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InsuranceDekho launches $2 Mn ESOP liquidity program

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 3m ago
InsuranceDekho launches $2 Mn ESOP liquidity program
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InsuranceDekho launches $2 Mn ESOP liquidity program Insurtech major InsuranceDekho has launched its first-ever ESOP liquidity program worth $2 million. The program allows employees to partially cash out their vested stock options. About 150 current and former employees participated in the program through a secondary sale, realizing tangible financial gains while retaining a stake in the companyโ€™s future growth. The company plans to expand its ESOP program further with new grants, ensuring employees at all levels continue to benefit as the platform scales. InsuranceDekho operates across 1,800 cities and 98% of Indian pincodes, supported by 20 offices and a network of over 2 lakh partners. The platform claims to have insured over 12,000 businesses and continues to expand its reach nationwide. It combines AI-powered technology with human expertise to deliver personalized onboarding, efficient servicing, and reliable support throughout the customer journey. Its portfolio spans motor, health, life, travel, pet, and corporate insurance, offering 650 plans from 48 insurers. Earlier in March this year, InsuranceDekho had raised a $70 million funding round co-led by Beams Fintech Fund, Japanโ€™s Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (MUFG), and insurer BNP Paribas Cardif. In October 2023, the Gurugram-based firm secured $60 million in a Series B funding round led by Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group. As per media reports, InsuranceDekhoโ€™s operating revenue surged 73.5% to Rs 1,290 crore in FY25 against Rs 743.6 crore in FY24. However, the company reported a net loss of Rs 47.5 crore during the year, compared with a net profit of Rs 85.7 crore in FY24.

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Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 6m ago
Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn
Medial

Flipkart announces new ESOP liquidity worth $50 Mn This announcement follows Flipkartโ€™s record $700 million payout to employees in 2023, one of the largest ESOP buyback events in Indian startup history. Flipkart has announced a fresh ESOP (Employee Stock Option Plan) liquidity opportunity for its employees, according to an internal note from the companyโ€™s chief executive officer Kalyan Krishnamurthy. As per the note, eligible employees will be allowed to liquidate up to 5% of their vested ESOPs as of July 5, 2025, at a buyback price of $174.32 per option. Payouts will be made in August 2025 under the Flipkart Stock Option Plan 2012. An ET report estimates the size of the ESOP buyback at $50 million, with 7,000 to 7,500 employees expected to benefit from the liquidity program. Flipkart is currently valued at around $36 billion. Krishnamurthy also added that if key performance goals are met by the end of 2025, another 5% liquidity window could open in early 2026. A Flipkart spokesperson confirmed the development to Entrackr. This announcement follows Flipkartโ€™s record $700 million payout to employees in 2023, one of the largest ESOP buyback events in Indian startup history. Media reports indicate the firm plans to launch its IPO with a valuation of $60-$70 billion. The companyโ€™s board has already approved the process to shift its holding structure from Singapore to India. In 2025, a clutch of startups including Darwinbox, Rapido, Univest, Deserve, and Even Healthcare have implemented ESOP buyback, liquidity, and payout programs worth around $67 million. In 2024, more than 20 startups implemented $200 million. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the ESOP buyback or liquidity amount stood at $802 million in 2023, $440 million in 2021, and $200 million in 2022.

BrowserStack launches $125 Mn ESOP buyback for employees and early backers

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 5d ago
BrowserStack launches $125 Mn ESOP buyback for employees and early backers
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BrowserStack launches $125 Mn ESOP buyback for employees and early backers According to the company, the total capital returned to shareholders across three buyback cycles will reach around $275 million. Mumbai-headquartered software testing platform BrowserStack is launching a $125 million share buyback programme to provide liquidity to its employees and early backers. The buyback will allow stakeholders, including nearly 500 employees, to sell their shares back to the company. An ET report added that about half of the total buyback amount has been earmarked for employees, while the remaining portion will go to early investors such as Accel. In September 2021, BrowserStack had announced its second ESOP buyback worth $50 million, following its first ESOP buyback programme executed in February 2021. The company turned unicorn in June 2021 after raising $200 million in Series B funding at a $4 billion valuation. Founded in 2011, BrowserStack provides cloud-based software testing tools that enable developers and QA teams to test websites and mobile applications across a wide range of devices, operating systems, and browsers. The company serves customers globally from offices in Mumbai, San Francisco, New York, and Dublin. BrowserStack claims to be among the leading software testing platforms, powering over two million tests every day across 17 global data centres. In May last year, the company acquired Requestly, a tool for HTTP interception, API mocking, and debugging, for an undisclosed amount. It also acquired Berlin-based bug detection and reporting platform Bird Eats Bug for $20 million in 2024. Meanwhile, ESOP buyback activity in 2025 remained muted at a little over $75 million. In comparison, total ESOP buybacks, payouts, and liquidity stood at about $190 million in 2024, sharply lower than $802 million in 2023, $440 million in 2021, and $200 million in 2022.

Indian startup employees cash out $1.7 Bn through ESOPs since 2020

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1y ago
Indian startup employees cash out $1.7 Bn through ESOPs since 2020
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The Indian startup ecosystem has witnessed an exponential rise in employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) buybacks since 2020. According to data compiled by TheKredible, over 100 startups have implemented ESOP buyback, liquidity, and payout programs worth around $1.7 billion in the past five years, starting from January 2020. This trend reflects startupsโ€™ commitment to rewarding talent, providing employees with financial benefits, and boosting workplace morale. As reported in our previous edition, 80% of the total buybacks were conducted by 20% of the startups. Year-on-year data highlights the evolution of ESOP buybacks. In 2020, only 11 startups participated, totaling a modest $50 million. However, the trend accelerated rapidly, with 40 startups completing buybacks worth $440 million in 2021. This was followed by 26 startups with $200 million in buybacks in 2022. The upward trend continued in 2023, with 14 startups generating an impressive $802 million through buybacks or liquidity events. As of October 8, 2024, as many as 17 startups have contributed $188 million to this growing total. Among the leading players in ESOP buybacks, Flipkart, Razorpay, Swiggy, Whatfix, and BrowserStack stand out as the top five. Sectors most actively participating include e-commerce, fintech, SaaS, edtech, and logistics. Notably, 28 unicorns have joined this trend, reflecting a commitment to their employeesโ€™ financial well-being even among highly successful startups. [2024 vs 2023] The IPO-bound foodtech firm Swiggy led the 2024 ESOP liquidity chart with $65 million. It was closely followed by SaaS company Whatfix, which recently announced $58 million in ESOP liquidity for employees and investors. Urban Company and Meesho ranked next, with $24.4 million and $24 million, marking their largest ESOP buybacks to date. Titan Capital co-founders Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal saw strong returns on their investment in Urban Company. Other notable buybacks include Pocket FM, Purplle, and Dehaat, while nearly 50% of startups did not disclose buyback amounts. Check the complete data at TheKredible. In 2023, Flipkart accounted for $700 million in ESOP liquidity as compensation for value lost in the PhonePe spin-off, while the remaining startups totaled $102 million in buybacks. [2022 vs 2021] In 2022, fintech unicorn Razorpay led as the largest wealth creator with a $75 million ESOP liquidation program. Similarly, Swiggy, after reaching decacorn status, announced a $23 million ESOP program. The year 2021 marked a high for buyback events, with companies like Flipkart, Swiggy, PhonePe, Udaan, and others announcing ESOP liquidity totaling over $440 million. However, recent budget proposals may impact ESOPs, as the Union Budget suggests treating share buybacks as dividend income starting October 1, potentially affecting employee retention strategies. [Conclusion] One thing that is quite clear is that ESOPs are a well accepted and integral part of startup compensation and reward plans today. Employees are no longer averse to or unfamiliar with the concept, and enough examples and data is available out there for them to make an informed decision on the fairness, and relevance of their firms ESOP plans, if any. Boosting it further is the recent string of IPOs, besides upcoming ones that will provide the kind of liquidity events few imagined even in 2022. If anything, we believe firms will be scrutinised more closely by markets and the media on the size and application of their ESOP plans going forward. ESOPs can look very disproportionate in retrospect at times, and firms will have to think through generous grants and the rules governing them for senior and board level grants especially.

Whatfix rolls out $58 Mn liquidity event for employees and investors

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1y ago
Whatfix rolls out $58 Mn liquidity event for employees and investors
Medial

Whatfix, a digital adoption platform (DAP), has introduced a $58 million liquidity program for its employees and investors. This marks the companyโ€™s fourth buyback of employee stock options (ESOPs). The Bengaluru-based company stated that eligible current and former employees now have the chance to sell a portion of their vested units at a premium over the earlier Series D valuation. This announcement comes on the heels of the companyโ€™s recent $125 million Series E funding round, led by Warburg Pincus, with contributions from existing investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Consequently, the firmโ€™s valuation increased to $900 million from $600 million during Series D fundraise. It has raised over $265 million to date Whatfix introduced its first employee stock ownership plan or ESOP buyback scheme worth $4.3 million in July 2021. The firm did not announce the other two buybacks in the media. Founded by Khadim Batti and Vara Kumar, Whatfix provides in-app guidance and performance support for web applications and software products. Its tools are used by large companies to drive efficiency. The company asserts that it has been awarded five patents by the US Patent Office, with an additional 18 patents in the works. Despite facing macroeconomic challenges over the past two to three years, Whatfix claims to have kept its cash burn low while sustaining growth. The firm has doubled its workforce to over 960 employees, and has opened four new offices in Singapore, Germany, Australia, and India since its Series D funding round. This is the second largest ESOP buyback in 2024. In July, IPO-bound food delivery and quick commerce firm Swiggy announced an ESOPs liquidity programme worth $65 million. In the ongoing calendar year, Urban Company, MyGate, Classplus, Meesho, The Sleep Company, XYXX, Purplle, Dehaaat, Leverage Edu, Pocket FM and Adda247 bought back ESOPs from their employees.

Edtech startup SpeakX announces $1 Mn ESOP buyback for 15 employees

EntrackrEntrackr ยท 1m ago
Edtech startup SpeakX announces $1 Mn ESOP buyback for 15 employees
Medial

Edtech startup SpeakX announces $1 Mn ESOP buyback for 15 employees Edtech company SpeakX (formerly Yellow Class) has launched its first ESOP buyback program worth $1 million, offering early liquidity to employees. According to the company, 15 out of its 20 employees will benefit from the buyback. The buyback comes on the heels of SpeakXโ€™s recent $16 million pre-Series B round which includes performance-linked stock grants, tenure-based allocation, and a long-term ownership structure. Employees who complete two years at the company receive ESOPs with a 10-year exercise window, and grants extend across all departments instead of being limited to senior roles. Till date, SpeakX had raised a total of $23.3 million which includes $1.3 million in seed funding led by India Quotient and then a $6 million Series A round led by Elevation Capital in 2021. SpeakX said the initiative is designed to provide liquidity earlier than typical startup exits or late-stage rounds. The company added that its 20-member team collectively holds 6% equity, and the ESOP pool will expand as it raises new rounds. Founded by Arpit Mittal, SpeakX simulates real-world conversations and provides automated speech correction and multilingual support. The platform reports high engagement, with learners spending about 15 minutes per session. SpeakX initially began as a live learning platform but later pivoted in 2023 to an AI-powered learning app to make English learning more accessible and scalable. SpeakXโ€™s app is currently available in India and select international markets, with plans to expand further across Asia and the Middle East. The firm also shared updated business metrics: CAC payback in one day, 3.7x LTV/CAC within six months, and 35% retention at Month 3.

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