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Exclusive: Electric mobility platform Kazam to raise $6 Mn in Series B

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Exclusive: Electric mobility platform Kazam to raise $6 Mn in Series B
Medial

Exclusive: Electric mobility platform Kazam to raise $6 Mn in Series B Electric mobility startup Kazam is raising Rs 51 crore (around $6 million) in its Series B round, led by Vertex Ventures, with participation from Avaana Capital and Chakra Growth Capital. The board at Kazam has passed a special resolution to issue 36,410 Series B compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of $165.06 each to raise the aforementioned sum, its regulatory filing sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. IFC VVSEA Co-Invest LP and Vertex Ventures SEA Fund, representing Vertex Ventures, will jointly invest $4.9 million, while Avaana Capital and Chakra Growth Capital will contribute $1.01 million and $0.9 million, respectively. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the company will be valued at around $51 million post-allotment. Kazam plans to deploy the funds towards business growth, expansion initiatives, and general corporate purposes. After this funding round, Vertex Ventures and IFC VVSEA Co-Invest together will hold a 22.89% stake, while Avaana Capital and Chakra Growth Capital will own 17.02% and 1.51% stakes, respectively. Founded in 2020 by Akshay Shekhar and Vaibhav Tyagi, Kazam is an EV charging software platform that develops smart and affordable charging networks. Its technology supports a wide variety of vehicles, including two-wheelers, commercial electric vehicles (CEVs), three-wheelers, and city buses. It claims to power over 25,000 charging points. The Bengaluru-based firm works with the likes of BigBasket, Zypp, Mahindra, Bajaj, Ather, TVS, Hero MotoCorp, and Ultraviolette. The company is yet to file its annual results for FY25. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, its revenue from operations surged 3.3X to Rs 12.19 crore during the fiscal year ended in March 2024 while its losses stood at Rs 10.2 crore in the same fiscal year.

Exclusive: DailyObjects raises $8.6 Mn in new round

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Exclusive: DailyObjects raises $8.6 Mn in new round
Medial

Direct to Consumer (D2C) tech accessories and lifestyle brand DailyObjects has raised Rs 72 crore (approximately $8.6 million) in a new funding round from 360 One Ventures. This fresh investment has come after a gap of 30 months for the Gurugram-based firm. The board at DailyObjects has passed a special resolution to issue 8,118 compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 88,688 each to raise Rs 72 crore or $8.6 million, its regulatory filming accessed for the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. As per the filing, the company will use these proceeds for funding requirements including working capital, future expansion and other general corporate purposes. Meanwhile, DailyObjects also expanded its Employee Stock Option Plan (ESOP) by adding 1,450 options, bringing the total pool to ESOP 2,780 options. This increase has raised the overall value of the ESOP pool to Rs 24.65 crore. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company has been valued at around Rs 382 crore or $46 million post-allotment. Following the fresh proceeds, Roots Ventures remains the largest external shareholder with 27.8% followed by new investor 360 Ventures which holds 18.84% of the company. Its co-founders Pankaj Gard and Saurav Adlakha cumulatively owned 43.07% of the company. Check TheKredible for the complete shareholding pattern. Founded in 2012, DailyObjects is a lifestyle accessories brand that caters to a range of products including bags, wallets, charging solutions, stationery, and other accessories. The company also opened its first offline store in December last year. The Pankaj Garg-led firm posted over two-fold growth to Rs 83 crore during the fiscal year ended March 2023 with a positive bottom line. The company is yet to disclose its annual results for FY24. DailyObjects’ major competitor is Chumbak, which was acquired by e-commerce roll up firm G.O.A.T Brand Labs in January last year.

Exclusive: Trading app Investmint halts services; explores M&A deal

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Trading app Investmint halts services; explores M&A deal
Medial

Signal-based trading app Investmint has halted its services as the company found it difficult to figure out a reliable business model, sources aware of the development told Entrackr. In October 2022, Investmint raised $2 million in Seed round led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from other angel investors. As per sources, the firm had decent traction with substantial money left from the last fundraise but the team couldn’t translate them into monetization. “Investmint has been exploring acquisition opportunities with well capitalized wealth management companies,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity. Founded in February 2022 by Aakash Goel and Mohit Chitlangia, Investmint used to assist users in arriving at investment decisions and managing wealth with data backed signals. “If the acquisitions talks won’t materialize, the company may return remaining capital to its backers,” said another source who also requested anonymity. The company’s spokesperson confirmed that the team has discontinued Investmint as a product and is re-evaluating its offerings. “We’re in late-stage talks with a few big players for M&A,” the spokesperson said. A clutch of startups have returned or are in the process of returning investors’ money after their startup failed to find a product market fit (PMF) or sustainable business model. Earlier this year, Nintee, a digital health startup launched by Wingify founder Paras Chopra, announced shutting down its operations. The firm also announced that it will return the majority of funding it raised from the investors. As per an ET report, fashion startups Virgio and Fashinz are planning to return most of the capital they raised from the investors after a failed pivot. Virgio has raised nearly $40 million while Fashinza has scooped up over $150 million in funding to date. While the majority of investors don’t like to exit out from a portfolio company with a slice of their original investment, the trend of returning capital by founders seems to be a progressive one. After all, there is no point in being stuck when things aren’t working out for long.

Exclusive: Flipkart to take on Zepto, Blinkit with quick commerce foray

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Flipkart to take on Zepto, Blinkit with quick commerce foray
Medial

The quick commerce sector is all set to heat up once again as India’s e-commerce giant is now eyeing the segment. Flipkart has started ramping up infrastructure for its quick commerce play, three sources aware of the details of the plan told Entrackr. “Flipkart will launch 10-15 minutes delivery in at least a dozen cities in the next six to eight weeks,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity. “It’s building up a chain of dark stores across several cities including Bengaluru, Delhi (NCR) and Hyderabad among others.” Flipkart’s foray into quick commerce comes at a time when experts anticipate that quick commerce would end up eating into the e-commerce pie sooner than later in India. The total addressable market for quick commerce in India is nearly worth $45 billion, according to a 2022 Redseer report. More importantly, quick commerce has proven to be surprisingly resilient in the last couple of years, with both Zepto and Zomato’s Blinkit doing more than enough to convince investors that the concept has a future in India. While Zepto was rewarded with a unicorn round, Blinkit’s (formerly Grofers) turnaround and Swiggy Instamart’s growth have been bright spots in terms of scaling up with improving margins for their owners. “If you look at Flipkart’s recent launches, it hints at the firm’s foray into quick commerce. It launched same-day delivery in 20 cities a couple of weeks ago… the company began delivering flowers and cakes around the Valentine season (February 2024),” an analyst covering the e-commerce and quick commerce segments, requesting anonymity, told Entrackr. Sources indicate that Flipkart will have a wider catalog than incumbents such as Zepto and Blinkit. “The company will have a sharp focus on FMCG, grocery and daily essentials but it would also push categories such as electronics, fashion,” added the person quoted above. It’s worth mentioning that the current quick commerce players have also been steadily expanding and diversifying their offerings. Responding to queries sent by Entrackr, a Flipkart spokesperson said they are working towards delivering a wide range of products with speed. “Over the past few months, we have made several investments to enhance our delivery capabilities, including adding same-day delivery in 20 cities. This covers mobiles, essential items, electronics, home appliances, fashion, books and lifestyle products,” said the spokesperson. “We are committed to meeting evolving customer expectations and delivering excellence in value, selection and speed, with more initiatives expected on this front in the coming months.” Over the past three years, quick commerce gained quick ground in top 15 Indian cities and top three players in the segment—Blinkit, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto—managed to gain sizable scale. Sources outlined that BlinkIt does around 6 lakh orders a day while Swiggy InstaMart and Zepto’s daily volume hover around 5 lakh and 3 lakh, respectively. According to Entrackr sources and data available in the public domain, Blinkit has an average revenue run rate of Rs 12,000 crore in the ongoing fiscal year whereas Swiggy Instamart ARR (read as GMV) stands at around Rs 8,000-8,500 crore. Zepto’s gross merchandise value has neared Rs 7,000 crore. Fresh from its last funding round, Zepto has been noticeably feistier — with a larger catalog and stronger marketing push. Meanwhile, Reliance and Google-backed Dunzo lost its mojo. The firm failed to raise a new round in the past two years and reported only Rs 226 crore in revenue in FY23 with losses of Rs 1,801 crore. As per reports, Flipkart engaged in discussion regarding a potential acquisition of the Kabeer Biswas-led firm. While all that might sound good, the fact that no one disagrees is that the market is not big enough for so many players, making this a matter of staying in power for most. Or perhaps, even newer operating models that might ensure sustainable growth. The broad direction so far, of an ever widening catalog and higher value transactions like electronics items etc, indicates the bleeding will not stop anytime soon.

Exclusive: Hero MotoCorp to lead Euler Motors’ Series D funding

EntrackrEntrackr · 5m ago
Exclusive: Hero MotoCorp to lead Euler Motors’ Series D funding
Medial

Exclusive: Hero MotoCorp to lead Euler Motors’ Series D funding Commercial electric vehicle manufacturer ​​Euler Motors is in talks to raise up to $50 million in its Series D round led by Hero MotoCorp, according to two sources familiar with the matter. In May 2024, the firm raised $24 million in an extended Series C round led by new investor Piramal Alternatives India Access Fund. Existing investors British International Investment and Blume Ventures also participated. “Hero MotoCorp will lead the round along with existing investors including Caladium Investments (GIC),” said one of the sources requesting anonymity as talks are yet to be public. According to sources, the round is yet to be fully subscribed and the company may end-up raising anywhere between $45 to $50 million. The Delhi-based company already raised $20 million in debt from responsAbility Investments AG last month. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Euler has raised over $110 million and is currently valued at around $160-170 million. Queries sent to Euler, Hero MotoCorp, and GIC did not elicit a response until the publication of the story. Launched in 2018 by Saurav Kumar, Euler Motors claims that its commercial electric vehicles have covered a total distance of over 45 million kilometers in goods transportation. The company's flagship model, the HiLoad EV, is claimed to be the most powerful electric cargo three-wheeler, offering a range of 170 kilometers. For the fiscal year ending in March 2024, Euler Motors’ operating revenue soared 3X to Rs 189 crore in FY24 from Rs 62 crore in the previous fiscal year. During FY24, the company posted a net loss of Rs 226.9 crore. In FY24, the company sold 3,700 vehicles and expanded its footprint from five to 22 cities. In the electric three-wheeler segment, Euler Motors competes with Altigreen, as well as established players like Mahindra Electric, Piaggio, Kinetic Green, Tata, and others. It's worth noting that Hero MotoCorp was reportedly in talks to invest Rs 900 crore in Bengaluru-based startup Altigreen. The entry of Hero MotoCorp would certainly raise a few eyebrows, but the decision is not as unexpected as it seems. Hero MotoCorp will find the three wheeler commercial category worth a relook now that it is looking to become EV led, creating a fresh opportunity for many players. With its stake in two wheeler EV firm Ather already at 40%, the Hero’s $5 billion balance sheet can well afford a stake in Euler, before it takes a strategic call to go big possibly. But for industry watchers, it is an enticing prospect indeed.

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