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In April 2016 Elon Musk invited Indians to book Tesla Model 3s, now they’re asking for the money back as car never came… | Mint

LivemintLivemint · 1y ago
In April 2016 Elon Musk invited Indians to book Tesla Model 3s, now they’re asking for the money back as car never came… | Mint
Medial

In 2016, Tesla opened preorders for its Model 3 in India. However, due to concerns about taxes and building a factory in the country, Tesla has yet to deliver cars in India. Other automakers have since launched their own electric vehicles (EVs) in India, and the EV market has evolved significantly. Tesla's position has also changed, with slowing sales and the need for more affordable cars. India's domestic auto market is dominated by Maruti Suzuki, Hyundai, and Tata Motors, and EV sales still represent a small portion of total car sales. To succeed in India, Tesla would need to build affordable EVs in the country and establish a robust charging network.

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Musk’s AI ambitions approach make-or-break moment with Tesla Robotaxi reveal

LivemintLivemint · 1y ago
Musk’s AI ambitions approach make-or-break moment with Tesla Robotaxi reveal
Medial

- Tesla is expected to unveil its first driverless car and announce details about a forthcoming robotaxi service. - Elon Musk has described this as Tesla's most significant moment since the launch of the Model 3 sedan in 2017. - The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. Pacific time at Warner Bros. studios in Burbank, Calif. - Analysts anticipate that Musk will showcase a functioning autonomous vehicle and provide a timeline for its launch. - Tesla's stock has rallied ahead of the presentation, with shares up 52% since the announcement in April. - Musk has referred to the robotaxi as the Cybercab and previous sketches depict an almond-shaped, two-seater vehicle without a steering wheel or pedals.

Creditors may take over Byju’s as NCLT admits insolvency resolution

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Creditors may take over Byju’s as NCLT admits insolvency resolution
Medial

Byju’s, once the highest valued Indian startup, is set to face insolvency resolution process at the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) following a plea filed by the Indian cricket board. The Board of Control of Cricket in India (BCCI) had filed under section 9 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) 2016 which permits creditors to take control of the company from the current management. NCLT order in November 2023 said that Byju’s had defaulted on a payment of Rs 158 crore. NCLT has appointed Pankaj Srivastava as the interim resolution professional and he will run Byju’s till the lenders form a committee known as the Committee of Creditors. “The Interim Resolution Professional shall after collation of all the claims received against Think and Learn Pvt Ltd the Corporate Debtor and the determination of the financial position of the Corporate Debtor constitutes a Committee of Creditors,” the arbitrator order said. The NCLT order asserts that there is no ground to deny Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) by BCCI against Byju’s as defaults have been established by the Bengaluru-based edtech firm. Byju’s has been going through turmoil for the past couple of years. The firm already faced a funding crisis and saw an exodus at the top as well as board level in the past 12 months. In October 2023, the company’s chief financial officer Ajay Goel left whereas Arjun Mohoan, its chief executive for India, put in his papers in April this year. Rajnish Kumar and T V Mohandas Pai also left the company as advisors in July this year. Last month, investment firm Prosus, which has invested around $500 million in Byju’s over the years, wrote off the value of its 9.6% stake in the company. This came soon after Byju’s raised a $200 million rights issue at a valuation of $225 million. This is a 99% discount to its peak valuation of $22 billion. Not only Byju’s, its founder Raveendran’s net worth also went down to zero, according to Forbes Billionaire Index 2024.

Yes Madam nears Rs 100 Cr revenue in FY25; remains profitable

EntrackrEntrackr · 13d ago
Yes Madam nears Rs 100 Cr revenue in FY25; remains profitable
Medial

Yes Madam nears Rs 100 Cr revenue in FY25; remains profitable Home salon services platform Yes Madam reported strong financial performance for the fiscal year ended March 2025. The company doubled its operating revenue during the period to nearly Rs 100 crore while maintaining its profitability. Noida-based Yes Madam doubled its revenue from operations to Rs 92.5 crore in FY25 from Rs 45.8 crore in FY24, according to its financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Founded in 2016, Yes Madam is an at-home services platform that allows users to book beauty, salon, and wellness services such as haircuts, facials, waxing, and massages through its app or website. The company connects customers with trained professionals who deliver these services at home and earns revenue through commissions on each booking. The sale of products accounted for 54% of the company’s operating revenue, which doubled to Rs 50 crore in FY25. The remaining revenue of Rs 42.5 crore came from the sale of services, including commission income, subscription, and royalty income. The company also earned Rs 2 crore from non-operating sources such as penalty charges and interest on fixed deposits, bringing total income to Rs 94.5 crore in the previous fiscal year. On the expense side, procurement of products was the largest expense, accounting for 34% of the total, nearly doubling to Rs 31.4 crore in FY25. Business promotion expenses increased 3.7X to Rs 27 crore. Employee benefits expenses rose 52% year-on-year to Rs 18.14 crore in FY25 from Rs 12 crore in FY24. Other overheads, such as IT expenses, cashbacks, professional and consultancy expenses, and rent, led the firm to double its overall expenditure to Rs 92.4 crore from Rs 45.5 crore in FY24. Yes Madam remained profitable in the fiscal year ended March 2025, reporting a profit of Rs 1.8 crore. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin stood at 2.29% and 0.57%, respectively. The company recorded cash and bank balances of Rs 5.5 crore, while its current assets stood at Rs 21.4 crore at the end of FY25.

Traya returns to losses in FY25 as marketing and employee costs surge

EntrackrEntrackr · 2m ago
Traya returns to losses in FY25 as marketing and employee costs surge
Medial

Direct-to-consumer (D2C) health and wellness brand Traya posted a strong 43.2% year-on-year growth in FY25. However, the company slipped back into losses during the year as rising expenses offset the momentum it had built in FY24. Traya’s revenue from operations increased to Rs 338 crore in FY25 from Rs 236 crore in FY24, according to its annual financial statements sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC). Founded in 2019, Traya focuses on addressing hair loss by identifying its root causes rather than offering surface-level solutions. The company provides personalised hair treatment plans, supported by consultations with hair coaches and licensed physicians. Income from ayurvedic oral and topical products, cosmetics, dietary supplements, and medicines remained the primary revenue driver, accounting for 99.6% of its total operating income. The remaining revenue came from shipping charges, doctor consultations, and hair transplant services. On the cost side, Traya significantly ramped up its spending in FY25. Its sales and marketing expenses rose 40% year-on-year to Rs 138 crore, reflecting continued investments in customer acquisition. Employee benefit expenses saw a sharper spike, which increased by 130% to Rs 83 crore during the fiscal year. The cost of materials consumed stood at Rs 83 crore in FY25. Additionally, higher freight, legal, rent, and other operational overheads pushed the company’s total expenditure up by 60% to Rs 366 crore in FY25, compared to Rs 229 crore in FY24. With expenses growing faster than revenue, primarily due to elevated marketing spends and a surge in employee costs, Traya reported a loss of Rs 23 crore in FY25. This marks a reversal from the Rs 8.6 crore profit the company had posted in FY24. According to Entrackr’s estimates, its financial efficiency metrics also weakened during the year. Its return on capital employed (ROCE) declined to -20.47%, while EBITDA margins stood at -6.18%. At the unit economics level, the company spent Rs 1.08 to earn every rupee of operating revenue in FY25. As per the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Traya has raised approximately Rs 96 crore in funding to date. This includes a Rs 75 crore infusion from Xponentia Capital in April this year. The company’s investor roster features prominent names such as Fireside Ventures, Kae Capital, Xponentia Capital, and Whiteboard Capital. Hair loss treatments have existed for as long as hair loss itself, with a history that ranges from the spectacular to the ludicrous, and with barely any guaranteeing results. Social media has allowed the segment to bloom like never before, as sufferers feel the need to save what hair remains or recover lost ground. While non-invasive methods like those offered by Traya are one option, the rapid rise of hair transplants leads one to wonder how effective other alternatives truly are, especially since most people opting for transplants have usually tried multiple methods to avoid surgery. A five-month period to show “results” also works well for firms like Traya, as it helps lock in users. With the pool of sufferers expanding due to stress, pollution, and other factors, selling into this market of insecurity and aspiration appears to offer a long runway for companies. Traya, of course, will know that as more users complete the five-month course and beyond, word of mouth around its effectiveness will spread. The question is whether it will pivot to something new by then?

BluSmart drivers face uncertainty amid company troubles, founder issues

EntrackrEntrackr · 10m ago
BluSmart drivers face uncertainty amid company troubles, founder issues
Medial

BluSmart suspended its operations in April in Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, and Bengaluru, asking its 10,000 driver-partners to return their vehicles. The move has left several drivers scrambling to find new sources of income. Rajesh [name changed], a 35-year-old man in Gurugram, secured a driving job with a heavily VC-funded electric vehicle cab hailing company which once aimed to take on the duopoly of Ola Cabs and Uber in India. An average income of Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month, Rajesh admits, was not much for his family but managed to pay bills. Though, Rajesh, who also is a father of two young children, put in 10 hours to 12 hours daily - to reach the estimated monthly income. With his company now pausing the services, Rajesh has no source of earning, and does not know how he will pay his kids’ education fees. "... Now, I don’t know how I’ll manage. I missed my kids' school fees this month. My family depends on me, and I’ve never felt so helpless,” a visibly stressed Rajesh told Entrackr. One of the things that is agonising Rajesh the most is the deceptive way his employer pushed them out. “On Wednesday (April 16th), we [drivers] received a message saying the car needed to be submitted to the hub for a breakdown. We thought it was just a minor technical issue. When we got there, they told us it was a failure and we’d be informed later. But there was no word from the company after that. We just had to go home. We were left in complete shock," says Rajesh as his voice strains, reliving the fateful moment. Rajesh says he was among the first lot of employees, when the company had just 50 cars. Like many others, he too bought the company’s promise of stability. “Now, it feels like we’ve been left out to dry,” he said. “I’m considering working with Uber or Ola… I’m looking for something else, maybe a different field altogether. But BluSmart was my livelihood, and I’d go back in a heartbeat if they reopened. It was my only source of income,” he added. Rajesh’s story resonates with another thousands of drivers who are now scrambling to find new sources of income after BluSmart’s sudden suspension of its services. Entrackr has reached out to BluSmart seeking responses on how they plan to compensate the affected drivers. In case they respond, we will incorporate their inputs. Staging the protest On May 4, a group of BluSmart drivers raised their grievances at Jantar Mantar, a historic site for protests. They pressed for demands for alternative income avenues as well as called for crucial policy reforms to prevent similar abrupt dismissals. Additionally, they also sought a government intervention. Tajinder Singh, president of Parivahan Morcha Athavale and also among those spearheading the protest, told Entrackr that women drivers of BluSmart were among those bearing the brunt the most as other taxi companies refused to recruit them. He further said that some drivers were working on a per day basis as and when required but asserted that this was not a long-term solution. “We are demanding compensation for affected BluSmart drivers. We have also sought government intervention so that the drivers can continue to earn their livelihood,” Singh said. Singh also claimed that hundreds of BluSmart employees working at charging hubs were affected by the company’s sudden suspension of its services. A business model that promised to be different than rivals Even as ‘sustainability’ remained the headline grabber, BluSmart also deployed a rather different business model compared to rivals Ola Cabs and Uber. The company used a full-stack B2C model wherein they owned and managed the vehicles whereas Ola and Uber work with independent drivers. The model allowed BluSmart to have a better control on the quality of cars, maintenance, and subsequently better customer service. For drivers, the company offered a fixed salary along with incentives. An assured income was a big factor why a lot of drivers showed interest in joining BluSmart. Ola and Uber, on the other hand, operated on a familiar commission-based system, also common with several gig working-reliant service providers. Singh also highlighted this stark difference between BluSmart and its rivals. He said that the job of driver was to pick and drop the passenger and earn a regular income (per day payout and incentives). They needed to work 10 hours to 12 hours a day. Other things like maintenance and documentation was taken care of by the company, giving drivers a more relaxed environment to operate. Blusmart has raised over $180 million to date, including its $50 million series B round in January this year. Though, it received only Rs 61 crore out of $50 million. That said, a heavily-funded BluSmart juggernaut appeared unstoppable, until it did. Earlier this year, reports emerged that BluSmart delayed salary payments to cash crunch. It had also shut down operations in Dubai and also saw an exodus of top management employees, including CEO, CBO, and CTO. A month later, SEBI published findings of its probe into Gensol Engineering, BluSmart’s partner and EV lessor. The SEBI order highlighted misuse of funds, and also barred promoters Anmol and Puneet Singh Jaggi from accessing the securities market and holding key positions in Gensol Engineering. What next for BluSmart drivers BluSmart drivers facing joblessness due to the shutdown can go for legal remedy and urgently demand clearance of any unpaid dues and better severance compensation, if not given already. The legal course, which may take a relatively long time, may also help them investigate if BluSmart violated the contract by sudden halting of their services and returning vehicles. Moreover, they can also seek intervention from regulatory boards. Singh, however, did not appear enthusiastic about taking the legal course. “Companies like these make such contracts that they keep them protected in such incidents and don’t have to own any responsibility towards people working so hard for them,” he said [loosely translated from Hindi]. As far as the future of the company goes, it’s hard to predict considering the massive VC money riding on the company. Despite the major dent in public image and also several legal troubles, it’s likely that the company may stay afloat with a rather new management and new board - a few known steps troubled companies often take to course correct. It’s worth noting that quality of drivers and cabs were the top highlight of the platform, and if it resumes, it should continue with that. With the ongoing protests and lack of communication between drivers and management, it seems unlikely that the company will enjoy the same level of trust from its network drivers.

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