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Exclusive: PharmEasy raises $216 Mn led by MEMG at $710 Mn valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: PharmEasy raises $216 Mn led by MEMG at $710 Mn valuation
Medial

API Holdings, the parent company of online drug dispenser PharmEasy, has raised Rs 1,804 crore ($216 million) led by Ranjan Pai’s Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) and existing investors. The fresh money, however, has come with a 90% haircut in valuation from the firm’s peak worth. The board at API Holdings passed a special resolution to allot 18,63,74,897 cumulative convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 96.8 each to raise Rs 1,804 crore, its regulatory filing sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. MEMG family office led the round with Rs 800 crore while Prosus, Temasek, and 360 One Portfolios pumped in Rs 221 crore, Rs 183 crore, and Rs 200 crore, respectively. CDPQ Private Equity, WSSS Investments, Goldman Sachs, and Evolution Debt Capital cumulatively participated with Rs 400 crore in the new investment. The company will further convert the CCPS–issued into equity shares in the ratio of (1:20), the filings added. As per TheKredible’s estimates, the company has been valued at around Rs 5,904 crore or $710 million (post-allotment). This is a nearly 90% haircut in valuation of PharmEasy which was once valued at $5.6 billion in 2021. Last month, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) cleared Ranjan Pai’s investment in PharmEasy. The Mumbai-based firm has been trying to raise around Rs 3,500 crore since August last year to repay debt which it took from Goldman Sachs. PharmEasy defaulted on its loan terms with Goldman Sachs in June last year. Around the same time, the firm’s valuation was reduced by around 50% by its investor Janus Henderson. Neuberger Berman also cut PharmEasy’s valuation by 21.4% to $4.4 billion as of February 2023. The Dharmil Shah-led company is also among a list of startups which postponed its IPO plan after filing draft papers with market regulator SEBI. The firm filed DRHP in November 2021 and pulled back its listing plan in August 2022 citing tough market conditions. For the fiscal year ending in March 2023, PharmEasy saw a 16% growth in its revenue to Rs 6,644 crore against Rs 5,729 crore in FY22. As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company also curbed its losses to Rs 2,289.8 crore in FY23 as compared to Rs 2,731.7 crore in FY22. PharmEasy’s travails have been well documented, especially post its acquisition of Thyrocare. The latest fundraising should put at rest any lingering doubts about the future of the firm. The move to expand into diagnostics has delivered very poor results for the firm, and the funding now will result in the promoters being diluted way more than they ever hoped to be. It’s a salutary lesson for many other startups, and the only silver lining is that the firm itself has survived, hopefully to get a second chance at making history.

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PharmEasy valuation slashed to $458 Mn by Janus Henderson

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
PharmEasy valuation slashed to $458 Mn by Janus Henderson
Medial

API Holdings, the parent company of online drug marketplace PharmEasy, has seen its valuation cut to $458 million. This is around a 92% valuation markdown from its peak of $5.6 billion in 2021. PharmEasy’s investor and global asset management company Janus Henderson slashes the company’s valuation by marking down its investment value by 91.8%, the filing accessed from SEC shows. In April, PharmEasy saw a 90% haircut in its valuation when it raised Rs 1,804 crore ($216 million) led by Ranjan Pai’s Manipal Education and Medical Group (MEMG) and existing investors. The Mumbai-based firm has been trying to raise around Rs 3,500 crore to repay the debt it took from Goldman Sachs. The Dharmil Shah-led firm already defaulted on its loan terms with Goldman Sachs in June 2023. Around the same time, Janus Henderson reduced PharmEasy’s valuation by around 50%. Citing adverse market conditions, PharmEasy also deferred its initial public offering plan even after filing draft IPO papers. The firm filed DRHP in November 2021 and pulled back its listing plan in August 2022. Recently, Gupshup’s investor Fidelity marked down the SaaS firm’s valuation to $500 million. The company was valued at over $1.4 billion in its last equity funding. Swiggy, Byjus and a few other hyper-funded companies also saw valuation markdown by their investors in 2024. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the firm posted a 16% year-on-year growth to Rs 6,643 crore revenue in FY23 while the losses for the Temasek-backed company surged 30.5% to Rs 5211 crore in the same period. The company is yet to file its annual statements for FY24.

PharmEasy's three co-founders step down, Siddharth Shah to lead

EntrackrEntrackr · 5m ago
PharmEasy's three co-founders step down, Siddharth Shah to lead
Medial

PharmEasy's three co-founders step down, Siddharth Shah to lead Online pharmacy company PharmEasy is undergoing a major transition as three co-founders—Dharmil Sheth, Dhaval Shah, and Hardik Dedhia—have stepped back from the Bengaluru-based firm. The fourth co-founder, Siddharth Shah, will continue to lead the company. According to a company statement, these co-founders will remain part of the group, align their shareholding for the long term, and continue as board members or observers. However, they have expressed their desire to reduce their involvement in active day-to-day executive responsibilities. In November last year, Entrackr approached the co-founders of PharmEasy for confirmation, but they firmly denied the claims. PharmEasy also said that this transition has been in the works for several quarters, adding, "We are delighted that the new team has achieved operational cash flow break-even and continues to handle all responsibilities effectively." “The three of us—Dhaval, Dharmil, and Hardik—are starting something new in the consumer space. Reputed VCs who backed us at PharmEasy are backing us again,” the co-founders said in a joint statement. PharmEasy has raised approximately $1.1 billion to date from investors, including Ranjan Pai’s MEMG, Prosus, and Temasek. In April 2024, the company secured $216 million in funding during a down round, valuing it at around $710 million (post-money). However, in September, global asset management firm Janus Henderson reduced its valuation by 91.8% to $458 million. This development coincides with PharmEasy's efforts to relaunch its initial public offering (IPO). The company initially filed draft papers for an IPO in November 2021 but later withdrew the application, citing adverse market conditions and strategic considerations. PharmEasy’s revenue from operations declined by 14.8% to Rs 5,664 crore in FY24 from Rs 6,644 crore in FY23. Following cost-cutting measures, the company reduced its losses by 51.4% to Rs 2,533.5 crore in the last fiscal year.

Ranjan Pai’s MEMG and 360 One get CCI nod to invest in API Holdings

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Ranjan Pai’s MEMG and 360 One get CCI nod to invest in API Holdings
Medial

Competition Commission of India (CCI) has approved a subscription to CCPS B of API holding by Ranjan Pai’s MEMG (Manipal Education and Medical Group) and 360 One. The decision was followed by CCI’s previous approval where multiple combination proposals entailed investments by marquee investors such as Goldman Sachs, Naspers, Temasek, and CDPQ in API Holdings Ltd., the parent company of PharmEasy. While the size of investment from Manipal Education and Medical Group) and 360 One are unknown, MEMG was reportedly looking to invest Rs 1,000 crore for an 18% stake in API Holdings. Pai backed PharmEasy in its early days and eventually exited from the Mumbai-based firm a few years ago. Pai will have three board seats after the investment, filing added. PharmEasy is trying to raise around Rs 3,500 crore for the past three quarters to repay debt which it took from Goldman Sach. The company defaulted on its loan covenant terms with Goldman Sachs and ever since then its valuation slashed nearly around 50% by its investor Janus Henderson. Prior to this, Neuberger Berman reduced PharmEasy’s valuation by 21.4% to $4.4 billion as of February 2023. The company was valued at $5.6 billion at its peak. PharmEasy had reported improved financials in the last fiscal year as its revenue from operations grew 16% to Rs 6,644 crore in FY23. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the cost cutting measures helped PharmEasy control its losses by 16% which stood at Rs 2289 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2023.

Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 4m ago
Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation
Medial

Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation IPO-bound used car marketplace Droom is raising Rs 25 crore (approximately $2.9 million) in a fresh funding round co-led by India Accelerator (IA), and Rameshchandra Shah. The board at Droom has passed a special resolution to issue 15,62,500 preference shares at an issue price of Rs 160 each to raise Rs 25 crore or $2.9 million, its regulatory filings sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. India Accelerator and Shah both will invest Rs 5 crore each, Shirish Patel, CEO of Prudent Corporate Advisory (wealth management company) will invest Rs 3 crore and the remaining amount will be invested by other individual investors. The firm will use these proceeds for general corporate purposes, the filings said. As per Entrackr’s estimates, the Gurugram-based firm will be valued at approximately Rs 3,097 crore or $360 million post-allotment. “We deliberately kept the valuation very low for the Indian subsidiary as a strategic move to give material upside to Indians who did not have opportunity to participate in the making of Droom in the past one decade,” said Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of Droom, in response to queries about the company's valuation. “We plan to raise a bit more capital in the near term at much higher valuation both in Singapore and India…” Droom is an online marketplace for buying and selling used vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and electric vehicles. It also offers rental services. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Droom has raised approximately $330 million from investors including 57 Stars, Seven Train Ventures, Lightbox, and Beenext. Droom reported Rs 85 crore in revenue for FY24, a 66% decline from Rs 253 crore in FY23. It managed to reduce its losses by 35% to Rs 40 crore in FY24. Droom is reportedly planning to file draft papers for a Rs 1,000 crore IPO in 2027, targeting a valuation between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion.

Exclusive: Scaler to raise $40 Mn at reduced valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Exclusive: Scaler to raise $40 Mn at reduced valuation
Medial

Exclusive: Scaler to raise $40 Mn at reduced valuation Upskilling platform Scaler is finalizing a $40 million fundraise, according to people familiar with the matter. This would be its first funding round in over three years, with the last one, a Series B, in February 2022. “Lighthouse is likely to lead a new funding round in Scaler, with some existing investors also participating. The deal is in its final stages and, barring any last-minute changes, is expected to close in a few weeks,” said a source requesting anonymity due to the private nature of the discussions. Scaler has so far raised over $75 million across rounds from the likes of Lightrock India, Peak XV Partners, and Tiger Global. The firm last raised $55 million in Series B in February 2022 at a valuation of $710 million. However, sources indicated that this will be a down round, with Scaler's valuation expected to plunge to $350–$370 million after the new funding. In response to Entrackr’s queries, Scaler said it does not comment on market speculation, while Peak XV declined to comment. Lighthouse had not responded by the time of publication. Scaler specializes in upskilling college students and technology professionals by offering an intensive six-month computer science program. The course is delivered through live classes led by experienced tech leaders and subject matter experts. While Scaler has yet to disclose its FY25 numbers, the company’s revenue from operations grew to Rs 384.5 crore in FY24 from Rs 316.7 crore in FY23. Optimization of major expense categories helped the company reduce its overall losses by 58% to Rs 139 crore in FY24. At the beginning of FY25, Scaler laid off around 150 employees citing long-term growth and sustainability. It competes with Newton School, Masai School, and to some extent with Simplilearn. Many growth and late-stage startups are operating in a challenging funding environment, raising capital at flat or reduced valuations.

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: Wealthtech startup Stable Money raises $15 Mn in new round

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Wealthtech startup Stable Money raises $15 Mn in new round
Medial

Wealthtech startup Stable Money has raised over Rs 123 crore nearly $15 million in a new round from RTP Capital, Lightspeed India, and Matrix Partner. The Bengaluru-based company has become one of the few startups to close two rounds within a year, especially during the so called funding winter. The board at Stable Money has passed a special resolution to issue 77,135 CCPS at price of Rs 16,019 each to raise Rs 123.56 crore or $14.74 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (ROC) shows. RTP Capital led the round with Rs 54.26 crore ($6.5 million) while Lightspeed India and Matrix Partners India pumped in Rs 34.64 crore ($4.15 million) each in this round. In August 2023, Stable Money scooped up $5 million in its first equity fundraise led by Matrix Partners and Lightspeed. Titan Capital, Mar Shot Ventures and a clutch of prominent angel investors also participated in the round. As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Stable Money will be valued at around $60 million post money. This is nearly four fold jump in valuation from $16.5 million in the last round. Founded in late 2022 by Saurabh Jain and Harish Reddy, Stable Money is building a fixed-return investment platform to provide financial consultation services to investors. The platform will also publish financial literacy content on its online platform to create awareness among investors. A clutch of wealthtech startups have managed to score decent funding in the ongoing calendar year. Recently Deserv raked in $32 million in its Series B round led by Premji Invest. In May, wealth management platform Wealthy raised $5.4 million in a new round led by Alpha Wave Incubation Fund.

Exclusive: Pilgrim raises $9 Mn with 3X valuation surge

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
Exclusive: Pilgrim raises $9 Mn with 3X valuation surge
Medial

Beauty and personal care D2C firm Pilgrim has raised Rs 75 crore (approximately $9 million) in its extended Series B round led by Fireside and Vertex Ventures. The board at Pilgrim has passed a special resolution to issue 854 Series B1 and B2 preference shares at an issue price of Rs 8,77 655 each to raise Rs 75 crore or $9 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. Fireside and Vertex Ventures pumped in Rs 25 crore and Rs 23 crore, respectively. NSFO Ventures, Mirabilis Investment, and NABS Vriddhi cumulatively invested Rs 27 crore during the round. The company will use these proceeds for expansion and general corporate purposes as decided by the board, the filings further added. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company’s valuation has soared to approximately Rs 2,075 crore (around $250 million) post-allotment. This marks an over threefold increase from its last funding round, of $20 million where the company was valued at $75 million. The firm may raise more funds in this round. With the recent funding, Fireside Ventures remains the largest external stakeholder with a 23% stake, followed by Vertex Ventures, which holds 11.2%. NSFO Ventures and Mirabilis Investment command 5.57% and 2.81% stakes, respectively. Founded by Anurag Kedia in 2019, Pilgrim offers more than 90 SKUs across face care, haircare, and skincare products, and fragrances in over 25,000 pin codes. The company said that it offers a wide range of products curated with ingredients from France, Korea, Spain, Australia, the Amazon Rainforest, and Swiss glaciers. The five-year-old firm has raised around $35 million across rounds including its $20 million Series B led by Vertex Ventures in 2023. The company posted 4.47X growth in scale to Rs 76 crore in FY23 from Rs 17 crore in FY22. In pursuit of growth, its losses also jumped 3X to Rs 23 crore in FY23. Pilgrim is yet to file annual results for FY24.

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