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Retail advisory platform Univest raises $10 Mn in Series A

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Retail advisory platform Univest raises $10 Mn in Series A
Medial

Retail advisory platform Univest has raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII). The startup had previously raised $1.5 million in a seed funding round from Trinity Media Group, Akash Anand, Deep Bajaj, and others. The fresh funds will be deployed towards accelerating its aim to democratize access to high-quality research and providing a full-stack brokerage offering, Univest said in a press release. Co-founded in 2022 by Pranit Arora, Avneet Dhamija, and Vikash Agarwal, Univest is a retail advisory platform, offering general recommendations through its SEBI-registered RA entity, Uniresearch. It provides expert trading advice across stocks, derivatives, and commodities. The platform aspires to become India's most trusted, research-first stock market super app, solving all retail investor challenges from selecting the right picks to timely exits on a single platform. “Our focus will remain on delivering seamless, personalized, and actionable insights that simplify the investment journey for our users. We look forward to leveraging this partnership to redefine the brokerage model and establish Univest as the go-to platform for retail investors in India,” said Pranit Arora, co-founder & CEO of Univest. According to the Gurugram-based company, it combines human expertise with advanced algorithms and real-time stock screening and delivers timely & reliable trading recommendations. The company offers flexible subscription plans across equity, futures, options, and commodities for 3, 6, and 12 months, and 5-year plans. Investors receive entry and exit signals from SEBI-registered analysts during live market hours, ensuring timely and accurate decision-making. Univest has been selected for the prestigious Google for Startups Accelerator Cohort 2024, recognized among the top 20 startups in India for its impactful solutions and immense growth potential. The platform claims that since inception, it has attracted over 3 million sign-ups and more than 150,000 paying subscribers, driven by an impressive success rate of 85% on profitable calls, with 60% of calls reaching their target prices. It competes with other startups in this space, such as Liquide, Waya, Tejimandi, Stoxbox, Gapup Club, and INDmoney.

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Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr
Medial

Univest concludes first ESOP buyback worth Rs 1.61 Cr Retail advisory platform Univest has concluded its first Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) buyback worth Rs 1.61 crore. The program enabled early employees to liquidate a portion of their ESOPs, offering financial returns based on their equity holdings. The initiative aimed to reward employees who contributed during the company’s foundational years, particularly those across product, technology, marketing, and customer support. Employees participating in the scheme had joined during its seed and pre-Series A stages. According to Univest, the buyback is intended to align long-term incentives with the company’s growth trajectory. This development follows the introduction of its ESOP policy in late 2024 and is positioned as part of a broader strategy to retain skilled talent in the fintech sector. “The decision to offer early liquidity was based on recognizing the role of employee ownership in shaping organizational stability. Other co-founders echoed the importance of acknowledging contributions beyond salaries and bonuses, especially in areas like engineering and product development, where innovation cycles are fast-paced,” said Pranit Arora, CEO and co-founder of Univest. The Gurugram-based startup plans to explore future buyback opportunities in line with upcoming fundraising events. The company currently offers a technology-enabled trading and investment platform with a focus on research-backed tools for retail investors. Co-founded in 2022 by Arora, Avneet Dhamija, and Vikash Agarwal, Univest is a retail advisory platform offering general recommendations through its SEBI-registered RA entity, Uniresearch. It provides expert trading advice across stocks, derivatives, and commodities. In December last year, it raised $10 million in a Series A funding round led by Bertelsmann India Investments (BII). The startup competes with other companies in this space, such as Liquide, Waya, Tejimandi, Stoxbox, Gapup Club, and INDmoney.

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.

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