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Fintech startup POP raises $2.4 Mn led by India Quotient

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Fintech startup POP raises $2.4 Mn led by India Quotient
Medial

Fintech startup POP has raised $2.4 million in seed funding round led by India Quotient and a few prominent angel investors. The Bengaluru-based startup also announced that it had received approval as a Third-Party Application Provider (TPAP) from the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to offer UPI payments via its POPclub app. POP also joins prominent players like Google Pay, PhonePe, WhatsApp, CRED, and Paytm as a third-party app authorised to provide UPI payments. It has partnered with financial firms such as Yes Bank and Juspay to build its UPI stack. The funding will help expedite the implementation of various initiatives, including the POP UPI service that will enable users to earn POPcoins with every UPI transaction made through the app. Launched in May 2023 by Bhargav Errangi, POP intends to create a network of e-commerce users which constitutes genZ and late millennials on the back of POPcoins. These POPcoins can be used to buy a wide range of products from all major direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands in categories such as beauty, personal care, electronics, fashion, and home goods within the app. POP has added over 200 brands to its network, including mCaffeine, HUL-owned Simple Skin Care, Adil Qadri, Anveshan, Two Brothers Organic Farms, and Epigamia.

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Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment
Medial

Razorpay acquires majority stake in POP with $30 Mn investment Rewards-first UPI payments app POP has raised $30 million from Razorpay to grow its payments and commerce platform. With this, Razorpay has acquired a majority stake in the Bengaluru-based startup. While POP did not share further transaction details, it will operate as a separate entity. Earlier in June last year, POP had raised $2.4 million in its seed funding round led by India Quotient and a few prominent angel investors. The fresh proceeds will be used to improve its products, grow its merchant base, and enhance its rewards program. POP started its UPI platform in June 2024. It claims to have crossed 6 lakh daily transactions and 1 million unique monthly transactions within the first year. According to the company, it fulfilled 2 lakh orders and issued over 40,000 RuPay credit cards in collaboration with Yes Bank. POP’s main feature is POPcoins, a multi-brand rewards currency that consumers earn when making payments or shopping on the platform. These POPcoins can be redeemed across POP’s extensive merchant network, offering users flexible and valuable incentives. Razorpay’s investment in POP expands its services into loyalty, engagement, and commerce. POP’s payments and rewards ecosystem lets merchants reward transactions and payments directly. Previously in September 2022, Razorpay acquired PoshVine to add loyalty and rewards to its payments stack. POP will help Razorpay serve merchants by offering payments, loyalty, and engagement services in a single platform. The development follows Razorpay’s recent announcement to shift its domicile back to India from the US. While the company has no immediate plans for a public listing, it has completed key regulatory steps, including its transition into a public limited company and securing approval for the merger of Razorpay Inc. with Razorpay India. Razorpay stands out as one of the few profitable unicorns in the fintech space, having reported revenue of Rs 2,068 crore and a profit of Rs 35 crore in FY24. The company is yet to announce its FY25 results.

True Diamond raises $3 Mn led by India Quotient

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
True Diamond raises $3 Mn led by India Quotient
Medial

True Diamond raises $3 Mn led by India Quotient Lab-grown diamond jewelry brand True Diamond has raised Rs 26 crore ($3 million) in a pre-Series A funding round led by India Quotient along with participation from existing investors Titan Capital, Winners Fund, and Huddle Ventures. Prior to this, it had raised $1 million in a seed funding round led by Titan Capital, along with participation from Huddle Ventures, Zeropearl Ventures, and personal investments from Ashutosh Valani, Priyank Shah, Aashka Goradia Goble, Mamaearth founder Ghazal Alagh, Abhishek Goyal, and Anmol Jain. The proceeds will be used to accelerate its omnichannel strategy and focus on offline expansion, True Diamond said in a press release. Co-founded in 2024 by Darayus Mehta and Parin Shah, True Diamond aims to modernise the jewelry experience for contemporary Indian consumers. The brand focuses on design and material innovation, bold content, and accessible luxury. It has launched retail outlets in Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Noida, with more stores planned across metro cities. The Mumbai-based company offers a variety of products, including rings, earrings, pendants, necklaces, mangalsutras, bracelets, and tennis bracelets, among others. The startup also provides customized jewellery and men’s collections. True Diamond claims to have built a catalog of over 5,000 designs and achieved a 1.7x customer repeat rate. The brand offers innovative products with unique launches like over the 160 facet Portuguese diamonds, black diamonds, and many more.

Exclusive: Ziffi Chess raises over $5 Mn led by Tanglin Venture

EntrackrEntrackr · 22d ago
Exclusive: Ziffi Chess raises over $5 Mn led by Tanglin Venture
Medial

Exclusive: Ziffi Chess raises over $5 Mn led by Tanglin Venture Ziffi Chess, a 2 min chess format game, has secured Rs 44.2 crore ($5 million) in its Series A round led by Tanglin Venture Partners along with participation of existing investors India Quotient, DeVC and others. Previously, Ziffi raised around Rs 7.3 crore in Seed round across 2 tranches from India Quotient, DeVC and few other angel investors. However, the company did not disclose both funding rounds (nearly $6 million) in the media. The board at Ziffi Chess issued 3,792 Series A CCPS and an equity share at an issue price of Rs 1,16,583 each to raise the aforementioned amount, as per its regulatory filing with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). New investor Tanglin Venture Partners spearheaded the round with Rs 34.4 crore (around $3.9 million) followed by existing investor India Quotient via IQ Alpha IV who invested Rs 8.6 crore. Remaining amount covered by DevC, Symphysis LSV LLP and Rohan Nayak. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the Gurugram-based company is currently valued at Rs 206 crore or $23.5 million post-allotment. Following the allotment of this round, Tanglin Venture Partners holds a 16.67% stake in the company, while India Quotient owns 15.2%. The two co-founders, Akshat Bansal and Aditya Dubey together retain a 53.54% stake. Founded in 2023 by IIT-B alumni Akshat Bansal and Aditya Dubey, who previously led the quick-commerce pivot at Blinkit, Ziffi Chess brings a fresh take on the game with its unique 2-minute, 6-move format. It allows players to compete in quick matches and win cash rewards. While games can be played for free, the tournament mode features a prize pool of Rs 350. After the government’s blanket ban on real-money online gaming, Ziffi Chess now allows users to play matches free of cost. Earlier, it charged an entry fee starting from Rs 10, according to a review on the App Store. In Ziffi’s first year of operations in FY24, it recorded an operating revenue of Rs 1.5 lakh while its expenses recorded at Rs 87.65 lakh. During the period, the company incurred a loss of Rs 86 lakh.

Digital marketing automation startup Maino.ai raises $1.8 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Digital marketing automation startup Maino.ai raises $1.8 Mn
Medial

Digital marketing technology firm Maino.ai has raised Rs 15 crore (approximately $1.8 million) led by India Quotient Advisers LLP. Angel investors Karan Bedi, Janhavi Parikh, and other marquee investors have also joined the round. The investment will significantly expand teams in technology, product development, design, and strategy, Maino said in a press release. Founded by Abhijeet Kunwar, Rishabh Kumar, and Vikas Keshri, Maino.ai empowers digital growth marketing for new-age modern companies of all sizes. It uses AI and ML technology to build an end-to-end automated martech platform that provides a one-stop solution to an organization’s marketing needs. Maino.ai claims to have gained significant traction from brands in various sectors, such as media tech, D2C brands, hospitality, and edtech, among others. As per the company, it has effectively enhanced efficiency and scalability for its clients, underscoring the promising future of its technology in the martech space. India Quotient launched its fourth fund worth $80 million in February 2021. in Its portfolio companies include WebEngage, Dhiwise, Vyapar, Pagarbook, Fleetx, Powerplay, Brands.live, and GoComet among others.

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