, and Series A funding deals led the list with 5 deals each followed by 3 Debt and 1 Angel, pre-Series A, Series B, and Series C deals each. [Week-on-week funding trend] On a weekly basis, startup funding slipped 56.6% to $113.39 million as compared to around $261.21 million raised during the previous week. This is the lowest weekly funding in the last 15 weeks. The average funding in the last eight weeks stands at around $323 million with 27 deals per week. [Fund launches] India Accelerator has launched a new vertical to support cleantech startups with substantial funding. Former defense secretary Ajay Kumar’s VC fund focused on defense, aerospace, and deeptech has successfully raised over its target corpus. Meanwhile, the Fashion Entrepreneur Fund has secured investments from prominent figures like Ravi Jaipuria and Akshay Kumar to empower fashion entrepreneurs in India. [ESOP buyback] Adda247 is buying back shares from over 130 employees at a price 40 times their initial purchase price. This move comes ahead of the company’s planned IPO in 2027. [Key hirings and departures] Ecom Express has strengthened its leadership by appointing Jitendar Kumar as Chief Business Officer and Abhinav Imandi as Senior Vice President. Meanwhile, Swiggy Instamart has expanded its team with key hires including Himavant Srikrishna Kurnala as SVP of Product, Mayank Rajvaidya as VP of Fruits & Vegetables, Manu Sasidharan as AVP of FMCG Category, and Kumar Rahul as AVP of Business Development. Drive FITT, Gupshup, and VC firm 360 ONE Asset Management also witnessed changes in their leadership teams. While, Asia managing partner of Eight Roads Ventures, Raj Dugar has reportedly stepped down after 17 years. [Mergers and Acquisitions] Business advisory firm Riveron has expanded its operations by acquiring Yantra. In the healthcare domain, Thyrocare has strengthened its presence in Northern India through the acquisition of Polo Labs. In the insurance and seafood industries, Acko and Captain Fresh have respectively acquired OneCare and Koral to bolster their market positions and service offerings. [Potential deals] Electric mobility startup Kazam is set to raise a $5 million funding round while Wingreens Farms seeking $4.3 million in debt financing. In the tech space, Glance is in advanced talks to raise $250 million, while Leap Finance is eyeing a $70-100 million round to achieve unicorn status. Additionally, Nykaa is securing Rs 125 crore through non-convertible debentures, as per media reports. Emami is set to acquire 100% stake in The Man Company, marking its entry into the D2C space. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [New launches and partnerships] Google partners with ElectricPe to bring EV charging stations to Google Maps in India CRED launches financial management platform CRED Money [Financial results this week] Go Digit’s revenue falls in Q1 FY25 but profit spikes 90% Waycool posts Rs 1,251 Cr revenue and Rs 686 Cr loss in FY23 Urban company claims Rs 827 Cr revenue in FY24; 70% cut in losses [Key highlights of the Union Budget impacting startups] Angel tax: The government abolished the Angel Tax for all investors, effective April 1, 2024. This should make it easier for startups to raise funding. Focus on MSMEs: The budget allocated Rs 2 lakh crore to support MSMEs (Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises) with a focus on employment, skilling, and other opportunities. Easier foreign investment: The government plans to simplify rules and regulations for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to make it easier for overseas investors to invest in Indian businesses. Changes to tax rules: Non-reporting of movable assets up to Rs 2 lakh will no longer be penalized. While, income from share buybacks by companies will be taxed as dividends for the investor, starting October 1, 2024. [News flash this week] QIA seeks court injunction to halt sale or transfer of Byju Raveendran’s assets UPI in June: PhonePe, Google Pay see marginal decline, Paytm records flat growth Paytm fined for ESOP stamp duty lapses, gets NOD to invest in payments arm Ola Electric to launch IPO on August 2 The RBI fined Ola Financial Services for flouting KYC & PPI norms Delivery startup Dunzo faces new insolvency threat Manipal Group gets green light to increase stake in Aakash Cashfree Payments first to secure RBI’s cross-border payment license Google Maps to offer metro ticket booking in Kochi and Chennai Insurtech startup Covrzy gets broking license from IRDAI [Conclusion] The Indian startup ecosystem experienced a significant slowdown this week with funding plummeting by 56.6% compared to the previous week. While there were notable fund launches and new verticals emerging, the overall funding landscape was subdued. The Indian business landscape has seen a flurry of activity in recent weeks. Fintech giant Paytm has been fined for non-payment of stamp duties related to ESOPs, while simultaneously securing approval to invest in its payments arm. In the education sector, Manipal Health Systems is set to increase its stake in Aakash Educational Services. Bengaluru-based fintech startup Cashfree Payments has become the first company to obtain a Payment Aggregator Cross Border (PA-CB) license from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). This license allows the company to process online transactions for both imports and exports, boosting cross-border trade and payments in India. Additionally, Google Maps is introducing a new feature that allows users in Kochi and Chennai to book metro tickets directly through the app. This service will be powered by the Namma Yatri app, which handles the payment and booking process. Cash-strapped delivery startup Dunzo is facing another legal challenge. A creditor has filed for insolvency proceedings against the company, claiming that Dunzo has only paid half of its owed dues. This is the latest financial setback for the Reliance-backed startup.

Indian startups raise nearly $1.6 Bn in August

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Indian startups raise nearly $1.6 Bn in August
Medial

The Indian startup ecosystem seems to be bouncing back from the funding winter as venture capital investment has been steadily rising each month. August 2024 has been a standout, with several big funding rounds, important investments in growth-stage startups, many deals from tier II cities, IPOs, and major mergers and acquisitions. These factors make it unique compared to other months this year. Based on data compiled by TheKredible, homegrown startups raised nearly $1.6 billion across 112 deals in August. This total included 27 growth-stage deals worth $1.32 billion and 71 early-stage deals amounting to $267 million. Meanwhile, there were 14 undisclosed transactions mainly in early-stage deals. When compared, startups raised close to $1 billion in July. [Y-o-Y and M-o-M trend] The $1.6 billion raised in August is the second-highest funding amount of 2024, following June, and the third-highest in the past 12 months. On a year-over-year basis, August 2024 also ranked at the top for total funds raised. Also, Indian startups have raked in approximately $9.6 billion in the first eight months of 2024. If this trend persists, overall funding is likely to comfortably surpass the $11 billion achieved in 2023. For context, Indian startups received $38 billion in funding in 2021 and $25 billion in 2022. [Top 10 growth-stage deals] Among growth-stage deals, Zepto’s $340 million, DMI Finance’s $334 million, and OYO’s $175 million rounds together accounted for over 50% of the total funds raised last month. With the fresh funding, Zepto and DMI Finance attained $5 billion and $3 billion valuation milestones respectively. However, OYO saw more than 75% fall in its valuation to $2.4 billion from a peak of $10 billion. Just like in July, August saw the emergence of a new unicorn, as the Hero Moto-backed Ather Energy surpassed the $1 billion valuation mark with its latest funding round. Other notable growth-stage deals included Neo, Blue Tokai, Visit Health, Yubi, Livpure, and Syfe. Swiggy, which raised funds from Amitabh Bachchan’s Family Office, did not disclose the deal size. [Top 10 early-stage deals] EV startup Kinetic Green led the early-stage funding chart with a $25 million Series A round, followed by Even Healthcare with $20 million, FreshBus with $10.5 million, and both Beco and Investors AI, each raising $10 million. Agrizy’s $9.8 million funding was the fourth-largest in agritech for 2024, a sector that has been declining recently. Other major early-stage deals included Scimplify, a specialty chemicals firm; Kindlife, a new venture from ShopClues co-founder Radhika Ghai; automotive startup Kazam; and fintech startup Punch, all of which ranked among the top 10 early-stage investments. [Mergers and Acquisitions] In August, the number of merger and acquisition deals surged to 19, up from just 17 in July. Notably, the acquisition of Paytm’s movies and ticketing business by Zomato Limited for $244 million emerged as one of the largest M&A deals of 2024. Additionally, hospitality firm OYO acquired Checkmyguest for $27.4 million, and Fusebox Games Limited was purchased by Nazara in a $27.2 million deal. Some notable M&A deals in August included BrowserStack’s acquisition of Bird Eats Bug, Radio Mirchi’s parent ENIL’s purchase of Gaana, and VerSe’s acquisition of Valueleaf. Additionally, Emami Limited raised its stake in The Man Company from 50.4% to 100%, a development first reported by Entrackr in July. [City and segment-wise deals] In terms of city-wise funding, Bengaluru-based startups led with 38 deals totaling $265 million in August. However, startups in Delhi-NCR raised $724 million across 29 deals, more than double the amount raised by Bengaluru startups. Additionally, Mumbai-based startups surpassed Bengaluru in total funding, securing $453 million across 20 deals. Segment-wise, fintech startups led the show with 27 deals followed by e-commerce (including D2C brands), healthtech, SaaS, and proptech with 16, 8, 7, and 4 deals, respectively. Visit TheKredible for more details. Edtech was one of the least funded segments with 3 deals amounting to $5 million. It contributed only 0.3% to the total amount raised in August. [Stage-wise deals] Regarding funding stages, 35 startups raised capital in the seed round, 28 in Series A, 13 in pre-Series A, and 9 in Series B. Debt-only funding made up 2.56% of the total funding for the month. For the complete breakdown of stage-wise deals, visit TheKredible. [Layoffs, shutdowns, departures, and key hirings] Layoffs experienced a significant drop from 650 employees in July to 290 employees in August. Notably, Google and Reliance-backed Dunzo reportedly fired 150 employees, Beepkart let go of 100 staff, and ShareChat reduced its workforce by 30-40 employees. Additionally, Kenko Health, My Tirth India, and Airtel’s streaming app Wynk Music shut down their operations. Wynk’s closure is attributed to increasing competition, while Kenko Health and My Tirth India ceased operations due to funding difficulties. In August, there was an increase in both hiring and the departure of key executives. Notable exits included Manish Tiwary from Amazon India, Prashant Sinha from Metadome.ai, and Srinivasagopalan Ramamurthy from Freshworks. On the hiring front, Meesho, Swiggy Instamart, EvenFlow, Zetwerks, Perfios, and OYO brought new talent into roles such as chief executive, co-founder, and independent director, among others. [Trends] More IPOs in pipeline: In the first eight months of 2024, ten startups have gone public. In August alone, Ola Electric, Unicommerce, and FirstCry completed their IPOs. Swiggy is targeting a listing in the first week of September, while companies like Infra.Market, Bluestone, Ecom Express, OfBusiness, and OYO are also progressing on their IPO plans. Additionally, Zappfresh has filed draft IPO papers with SEBI to list on the BSE SME platform. Quick commerce in action: The quick commerce sector is intensifying in competition, highlighted by Zepto’s mega-round, Flipkart’s recent entry, and BigBasket’s complete shift to rapid delivery. Amazon is expected to enter the market early next year. The e-commerce giant was also in talks to acquire Swiggy’s quick commerce business. At present, Zomato-owned Blinkit stands as the leading player in quick commerce followed by Swiggy Instamart, Zepto, and Tata Digital-owned BigBasket. Startups from tier II cities: In addition to major metro areas and startup hubs such as Bengaluru, Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Hyderabad, there has been a notable influx of deals from cities like Mangalore, Raipur, Dehradun, Udaipur, Surat, Jodhpur, Nashik, and Lucknow. This indicates a significant, albeit minor, shift in traditional startup funding patterns. Founders fueling growth: OYO’s $175 million funding round included a significant $100 million investment from the company’s founder, Ritesh Agarwal, showcasing another instance of a founder investing in their own startup. Similarly, Yubi secured $30 million from its founder and CEO, Gaurav Kumar, while Cambrian Bioworks received an undisclosed amount from its founder during its seed round. This practice of founder investment has previously been seen with Ather Energy, Byju’s, and BluSmart. [Conclusion] While the decline of debt funding is something to be welcomed, as it doesn’t seem to sit well with the idea of backing startups, we would add a note of caution here on the sustainability of the current recovery. While, as indicated earlier, an expected interest rate cut by the US Fed will ensure the momentum stays well into 2025, the fact remains that significant parts of public markets are well into ‘exuberance’ territory in terms of valuations. Unlike the public markets, however, the private VC markets remain much more dependent on foreign fund flows, and that could yet be a disruptor in the ecosystem, despite the rise of domestic capital. Although with the US-China issues, and now, even Brazil moving arbitrarily against Twitter, India could find itself in a sweet spot yet again for global investors. It would perhaps be fair to say that the bottom has been reached, and a bounce is well on its way for Indian startups when it comes to their funding environment.

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