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Exclusive: NeoGrowth raises debt from UTI International

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 7m ago
Exclusive: NeoGrowth raises debt from UTI International
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MSME-focused digital lender NeoGrowth has raised debt funding from UTI International Wealth Creator. This will be the second debt infusion in the Mumbai-based company in the ongoing calendar year. NeoGrowth's board has approved the issuance and allotment of up to 4,200 non-convertible debentures (NCDs) to raise up to Rs 42 crore (approx $5 million), its regulatory filings sourced from the RoC shows. These NCDs will carry an interest rate of 11.7% per annum. UTI International Wealth Creator 4 is a debt fund managed by Mumbai-based UTI Asset Management Company. The debt infusion in the company has come at a time when NeoGrowth is eyeing to raise Rs 500 crore growth capital through private equity investment. The firm managed assets worth Rs 2,750 crore by the end of the last fiscal year, and aims to close FY25 with Rs 4,000 crore AUM. NeoGrowth, an NBFC co-founded by Dhruv Khaitan and Piyush Khaitan, offers short-term unsecured loans to MSMEs, providing amounts of up to Rs 75 lakh with a tenure of up to 100 months. To date, the company has raised approximately $138 million through a mix of equity and debt funding from investors including MicroVest, FMO, Omidyar Network, DFC, and others. Neogrowth registered 57% growth in its gross revenue which spiked to Rs 601 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2024 from Rs 381 crore in FY23. Meanwhile, its profit before tax surged almost 4X to Rs 95 crore in the last fiscal year from Rs 24 crore in FY23.

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Exclusive: Waycool raises $12 Mn debt from Grand Anicut

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 9m ago
Exclusive: Waycool raises $12 Mn debt from Grand Anicut
Medial

Waycool, the Chennai-based agriculture supply chain firm, has raised Rs 100 crore (about $12 million) in debt financing from Grand Anicut. This is the first major infusion in the company in the last two years. The board at 1,000 Series B6 debentures at an issue price of Rs 10,00,000 each to raise Rs 100 crore or $12 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. The debt carries a coupon rate (interest) of 18% per annum with a tenure of 18 months. The company plans to use the funds for ongoing business operations, according to the filings. This debt round is a significant breakthrough for Waycool, as the company has been struggling to raise an equity round. Founded by Karthik Jayaraman and Sanjay Dasari, Waycool buys fresh produce, including dairy products, from farmers and sells them to retailers and restaurants. It also runs private label brands and handles distribution for fast moving consumer goods or FMCG companies. Waycool has raised around $160 million in funding to date from Lightrock, International Finance Corporation, FMO, and 57 Stars, among others. It was also negotiating for more than $50 million which could have propelled its valuation in the range of $900 million to $1 billion. However, the talks did not go through. The firm was valued at $700 million in its last equity round. To cut costs, the firm also laid off 200 employees across departments as the company was eyeing profitability by July this year. Waycool registered 62% growth in its operating revenue to Rs 1,251 crore in FY23 whereas its losses surged by 89% to Rs 685 crore during the same period. Itโ€™s yet to file an annual report for FY24. The debt funding for Waycool highlights the scarcity of equity capital for agritech startups. Notably, three companiesโ€”Waycool, Dehaat, and Ninjacartโ€”have been close to achieving unicorn status for the past couple of years. However, the sector has yet to produce its first unicorn. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, agritech remains one of the least funded segments in 2024, with over 30 startups raising only $150 million by September. This follows a challenging trend, as last year saw just $178 million in agritech funding, a steep decline from $772 million in 2022 and $636 million in 2021. On Monday, agritech firm Greenikk shut down its operations due to operational challenges.

Exclusive: FlexiLoans raises $9 Mn debt from JM Financial

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 11m ago
Exclusive: FlexiLoans raises $9 Mn debt from JM Financial
Medial

MSMEs-focused fintech lender FlexiLoans has raised Rs 75 crore (approximately $9 million) via non-convertible debt from JM Financial. This is the second debt round for the Mumbai-based company this year. The board at FlexiLoans has passed a resolution to issue 7,500 non-convertible debentures to raise Rs 75 crore, according to the companyโ€™s internal documents accessed by Entrackr. The debt has a coupon rate (interest) of 12.05% per annum with a tenure of 24 months. The company intends to utilize the funds for the ongoing business operations, the documents added. The debt infusion has come at a time when the firm is set to secure $35 million in funding from late-stage fund Fundamentum, co-founded by Infosys veteran Nandan Nilekani. Founded by Deepak Jain, Manish Lunia, Ritesh Jain, and Abhishek Kothari, FlexiLoans offers collateral-free loans to MSMEs. The firm has raised over $124 million to date in a mix of equity and debt including a $90 million Series B round from Fasanara Capital, MAJ Invest, Caravel Group, among others in June 2022. As per its website, the company has disbursed over Rs 7,000 crore of loans. Besides partnerships with over 400 partners, Flexiloans also lends through its NBFC โ€” Epimoney. The company gives loans in the range of Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 crore with a maximum tenure of 36 months. The fintech firm grew at a fast pace in the fiscal year ending March 2024 as its collection jumped 2.4X year-on-year. Its operating revenue soared to Rs 262 crore in FY24 from Rs 109 crore in FY23. During the period, the company also maintained its profitability with Rs 3 crore PAT. FlexiLoans competes with a clutch of fintech firms including Lendingkart, Indifi, Incred, Oxyzo and Aye Finance.

Exclusive: Lendingkart raises Rs 100 Cr debt from Stride Ventures

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1y ago
Exclusive: Lendingkart raises Rs 100 Cr debt from Stride Ventures
Medial

Small and medium enterprises focused digital lending platform Lendingkart has secured Rs 100 crore ($12 million) in debt and Rs 8 crore (nearly $1 million) in equity from Stride Ventures. This is the second major debt closure by the Ahmedabad-based firm in the past year. The board at Lendingkart has passed a board resolution to issue 10,000 non-convertible debentures and 454 Series D5 CCPS to raise Rs 108 crore or $13 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the RoC shows. As per the filings, the Temasek-backed company has raised Rs 318 crore ($38 million) in debt to date. Lendingkart will receive the debt fund in two tranches of Rs 50 crore ($6 million) each and it will carry a coupon rate of 14% per annum. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company has been valued at around $690 million post-allotment. Just last month, LendingKart raised $10 million through external commercial borrowing (ECBs) from a fund managed by BlueOrchard. As of now, Lenskart has mopped up Rs 1,050 crore ($126 million) in equity capital from investors like Fullerton, Bertelsmann, Mayfield India, Saama Capital, Sistema Asia and India Quotient. Lendingkart disburses loans with an average ticket size of Rs 5 lakh to Rs 6 lakh to MSME business owners. As per its website, it has disbursed over Rs 18,700 crore to over 300,000 businesses present in 4,100 cities. Lendingkart performed well in FY23 as its revenue from operations grew by 33.4% to Rs 858 crore. Meanwhile, the firm also posted Rs 119 crore profit in the same period. Itโ€™s yet to file annual financial results for FY24. As per a media report, the company is planning for an initial public offering (IPO) by next year. Lenskart is targeting to cross Rs 10,000 crore in assets under management before going public.

Exclusive: Bike Bazaar raises debt from MAS Financial

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1y ago
Exclusive: Bike Bazaar raises debt from MAS Financial
Medial

Two-wheeler financing and e-commerce platform Bike Bazaar has raised Rs 25 crore (approximately $3 million) in debt from MAS Financial. This is the first debt round for the Pune-based company in 2024. The board at Bike Bazaar has passed a special resolution to issue 2,500 NCDs (non-convertible debentures) at an issue price of Rs 1,00,000 each to raise Rs 25 crore, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. According to the filings, the debt investment is for the tenure of 30 months with a rate of interest rate of 10.70% per annum. Bike Bazaar has raised around $80 million to date including its $30 million round led by Womenโ€™s World Banking Asset Management (WAM) which closed in February last year. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Elevar Equity is the largest external stakeholder with 25% followed by Faering Capitalโ€™s 22%. Its co-founders Srinivas Kantheti and Karunakaran Vadakkepa cumulatively command 12.47% of the company. Founded in 2017, Bike Bazaar provides financing services to customers looking to buy a two-wheeler. The platform also facilitates loans for used two-wheelers and electric two-wheelers and as per its website, the company has financed over 300,000 vehicles to date. Besides financing, Bike Bazaar also has a marketplace for selling and buying two-wheelers. The company plans to use the fresh funds to scale this marketplace and aims to expand its presence in the rural market. Bike Bazaar is yet to file its financial statement for FY24 but its income from operations surged 20% to Rs 180 crore in FY23, as per its annual financial statement filed with the RoC. The company managed to control its losses to Rs 43 crore in FY23 from Rs 55 crore in the previous year. Bike Bazaar competes with startups such as Cars24, Droom, CredR, and others.

Exclusive: IPO-bound Ather Energy raises Rs 60 Cr debt

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 11m ago
Exclusive: IPO-bound Ather Energy raises Rs 60 Cr debt
Medial

Ather Energy has continued to raise debt funding before its potential public listing. The Bengaluru-based company has raised Rs 60 crore (over $7 million) in debt from Stride Ventures through its trustee Vistra ITCL. This is the second debt infusion in the electric scooter manufacturer in the past two months. Stride Ventures invested Rs 200 crore via debentures in May. Entrackr had exclusively reported the fundraise which also had equity investment from co-founders. While Ather IPO timeline is yet to be known, it took a definitive step towards public listing by converting itself into a public company in June. Ather has raised around $450 million to date from the likes of Tiger Global and Hero MotoCorp. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Hero Moto Corp is an associate company of Ather and controls around 38% stake. Following a four-fold growth during FY23, Atherโ€™s revenue from operations decreased slightly to Rs 1,754 crore in FY24 from Rs 1,781 crore in FY23, as per disclosure made by Hero Moto Corp. The sale of scooters was the primary source of revenue for Ather while after-sale and subscription services were other income channels. Ather maintained its position as the fourth largest two-wheeler EV manufacturer with 6,097 units sold in June 2024 and a market share of 7.66%, according to Vahan data. Its arch rival Ola Electric stayed on top with sales of 36,716 units, controlling a market share of 44%. The company recently said that it will set up its third manufacturing plant in Maharashtra with an investment of Rs 2,000 crore. The new facility will produce electric two-wheelers as well as battery packs.

Exclusive: Ola Electric raises Rs 100 Cr debt ahead of IPO

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1y ago
Exclusive: Ola Electric raises Rs 100 Cr debt ahead of IPO
Medial

IPO-bound Ola Electric has raised Rs 100 crore (approximately $12 million) in debt from Alteria Capital. This is the second round of debt funding for the Bengaluru-based company in 2024. The board at Ola Electric has passed a special resolution to issue 10,000 non-convertible dentures at an issue price of Rs 1,00,00 each to raise Rs 100 crore, its regulatory filings accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) show. The development comes after two months of its $50 million debt funding from EvolutionX. According to the filings, the debentures have an interest rate of 13.8% per annum with an additional 2% interest per month over and above the coupon rate, in case of default of interest. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the Bhavish Aggarwal-led company has raised more than $1 billion across equity and debt and was valued at $5.4 billion during the last round. In December 2023, Ola Electric filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Security Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for an initial public offering (IPO) to raise Rs 5,500 crore ($660 million). As per media reports, the company has also received a green signal from market regulator SEBI for the public listing. Based on the DRHP filed by Ola Electric, Bhavish Aggarwal is the largest stakeholder with 36.94% followed by Soft Bank which commands 21.98% of the company. Tiger Global, Indus Trust, and Alpha Wave own 6.03%, 3.85% and 3.49%, respectively. Ola Electric grew at a rapid clip in FY23 which could be evident from its revenue that surged seven-fold to Rs 2,631 crore as compared to Rs 373 crore in FY22. Meanwhile, its losses increased by 87.76% to Rs 1,472 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2023. In the two-wheeler electric vehicles segment, the SoftBank-backed company competes with Hero Electric, Ather Energy, TVS, among others. As per Vahan data, Ola Electric controls 49% market share in two-wheeler EVs with 37,191 e-scooter registrations in May.

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