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Exclusive: Virtual credit card app Kiwi set to raise around $23 Mn in Series B

EntrackrEntrackr · 2d ago
Exclusive: Virtual credit card app Kiwi set to raise around $23 Mn in Series B
Medial

Exclusive: Virtual credit card app Kiwi set to raise around $23 Mn in Series B Fintech startup Kiwi is raising $23 million from new and existing investors, according to two sources aware of the matter. The fresh funding is coming at a gap of nearly two years for the Mumbai-based startup. “Vertex Ventures has issued a term sheet to lead the round,” said one of the sources, requesting anonymity as the talks are private. “Kiwi is likely to be valued at over $100 million (post-money) in this round, which will also see participation from existing investors Stellaris VP and Nexus VP.” This fresh fundraise follows Kiwi’s Series A round in November 2023, when it secured $13 million led by the above-mentioned existing backers. At the time of the earlier round, the startup was valued at around $65 million. Entrackr has also confirmed the fundraise through regulatory filings. Founded in 2022 by former Freecharge executive Anup Agrawal along with Satyam Kumar and Siddharth Mehta, Kiwi enables users to make UPI payments via RuPay credit cards. The company works with Axis Bank and has tied up with NPCI to push the adoption of credit on UPI. Unlike traditional credit cards, Kiwi issues a virtual RuPay card that can be directly linked to UPI apps such as Google Pay and PhonePe. The firm competes with Slice, OneCard and Uni among a few others. Kiwi declined to comment on the story while queries sent to Vertex, Omidyar, Nexus, and Stellaris did not elicit any response. Investor interest in Kiwi is in line with the broader push by the Reserve Bank of India and NPCI to enable wider adoption of credit on UPI. Since the feature was introduced in 2022, the product has gained traction with both banks and fintech companies experimenting with solutions to increase credit usage in digital payments. The firm claims to be the first to launch credit on UPI with a full-stack offering. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Siddharth Mehta, Anup Agarwal, and Mohit Bedi each hold about 16.2% stake in Kiwi as of the Series A round, while Nexus is the largest external stakeholder in the three-year-old startup.

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

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m 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.

Exclusive: Slice set to raise over $35 Mn in funding via convertible debt

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Slice set to raise over $35 Mn in funding via convertible debt
Medial

Consumer lending and payments startup Slice is set to raise Rs 300 crore or nearly $36 million via convertible debt co-led by Taneja Family Trust, Anju Family Personal Trust, UK2 Family Trust, and MN Family Trust. While Blume Ventures and 8i Ventures also invest a significant chunk. The board at Slice has passed a special resolution to raise Rs 300 crore or around $36 million via the issue of up to 30,000 compulsory convertible debentures at an issue price of Rs 100,000 each, the company’s regulatory filings with the Registrar of Companies show. Taneja Family Trust, Anju Family Personal Trust, UK2 Family Trust, and MN Family Trust co-leading the round with an investment of Rs 30 crore each. Blume Ventures and 8i Ventures (Eight Innovate Investment Trust) followed with Rs 27 crore and Rs 25 crore, respectively. Other participating investors are Inland Financial Services, Mintcap Enterprises, Stargazer Ventures, Roger Bravo Advisors, and Broadbridge Capital Management. Individuals such as Krishna Kumar Karwa, Aditya Jadhav, Aryaman Jadhav, Zahir Merchant, Shikha Begwani, Nilesh Mahendra Popat, Khyati Vyas, Simran Jhaveri, Kalpana Kiran Maniar, and seven other individuals also joined the debt financing round. Founded by Rajan Bajaj, Slice provides a physical and virtual card focused on millennials. It enables students and salaried professionals to buy collateral-free products and services online on estimated monthly installments (EMIs) through an app and helps them build credit scores. While the firm is yet to report FY24 numbers, Slice grew threefold to Rs 847 crore during FY23 as compared to Rs 283 crore in FY22. With the 3X spike in employee benefits and NPAs, Slice’s losses grew 59.8% to Rs 406 crore in FY23 compared to Rs 254 crore in FY22. The Bengaluru-based firm raised nearly $400 million to date including a massive $220 million Series B round led by Tiger Global and Insight partners. According to the data intelligence platform TheKredible, Tiger Global and Insight Partners hold 7.9% and 6.6% stake, respectively while its founder and CEO Rajan Bajaj commands a 9.3% stake. The company also made headlines when it received approval from the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for its merger with North East Small Finance Bank (NESFB). Both the companies announced their merger in October 2023. In March last year, Slice acquired a 5% stake in Guwahati-headquartered bank for about $3.42 million.

Exclusive: OneCard to secure $28.5 Mn in new funding round

EntrackrEntrackr · 8m ago
Exclusive: OneCard to secure $28.5 Mn in new funding round
Medial

Mobile-first credit card startup OneCard is raising Rs 239.4 crore or $28.5 million from Better Tomorrow Ventures, Peak XV (previously Sequoia Capital), and Z47 (previously Matrix Partners). While this is the first equity investment for the Pune-based company in 2024, it received debt funding in January this year. The board at OneCard has passed a special resolution to issue 72,048 cumulatively preference shares at an issue price of Rs 33,228.3 per share to raise Rs 239.4 crore or $28.5 million, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. According to the filings, the company has already secured Rs 71.4 crore from Better Tomorrow Ventures, Peak XV Partners, and Matrix Ventures as part of the above-mentioned fundraising. The breakdown includes Rs 42 crore from Better Tomorrow Ventures, Rs 8.4 crore from Peak XV, and Rs 21 crore from Matrix Ventures. The remaining Rs 168 crore is expected to be received by OneCard in one or more tranches. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, OneCard has been valued at around Rs 11,747 crore or $1.4 billion post-allotment. In September 2023, Entrackr exclusively reported that the Bengaluru-based company was seeking $100 million at flat valuation. OneCard (FPL Technologies) offers co-branded credit cards to mostly first-time users with banks such as IDFC First Bank, Federal Bank, and SBM Bank. It has a credit score tracking cum credit management app called OneScore. In Sept 2023, the firm announced its partnership with Indian Bank to empower users with full digital control over their credit card interactions such as real-time transaction tracking, spending management, and EMI conversion, among others. On the revenue front, OneCard managed over six-fold year-on-year growth in FY23 as its operating revenue soared to Rs 593 crore in FY23 from Rs 97.8 crore in FY22. At the same time, its losses also spiked 2.2X to Rs 405.6 crore in FY23. It has yet to file its annual results for FY24. OneCard turned unicorn after a $100 million round in July 2022. It has raised more than $350 million to date. According to TheKredible, Peak XV and Z47 collectively control 40% stake in the company.

Exclusive: Fintech startup CheQ closes new round at $6.7 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Exclusive: Fintech startup CheQ closes new round at $6.7 Mn
Medial

Credit card bill payment management platform CheQ has secured Rs 18.5 crore (around $2.2 million) additional proceeds in its extended seed round. This is the second tranche of the round for the Bengaluru-based company. The new tranche came after a month of its $4.5 million extended series round. Entrackr was the first to report the development last month. The board at CheQ has passed a resolution to allot 6,855 Seed 1 CCPS at an issue price of Rs 26,988.91 each to raise Rs 18.50 crore, its regulatory filings accessed from the RoC shows. Lloyd Dizon and Zenaida Dizon Balajadia invested Rs 4.16 crore each while Sherpalo LLC (a venture by Ram Shriram), Hitesh Gupta, and Amit Lakhotia participated with Rs 8.32 crore, 10 lakhs, and 25 lakhs respectively. As per filings, the company will use these funds for growth, expansion, marketing, and general corporate purposes as decided by the board. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the company has been valued at around Rs 460 crore or $55.4 million (post-money) after the fresh tranche of the extended seed round. Founded in 2022 by Aditya Soni, CheQ helps customers simplify the discovery and management of all credit products and allows you to pay your credit card bill, and EMI on a single platform. The startup has raised over $17 million to date including its $10 million seed round led by Venture Highway and 3one4 Capital in June 2022. CheQ remained a pre-revenue stage firm with a revenue of only Rs 2 crore during the fiscal year ended March 2023. However, the losses for the three-year-old firm stood at Rs 19.4 crore in the same period. CheQ competes with fintech unicorn CRED which has secured around $1 billion to date and was valued at $6.4 billion in its last fundraise. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, it posted Rs 1,400 crore in revenue with a loss of Rs 1,347 crore during FY23.

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