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Purplle raises $120 Mn led by ADIA; to buyback ESOPs worth $6 Mn

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Purplle raises $120 Mn led by ADIA; to buyback ESOPs worth $6 Mn
Medial

Online beauty and grooming products marketplace Purplle has raised Rs 1,000 crore (approximately $120 million) in a round led by a wholly owned subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) with participation from other investors. The latest round includes a combination of primary and secondary shares. While the company did not disclose its current valuation, media reports estimate it at around $1.2-$1.3 billion. In addition to the funding round, Purplle has announced its largest-ever employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) liquidity program worth Rs 50 crore ($6 million). As per the company, it has granted ESOPs to 320 employees to date, and 85 of them have liquidated ESOPs worth Rs 75 crore ($9 million) over three buyback programs. In June 2022, Purplle raised $33 million in its Series E round from South Korea’s Paramark Ventures and turned unicorn with a valuation of $1.1 billion. The Manish Taneja-led company is primarily a marketplace but also sells its own labels such as Good Vibes. The company serves the beauty needs of customers in tier II, III and micro-markets, expanding beyond metro cities. Purplle claims that it is operationally profitable and has grown its GMV by around 4x over the last three years. It expects to grow its online platform faster than the industry while scaling offline stores and improving profitability. For the fiscal year ending March 2023, Purplle reported Rs 475 crore in operating revenue along with a loss of Rs 230 crore, according to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible. In the previous fiscal year (FY22), its revenue and losses stood at Rs 219 crore and Rs 203 crore, respectively. This will be the second secondary transaction for Purplle within a year. In October 2023, JSW Ventures exited the Gurugram-based company through a sale to Manipal Education & Medical Group Family Office (MEMG).

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

EntrackrEntrackr · 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 company’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 company’s recent $125 million Series E funding round, led by Warburg Pincus, with contributions from existing investor SoftBank Vision Fund 2. Consequently, the firm’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 · 10d 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 SpeakX’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. SpeakX’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.

HealthKart raises $153 Mn, completes first ever ESOP buyback

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
HealthKart raises $153 Mn, completes first ever ESOP buyback
Medial

Omnichannel nutrition platform HealthKart has raised $153 million led by ChrysCapital and Motilal Oswal Alternates. Existing investor A91 Partners along with Neo Group also participated in the new round. HealthKart owns and operates several nutrition brands including MuscleBlaze, HKVitals and Gritzo. Apart from online presence, the firm has over 200 retail stores across 90 cities. In December 2022, HealthKart raised $135 million led by Temasek with participation from A91 Partners and Kae Capital. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, the Gurugram-based firm has raised around $360 million to date. As per the company’s press release, it crossed 1,000 crore in revenue threshold in FY24, and also achieved full year EBITDA profitability during the said fiscal year. While the firm has yet to file the audited numbers officially, it recorded Rs 832 crore revenue in FY23 with a loss of Rs 76 crore. HealthKart spun off its generic drug search business, HealthKartPlus, in 2015 and rebranded it as 1mg, which now operates under Tata 1mg Technologies Private Limited. Along with the funding, HealthKart has also announced its first ever employee ESOP buyback plan worth Rs 55 crore ($6.5 million). The buyback will benefit both current as well as former employees. According to TheKredible’s data, more than 20 startups have implemented ESOP buyback, liquidity, and payout programs worth around $200 million in the ongoing calendar year (2024).

Urban Company announces ESOP secondary sale worth Rs 203 Cr for 446 employees

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Urban Company announces ESOP secondary sale worth Rs 203 Cr for 446 employees
Medial

Home service marketplace Urban Company has announced its largest employee stock secondary sale worth Rs 203 crore (nearly $25 million). This is the fifth ESOPs buyback wherein 446 employees have participated, according to the company’s press statement. As per Urban Company, beneficiary employees are between 23 and 56 years old, with 28% of beneficiaries being women. This sale will give the company’s employees an opportunity to liquidate their vested stocks. Dharana Capital (an offshoot of existing investor Vy Capital), along with existing investors Vy Capital and Prosus will be purchasing these shares from former and current staff. To date, Urban Company has granted ESOPs to 1,593 employees and around 784 of them participated in five buybacks, liquidating ESOPs worth Rs 306 crore ($37 million). The Abhiraj Bhal Singh-led company did its last ESOP liquidity program in December 2021 at a valuation of $2.8 billion. The company did not disclose the valuation of the latest buyback. However, Entrackr’s sources outline that the fresh buyback is happening at a valuation of around $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion. Just ahead of the fourth buyback, Urban Company achieved unicorn status in June 2021. It hasn’t raised any external capital since then. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Urban Company posted a revenue of Rs 637 crore in FY23 and managed to reduce its losses by 40.1% during the fiscal year. The buyback of ESOPs came a month after it turned profitable at PBT (profit before tax) level. On a consolidated basis in April, the company posted PBT of Rs 7 crore. Entrackr had exclusively reported the development earlier this month. The company also expects its operations in UAE to become profitable in the coming months. As per sources, Urban Company is preparing for a public listing which is likely to happen in the second half of next year (2025).

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