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Exclusive: Pravega and IIFL invest in GrayQuest’s Series B

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Pravega and IIFL invest in GrayQuest’s Series B
Medial

Education loans-focused fintech startup GrayQuest is set to raise Rs 53 crore ($6 million) in a Series B round co-led by Pravega Fund and IIFL Fintech Fund. The board of GrayQuest has passed a resolution to offer and issue 6,228 fully paid up and 1,530 partly paid up Series B preference shares at an issue price of Rs 69,062 each to raise Rs 53.57 crore. Pravega Ventures and IIFL Fintech Fund each invested Rs 21.50 crore, while the company’s founder, Rishab Sumer Mehta, also participated with shares worth Rs 10.56 crore. The shares allotted to Rishab are partly paid, meaning the remaining amount will be called upon when the board decides. GrayQuest will utilize the fresh funding to meet financial requirements and support its expansion plan, the firm’s regulatory filings disclosed. The company has also increased its ESOP pool size by adding 1,204 new options, bringing the total ESOP pool to 5,718 options, as per a separate filing. Entrackr estimates that GrayQuest’s ESOP pool is currently valued at $4.5 million. The Mumbai-based startup had raised $7 million in its Series A round back in March last year, and $1.2 million worth pre-Series A round in August 2020. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, GrayQuest has been valued at around Rs 530 crore ( $64 million) post-allotment. The Series B round appears to be ongoing, and the startup is likely to raise additional funds, which could result in a variation in its valuation. Following the fresh proceeds, Pravega Ventures will hold 10.94% of the company, while IIFL Fintech Fund will own 4.07%. Its Founder Rishab Sumer Mehta will command a handsome 38.59% stake in the company. Seven-year-old GrayQuest is an integrated fee collection platform for educational institutions, allowing parents to pay annual education fees in flexible monthly installments with zero interest. Recently, Grayquest was selected for Co-Lab initiative, which was launched by HDFC Bank in collaboration with Pravega Ventures. For the fiscal year ending in March 2023, the startup reported Rs 8.76 crore in operating revenue with Rs 26.3 crore loss. It has yet to publish FY24 results. According to data compiled by TheKredible, GrayQuest and its competitors, including Leap, Auxilo, Avanse Financial, Financepeer, Propelld, Mpower Financing, and Eduvanz, have collectively secured approximately $500 million in funding over the past 24 months. In July, Entrackr exclusively reported that Leap is in talks to raise a new round at unicorn valuation.

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

EntrackrEntrackr · 2m 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: Giva raises $12 Mn from Premji Invest in extended Series B

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Giva raises $12 Mn from Premji Invest in extended Series B
Medial

Omnichannel jewelry startup Giva has raised Rs 100 crore ($12 million approximately) in an extended Series B round from Premji Invest. With this, the company has marked its first fundraise in 2024. Giva’s board has passed a resolution to offer and issue 68,028 Series B1 compulsorily convertible preference shares (CCPS) at a price of Rs 14,700 per share to PI Opportunities Fund II (Premji Invest). This marks the third investment by Premji Invest in the Bengaluru-based Giva. The family office of Wipro founder Azim Premji had previously led a Rs 270 crore Series B round in Giva in July last year. According to TheKredible’s estimates, Giva has been valued at approximately Rs 2,000 crore. This appears to be part of an ongoing funding round, and with the infusion of additional capital, the company’s valuation is expected to adjust accordingly. Following the fresh capital, the company has raised over $60 million to date from the likes of Aditya Birla Venture, A91 Partners and others. Giva, which initially launched as an affordable jewelry brand, has since expanded its offerings to include gold jewelry and lab-grown diamonds. In addition to its website and app, the Ishendra Agarwal-led company now operates around 110 physical stores across the country. Giva’s revenue from operations saw a significant growth of 96.4%, reaching Rs 165 crore in FY23. However, the company’s expenditure doubled, rising to Rs 212 crore in FY23. This sharp increase in costs led to a 2.36X spike in its losses which widened to Rs 45 crore in FY23. The company has not disclosed its FY24 numbers officially. Of late, the omnichannel jewelry space has garnered significant investor attention. Lab-grown jewelry brand Aukera recently raised Rs 26.7 crore (approximately $3.2 million) in its Series A round, while Vermeil jewelry brand Trisu secured an undisclosed amount in pre-seed funding. Giva competes with several notable players: Melorra, Bluestone, CaratLane, and a range of other funded and family-led brands.

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