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Exclusive: Gaana acquired by Radio Mirchi’s parent for Rs 25 lakh

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Gaana acquired by Radio Mirchi’s parent for Rs 25 lakh
Medial

After a potential merger and acquisition talks with Airtel Wynk fell through, Times Internet and Tencent-backed Gaana consolidated with Times Group’s listed subsidiary Entertainment Network India Limited (ENIL) in December 2023. However, the deal somehow managed to bypass major media attention as of now. Significantly, Gaana was acquired for Rs 25 lakh, as per ENIL’s filings with the National Stock Exchange (NSE). ENIL is promoted by Bennett Coleman, and operates popular FM radio brand ‘Radio Mirchi’. For context, Gaana raised over $200 million in its lifetime, and was last valued at around $580 million, according to Entrackr’s data. Gaana’s consolidation with ENIL indicates that it’s a distress sale and the firm has given up on hopes of a third-party acquisition. The details of the acquisition are limited at the moment, and there is no clarity about Tencent’s holding in the 14-year-old platform. Entrackr’s queries sent to Times Internet and ENIL on Friday didn’t elicit any response. We will update the story in case they do. According to Entrackr’s data, Times Internet used to own a majority in Gaana whereas Tencent had around 35% stake until September 2020. To keep the platform up and running, Times Internet has also been injecting debt in Gaana at regular intervals. In July 2023, the music and podcast streaming platform received Rs 100 crore debt from Times Internet that eventually got converted into equity shares. Now, Times Internet has committed to inject up to Rs 10 crore debt in Gaana, as per its regulatory filings with the RoC this week. As per ENIL’s chief executive officer Yatish Mehrishi, the firm also invested Rs 15 crore in the first quarter of FY25. As the equity investments in India from its bordering companies aren’t allowed, Ganna received back-to-back debt rounds worth $90 million led by WeChat-owner Tencent in September 2020 and June 2021. The downfall of Gaana could also be ascertained from erosion of its scale which nosedived by over 80% to Rs 12.5 crore of revenue during the previous fiscal year (FY24), Mehrishi disclosed Gaana’s FY24 revenue numbers during investors’ call in May. After the acquisition, ENIL put Gana completely behind a paywall, and also doubled the subscription fee to Rs 599. These changes were reflected in its collection in the last quarter of FY24, which stood at Rs 9.5 crore. On the other hand, ENIL’s consolidated operating revenue shrank 25.79% Q-o-Q to Rs 113.46 crore but the Mumbai-based company slipped into red with Rs 5.45 crore losses in Q1 FY25. Gaana also went through a management rejig as it replaced its long time chief executive officer (CEO) Prashan Agarwal with Sandeep Lodha in mid-2021. Lodha also quit the firm in July 2023. At present, Gaana is being run by ENIL’s chief executive officer Mehrishi. Amidst the split of Times Group assets between Samir and Vineet Jain, Times Internet has been selling out its portfolio and incubated companies for the past three years. It recently sold its subsidiary ETMoney to 360 One (formerly IIFL Wealth) for about $44 million. This was the seventh subsidiary from which Times Internet took exit since 2021. In June, Amazon acquired the assets of MX Players from Times Internet. In February 2022, The Gurugram-based company sold MX TakaTak to ShareChat while DineOut was acquired by Swiggy in May 2022. In the same year, Times Internet sold its three companies MensXP, iDiva, and Hypp to e-commerce roll-up unicorn Mensa.

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Exclusive: Proptech startup HouseEazy raises $4 Mn in Series A

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Exclusive: Proptech startup HouseEazy raises $4 Mn in Series A
Medial

HouseEazy, an online marketplace for pre-owned homes, has raised Rs 33.5 crore (around $4 million) in Series A led by Chiratae Ventures Fund with participation from Veena Jindal, Antler Innovation Fund, and IA Growth Opportunities Fund. The board at HouseEazy has issued a total of 3,915 shares at a face value of Rs 10 and premium of Rs 85,666 on preferential basis and by way of private placement, the company’s regulatory filings with Registrar of Companies show. Chiratae Ventures has invested Rs 29.62 crore, whereas Antler Innovation Fund invested Rs 2.86 crore. IA Growth Opportunities Fund and Veena Jindal invested Rs 76.25 lakh and Rs 29 lakh respectively. As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, HouseEazy has reached a valuation of Rs 156 crore post money (over $18 million). The company may raise more funds in this round and the valuation will vary accordingly. In December 2023, HouseEazy raised $1 million in a seed round led by Antler and picked up $370,000 in pre seed funding in June 2022. Founded in 2021 by Tarun Sainani and Deepak Bhatia, HouseEazy is building a full-stack, data driven technology platform to provide the best prices and instant liquidity to sellers and title-checked, refurbished, ready-to-move-in homes to buyers. The Noida-based company says that it uses a proprietary machine-learning algorithm with over 1.25 million data points to provide real-time price offers, eliminating the need for multiple meetings & negotiations for sellers. In December, HouseEazy claimed that it reached an ARR of Rs 250 crore (GMV) while maintaining profitability. The firm expects to hit Rs 1,000 crore ARR by March 2025 from the NCR market alone. For the fiscal year ending March 2023 (FY23), HouseEazy registered Rs 2.78 crore in operating revenue with Rs 44 lakh in loss.

Exclusive: Subko Coffee raises Rs 80 Cr led by NKSquared

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Subko Coffee raises Rs 80 Cr led by NKSquared
Medial

Subko Coffee has raised Rs 80 crore in a new round led by Zerodha co-founders-backed NKSquared, said two sources aware of the investment. Several individuals along with Blume Ventures and Progressive LLP also participated in the financing round. “NKSquared has put in around Rs 70 crore whereas the remaining Rs 10 crore came from other investors,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity as talks are yet to be public. The company has received $5.5 million (Rs 45 crore) and NKSquared has already invested Rs 34.2 crore, according to the Subko Coffee regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Blume Ventures and Progressive Strategies LLP collectively invested Rs 4.75 lakh. Pallavi Dempo, Suprapadh S Manohar, John Abraham, Kalpathi Ratna, and Suparna Gupta also took part in the financing round. As per sources, NKSquared has also acquired a 25% stake in the Mumbai-based firm. Subko Coffee has been valued at around $35-40 million (post-money), said the person quoted above. Queries sent to Subko Coffee NKSquared and Subko Coffee didn’t elicit any immediate response. We will update the story in case they respond. NKSquared was incorporated by Kamath brothers in 2019 but it became active last year and backed a few companies, including Nazara Games. Subko Coffee provides caffeinated drinks along with baked bread-pastries and coffee roasters. According to its filings, several celebrities such as Gauri Khan, Tiger Shroff, and others invested in the company between June 2022 to December 2023. Subko Coffee has been growing at a rapid clip and this could be evident from its growth in the last fiscal year. Its revenue spiked 94% to Rs 13.57 crore in FY23 from Rs 7 crore in FY22 while the firm’s losses stood at Rs 9.86 crore in the same period. Subko Coffee competes with Third Wave Coffee, Blue Tokai, Rage Coffee, Slay Coffee, Sleepy Owl, and Seven Beans Co. Notably, Third Wave Coffee is also backed by Zerodha’s co-founder Nikhil Kamath.

Exclusive: Curefoods gets Landmark Group backing, expands ESOP pool

EntrackrEntrackr · 4m ago
Exclusive: Curefoods gets Landmark Group backing, expands ESOP pool
Medial

Exclusive: Curefoods gets Landmark Group backing, expands ESOP pool Cloud kitchen startup Curefoods is raising Rs 37 crore (around $4.4 million) from Landmark Group. The funding comes just a month after Curefoods acquired Krispy Kreme’s South and West India operations from the same group. The board at Curefoods has passed a special resolution to issue 3,458 compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 1,07,526 each to raise Rs 37 crore, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. The Landmark Group is reportedly to invest an undisclosed amount in Curefood in its $40 million round of fundraising. After the latest funding, Landmark Group will retain a 0.96% stake in the company, which could increase with additional investments. Entrackr estimates the firm's post-allotment valuation at around $460 million. Curefoods has also increased its ESOP pool size by adding fresh 10,613 employee stock options worth Rs 114 crore or $13.5 million, the separate resolution shows. According to Entrackr’s estimates, Curefood’s total ESOP plan is now valued at approximately Rs 213 crore or 25 million, encompassing 19,842 employee stock options. Launched in 2020, Curefoods operates brands like EatFit, Yumlane, Aligarh House Biryani, Masalabox, and CakeZone. It has over 100 kitchens in over 200 locations across 15 cities serviced by a backend operation of over 7 food factories, and 150 multi-brand cloud kitchens. The company also acquired two brands – YumLane Pizza and Millet Express in 2023. Curefoods grew at a rapid clip with a 53% year-on-year growth in its revenue to Rs 585 crore in FY24 from Rs 382 crore in FY23. According to its annual report, the sharp decline in advertising costs helped Curefoods to control its losses by 50% to Rs 172.6 crore in the same period.

Exclusive: Electric mobility startup Matter raises $10 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Electric mobility startup Matter raises $10 Mn
Medial

Electric mobility startup Matter has raised Rs 82.6 crore (approximately $10 million) in a new round. This is the maiden round of equity funding for the Ahmedabad-based e-bike manufacturer. The board at Matter has issued 1,12,837 CCPS at an issue price of Rs 7,320 each to raise Rs 82.6 crore (approximately $10 million), its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Japan Airlines & Translink Fund invested Rs 25 crore while Info Edge backed Capital 2B Fund poured in Rs 10.8 crore. Helena Special Investments Fund and Abhay P Shah, on behalf of Miracle Carriers are likely to participate in the fundraising. As per TheKredible estimates, the company has been valued at around Rs 1,690 crore or $204 million post-allotment. The e-bike manufacturer was reportedly in talks to raise $200 million to expand its operations, distribution and factory setup. Matter launched its maiden bike in early 2023 and began its pre-orders in May 2023. A year-old firm was in the pre-revenue stage during the fiscal year ended March 2023 while the losses for the firm stood at Rs 25 crore in the same period. It’s yet to file its annual results for FY24. Matter positions itself as a premium brand and this could be evident from its price-range which starts from Rs 1.7 lakh. Unlike Ola Electric and Ather, Matter is not targeting a mass audience and doesn’t compete with the two and other traditional manufacturers. In the e-bike segment, Matter competes with Bharat Forge-backed Tork Motors, TVS-backed Ultraviolette and RattanIndia Enterprises controlled Revolt. Tork Motors raised $6 million from Maxis Capital in January this year whereas Ultraviolette has been reportedly in talks to raise a larger round to the tune of $100 million. Ola Electric, which currently manufactures electric scooters, is also planning to enter the e-bike segment by FY26.

Exclusive: WestBridge to join Spinny’s ongoing round with $35-40 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Exclusive: WestBridge to join Spinny’s ongoing round with $35-40 Mn
Medial

Used car platform Spinny has expanded its ongoing funding round to $170 million with new backing from WestBridge Capital, according to two sources familiar with the matter. “WestBridge has joined the round with $35–40 million in primary capital, which will push the total fundraise to around $170 million,” said one of the sources, requesting anonymity. The investment follows Entrackr’s earlier report from May, which said that Spinny is raising $131 million led by the US-based Accel Leaders Fund. According to the sources, the valuation of the Niraj Singh-led company remained flat at $1.5–1.7 billion. The Gurugram-based firm became a unicorn in July 2021 with a valuation of $1.8 billion. So far, Spinny has raised more than $500 million from investors including Tiger Global, Elevation Capital, General Catalyst, and Fundamentum, among others. In December 2021, the company also roped in cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar as a strategic investor and brand ambassador. The firm enables both the buying and selling of quality used cars through a full-stack retail model. It manages the entire supply chain, including vehicle inspection, refurbishment, documentation, and financing. According to industry estimates, Spinny sells nearly 11,000 cars each month through its retail and B2B auction platforms. Recently, the company also acquired auto media and car content platform Autocar India and kicked off operations of its NBFC which is a fully owned subsidiary of the parent company. For the fiscal year ending March 2024, the firm’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 3,725.02 crore from Rs 3,259.78 crore in FY23. During the same period, its losses decreased by 28% to Rs 590.37 crore. Spinny’s core competitor Cars24 reported a 25% year-on-year increase in revenue in FY24 to Rs 6,917 crore. The SoftBank-backed company posted a net loss of Rs 498 crore and an adjusted EBITDA loss of Rs 318 crore for the same period.

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