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Exclusive: DealShare co-founder’s new startup Sports For Life raises seed round

EntrackrEntrackr · 9m ago
Exclusive: DealShare co-founder’s new startup Sports For Life raises seed round
Medial

Sourjyendu Medda, co-founder of social commerce platform DealShare, has ventured into the sportstech space with his new startup, Sports For Life, which aims to invest in and support the sports ecosystem in India, focusing on providing athletes with the necessary resources to excel. While Sports For Life has yet to announce its official launch, the Bengaluru-based startup has raised seed funding from individual investors and early-stage venture capital firm Roots Ventures. The board of Sports For Life’s parent company, Jambavan Academy, has passed a special resolution to issue 3,000 Seed CCPS to raise Rs 9.5 crore, according to its regulatory filings accessed by Entrackr. Roots Ventures invested Rs 5 crore, while ML Tondon and Sons HUF and Blume Ventures pumped in Rs 3 crore and Rs 1 crore, respectively. The rest of the amount was poured in by Kunal Shah’s QED Innovation and Himanshu Arora. According to TheKredible, the company is valued at Rs 36.65 crore ($4.3 million) following this seed round. Following the fresh funding, Roots Ventures has become the largest external stakeholder with a 12.08% stake, followed by ML Tandon HUF and Blume Ventures. Co-founders Sourjyendu Medda and Armaan Tandon collectively hold 66.83% of the company. See TheKredible for the detailed shareholding pattern. According to the firm’s website, Sports For Life is investing in sports academies across India, with the goal of creating a sports ecosystem that elevates the overall standard of sports in the country. Medda, who was one of the co-founders and a board member of DealShare before leaving in January, has also roped in Armaan Tandon, a former data and operations analyst at Cartesian, as a co-founder of Sports For Life. In 2024, several prominent startup founders have launched new ventures, many of which have already secured initial funding. Notable launches include ZeroPe by BharatPe co-founder Ashneer Grover, OppDoor by Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, Unikon by Bella Vita founder Aakash Anand, Gabit by Zomato co-founder Gaurav Gupta, Callmatic by Mitron TV co-founder Shivank Agarwal, and Lyskraft and Nurix AI by Cult.fit co-founder Mukesh Bansal.

Metalbook raises $15 Mn in Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Metalbook raises $15 Mn in Series A round
Medial

Metalbook, a platform for the global metals supply chain, has raised $15 million in its Series A funding round led by Rigel Capital, with participation from FJ Labs, as well as existing investors, Axilor Ventures, Foundamental, Stride Ventures, Trifecta Capital, and others. Axilor had led $5 million seed round in Metalbook in August last year. Metalbook is poised to deepen its impact on the manufacturing and infrastructure supply chains, metal sourcing, logistics, and financing solutions for large-scale global projects, the company said in a press release. Founded in 2021, Metalbook helps enterprise & SME customers through their entire metal manufacturing and procurement cycle, including buying, selling, excess inventory liquidation, customization, logistics, financing, e-auctioning, scrap recycling, credit and project management solutions. “..We want to make sure that there is enough of a track record for market investors to look at before we plan for an Initial Public Offer (IPO) in 4-5 years,” said Raghavendra Pratap Singh, co-founder, Metalbook. The Delhi-based startup claims to work with over 500 global metal manufacturers, dealers and suppliers across the value chain and currently caters to more than 1,000 customers. The company works with global steel players such as ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel, Tata Steel, JSW, EU Metals, JSPL et al and several enterprise customers such as DLF, BL Kashyap, Bygging, etc. It recently launched new categories across Copper, Aluminium, and metal scrap and has built out a global footprint of processing centers, and more than 1,000 suppliers across 80 geographies. Metalbook is anticipated to achieve an annualized revenue run rate of $200 million by the end of FY24, a growth of over 15 times in the past two years.

Comet raises $5 Mn in Series A round

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Comet raises $5 Mn in Series A round
Medial

D2C sneaker brand Comet has raised Rs 42.3 crore (approximately $5 million) in its Series A round led by Elevation Capital. This is the first round of investments for the Bengaluru-based company in 2024. The board at Comet has passed a special resolution to issue 10 equity and 50,076 Series A CCPS at an issue price of Rs 8,445 each to raise Rs 42.3 crore or $5 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Elevation Capital led the round with Rs 33.36 crore while existing investors Nexus Ventures and AngelList India participated with Rs 8.34 crore and Rs 60 lakhs respectively. The company will use these proceeds for capital expenditures, marketing, and general corporate purposes as per the business plan, the filing added. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredibe, Comet has been valued at around Rs 167 crore or $20 million post-allotment. The startup raised its seed capital in February last year. Following the fresh proceeds, Elevation Capital and Nexus Ventures will hold 20% each while AngelList India will command 2.22% of the capital in the company. Founded in July 2023, Comet is a homegrown, lifestyle sneaker brand for both men and women which sells its products through its website. Its current portfolio includes CometX, Aeon, and Slides. According to Comet, its TAM (total addressable market) is expected to be $22 billion while the company’s serviceable addressable market (SAM) is expected to be $1.5 billion by FY 2030. Comet competes with Wrong, HRX, Redtape, The Roadster, Campus, Sparx and other multinational footwear brands like Nike and Adidas.

Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 13d 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.

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