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Exclusive: Leap Finance in talks to raise $100 Mn; seeks over $1 Bn valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 11m ago
Exclusive: Leap Finance in talks to raise $100 Mn; seeks over $1 Bn valuation
Medial

Leap Finance, a fintech platform for Indian students pursuing higher education overseas, is in talks to raise around $70–100 million in a new round, according to two sources aware of the development. The company is seeking fresh investment after more than two years of its Series D round. “Leap has been doing well for the past two years which attracted interest from several investors including internals,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity as talks are private. “The firm is in talks with at least three new investors to raise up to $100 million in Series E round.” Leap is likely to become a unicorn with this round, said sources. San Francisco-incorporated Leap last raised $75 million in its Series D round led by Owl Ventures with participation from Steadview, Paramark Ventures, Jungle Ventures and Peak XV in June 2022 in a valuation range of $850-900 million. Its exact valuation, shareholding and revenue couldn’t be ascertained as the firm parent entity isn’t registered in India. “The terms of the deal are currently being negotiated with two of the three new investors and Leap would finalise lead for the new round in a few weeks,” said another source who also wished not to be named. “It’s seeking $1 to 1.2 billion valuation in the Series E.” Sources assert that Leap has grown multi-fold since its Series D round. The firm enables educational loans for students keen on pursuing education in overseas universities. It offers test prep apps for IELTS, TOEFL, SAT; admissions and visa counseling as well as financial offerings through LeapScholar, LeapFinance, and Yocke. It also assists with international bank accounts, credit cards, and money remittance. “The new round will be a mix of primary and secondary capital, and some early investors including angels may take partial or full exit from the company,” said the source quoted above. Leap has declined to offer comment on the story. Queries sent to Owl Ventures, Jungle Ventures, Steadview and Peak XV did not elicit any response until publication of the story. The five-year-old firm has raised $175 million until Series D round and claims to have funded more than 3,000 students since 2021. It largely focuses on institutes in the US, Canada, UK and Australia. While edtech startups have been struggling to raise funds for the past couple of years, overseas education-focused finance platforms have cornered decent funding during the period. As per data compiled by TheKredible, Leap and its competitors such as Auxilo, Avanse Financial, Financepeer, Propelld, Grayquest, and Eduvanz collectively cornered around $500 million in the last 24 months. The strong preference to study abroad for superior exposure is a significant growth driver for companies like Leap, Leverage Edu, and CollegeDekho. Incred, a prominent player in the overseas educational loan space, reported that such loans accounted for 21% of its total disbursal in FY24. According to InCred’s founder, Bhupinder Singh, the growth prospects and increasing awareness in this segment have contributed to its [overseas educational loan] rapid expansion.

Scapia raises $40 Mn in Series B led by Peak XV

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Scapia raises $40 Mn in Series B led by Peak XV
Medial

Scapia raises $40 Mn in Series B led by Peak XV Travel fintech company Scapia has raised $40 million in its Series B round led by Peak XV Partners, with participation from existing investors, Elevation Capital, Z47, and 3State Ventures. The funding will enable Scapia to strengthen its team, enhance its product offerings, harness the power of AI, and accelerate its ambitious growth plans, Scapia said in a press release. According to the company’s regulatory filings, it has secured Rs 289 crore ($34 million) so far, with the remaining funds expected soon. In this round, Peak XV Partners took the lead, investing Rs 218 crore ($25.6 million), followed by Elevation Capital with Rs 62.28 crore ($7.3 million) and 3State Ventures contributing Rs 8.65 crore ($1.02 million). According to a separate resolution, the Bengaluru-based company also expanded its ESOP pool by 3,460 ESOP options. The newly added ESOP will be valued at Rs 22 crore, while the total pool now stands at Rs 132 crore (approximately $15.5 million). Entrackr estimates that the company’s post-money valuation stands at Rs 1,645 crore or $193.5 million. The valuation may vary after completion of the round. Founded by Anil Goteti, Scapia operates as a fintech-travel platform, offering a lifetime-free credit card with travel rewards. It generates revenue through interchange fees, interest on EMIs, and partner commissions from travel bookings. Scapia’s co-branded card with Federal Bank offers great value with no joining or annual fees, zero forex markup, and free unlimited domestic lounge access and airport perks based on monthly spending. Cardholders get 10% rewards on all purchases and 20% rewards on travel bookings made through Scapia. Scapia has raised over $70 million to date, including its $23 million Series A round led by Elevation Capital and 3State Ventures in November 2023. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Peak XV Partners became the largest external shareholder with a 13.74% stake, followed by Matrix Partners at 13.68%. Its FY24 appeared to be the first operational year, recording a revenue of Rs 17 crore while incurring a loss of Rs 88 crore during the same period. The company competes with the likes of One Card, which posted Rs 1,425 crore revenue, and Zolve, which stood at a revenue of Rs 67.8 crore in the fiscal year ended March 2024.

Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8

EntrackrEntrackr · 3m ago
Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8
Medial

Smallcase raises $50 Mn in Series D led by Elev8 Wealthtech startup Smallcase has raised $50 million in its Series D round led by Elev8 Venture Partners, a $200 million growth-stage fund focused on high-potential Indian startups. The round also saw participation from State Street Global Advisors, Niveshaay AIF, Faering Capital, and Arkam Ventures. The capital will be used to expand Smallcase’s investment product offerings across asset classes and strengthen its relationships with retail investors and ecosystem partners, Smallcase said in a press release. The new round is coming after a gap of more than 3.5 years. Smallcase has raised around $120 million to date, including $40 million in a Series C round led by Faering Capital in August 2021. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Peak XV is the largest external stakeholder, followed by Faering Capital and Blume Ventures. Launched in 2016, Smallcase offers a model portfolio platform that has served over 10 million investors. It also provides technology solutions to more than 250 financial institutions, including research firms, advisors, wealth managers, and brokerages. The platform recently expanded its offerings through a joint venture with Zerodha to launch an asset management company focused on index funds and ETFs. Smallcase's revenue from operations surged to Rs 67.4 crore in FY24 from Rs 30.6 crore in FY23. A drop in advertising and employee benefits enabled the company to reduce its losses by 74.4% to Rs 34 crore in the last fiscal year. According to TheKredible, Indian wealthtech startups such as Neo, Dezerv, Centricity, Stable Money, Fisdom, InvestorAi, and Wealthy have garnered nearly $250 million in funding across 15 deals in the past 18 months. Elev8 Venture Partners, backed by South Korea’s KB Investment, focuses on B2B SaaS, enterprise tech, consumer tech, and fintech. This is its third investment after supporting identity verification platform IDfy and astrotech platform Astrotalk.

Exclusive: Peak XV joins Truemeds’ Series C round with $20 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1d ago
Exclusive: Peak XV joins Truemeds’ Series C round with $20 Mn
Medial

Exclusive: Peak XV joins Truemeds’ Series C round with $20 Mn Telehealth platform Truemeds has secured another $20 million or Rs 174.33 crore in its ongoing Series C round from new investor Peak XV Partners. This investment is an extension of the $44 million raised by Truemeds in March this year, led by Accel, which was exclusively reported by Entrackr. The board at Truemeds has allotted 19,737 Series C2 compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 88,331 each to raise the aforementioned sum from Peak XV, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. The company plans to utilise the funds for business expansion and to support its growth plans, according to the filing. As per Entrackr’s estimates, its valuation stood at $410 million (Rs 3,487 crore) in the new tranche (post-allotment), a 22% increase from its C1 tranche. Founded by Naitik Nayyar and Akshat Wani, Truemeds helps consumers discover cost-effective alternative brands for prescribed medicines by analyzing the prescriptions they upload. It partners with certified pharmacies to deliver medicines at discounted prices, aiming to make healthcare more affordable and accessible. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the firm has raised over $90 million to date. Following the latest allotment, Peak XV holds a 5% stake in the company. Westbridge is the largest shareholder in Truemeds followed by Info Edge which owns 21.87% stake. Co-founders Naitik Nayyar and Akshat Wani both collectively retain 21.3%. Truemeds doubled its revenue to Rs 315 crore in FY24, while its losses narrowed by 9% to Rs 61 crore during the same period. The Mumbai-based firm competes with telehealth platforms like PharmEasy, which recorded Rs 5,664 crore in revenue in FY24, and Tata 1mg, which posted Rs 1,964 crore.

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