🚀 Medial Secures Investment on Shark Tank India - Fueling the Future of Professional Social Networking. 🔥
Login

News on Medial

Related News

Paytm to invest Rs 455 Cr in subsidiaries, discontinue First Games

EntrackrEntrackr · 1m ago
Paytm to invest Rs 455 Cr in subsidiaries, discontinue First Games
Medial

Paytm to invest Rs 455 Cr in subsidiaries, discontinue First Games The board cleared investments of up to Rs 300 crore in Paytm Money and Rs 155 crore in Paytm Services through rights issues. One 97 Communications Limited, the parent company of Paytm, approved a series of strategic measures at its board meeting on August 25. The board cleared investments of up to Rs 300 crore in Paytm Money and Rs 155 crore in Paytm Services through rights issues. Both are wholly owned subsidiaries and the infusion will not change the shareholding, the company informed through a stock exchange filing. The company also approved the 100% acquisition of Foster Payment Networks for up to Rs 61 crore to make it a fully owned subsidiary. The Noida-based company also proposed transfer of equity in First Games Technology from Paytm Cloud Technologies to Paytm Services for up to Rs 140 crore. Meanwhile, Paytm’s gaming arm First Games has discontinued its real money gaming business after the government notified the Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Act 2025. The company said that First Games contributes nothing to consolidated revenues and carries a nil book value. The new Online Gaming Act bans all real money games in India. Platforms including Dream11, MPL, Zupee, Gameskraft, My11Circle, Probo, WinZo and others have already shut their RMG verticals.

Zomato invests Rs 500 Cr in Blinkit

EntrackrEntrackr · 8m ago
Zomato invests Rs 500 Cr in Blinkit
Medial

Food tech giant Zomato has invested Rs 500 crore (nearly $60 million) in its quick commerce subsidiary, Blinkit, bringing its total investment in the quick commerce segment to Rs 2,800 crore since the acquisition. The board has Blinkit has passed a resolution to issue 2,537 equity shares at an issue price of Rs 19,70,181 each to raise Rs 500 crore, its regulatory filing accessed from the Registrar of Companies shows. The capital injection into Blinkit comes just two months after Zomato raised Rs 8,500 crore through a Qualified Institutions Placement (QIP). The primary objective of that fundraising was to strengthen Zomato's financial position, enabling business expansion and strategic initiatives, particularly in the quick commerce segment through Blinkit. This marks Zomato's second capital infusion in Blinkit within seven months. In June 2024, it invested Rs 300 crore ($36 million) into the Albinder Dhindsa-led company. Blinkit, formerly known as Grofers, was acquired by the food delivery giant in an all-stock deal valued at Rs 4,477 crore ($568 million).

Shraeyansh Thakur resigns from Peak XV after a decade

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Shraeyansh Thakur resigns from Peak XV after a decade
Medial

Shraeyansh Thakur resigns from Peak XV after a decade During his tenure at Peak XV, he was board member and observer for startups like Atlys, Meesho, Cars24, ApnaMart, Unacademy, Zetwerk, Urban Piper, Bijnis, among others. Shraeyansh Thakur, an investor at Peak XV Partners, has resigned after nearly 10 years at the venture capital firm, sources told Entrackr. This marks the fifth high-profile exit from Peak XV in the past year. “Shraeyansh Thakur has decided to quit the firm and is likely to launch his own venture soon,” said one of the sources requesting anonymity. Queries sent to Peak XV and Thakur did not elicit any response until publication of the story. "After an incredible 9+ years at Peak XV / Sequoia India, I have decided to embark on a new entrepreneurial journey. The next 10 years are going to be India’s golden digital decade and our founders now have true belief to create the world’s best companies from India," said Thakur in a Linkedin post. Last month, Peak XV’s managing partners, Shailesh Lakhani and Abheek Anand, stepped down after serving for more than a decade. Prior to that, Anandamoy Roychowdhary, a partner at Peak XV's Surge, departed after over 11 years at the firm, while Piyush Gupta, then Managing Director, left after seven years to launch his secondary-focused fund, Kenro Capital. Meanwhile, Rishen Kapoor, co-founder and CEO of SaaS startup Toplyne, has returned to Peak XV Partners after his three-and-a-half-year-old venture shut down. In October last year, Peak XV reduced its $2.85 billion fund by 16% as part of a strategic shift towards investing in a more measured manner amid elevated valuations in the Indian market. This development came a year after Sequoia Capital rebranded as Peak XV.

Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation

EntrackrEntrackr · 7m ago
Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation
Medial

Exclusive: Droom India raises funds at $360 Mn valuation IPO-bound used car marketplace Droom is raising Rs 25 crore (approximately $2.9 million) in a fresh funding round co-led by India Accelerator (IA), and Rameshchandra Shah. The board at Droom has passed a special resolution to issue 15,62,500 preference shares at an issue price of Rs 160 each to raise Rs 25 crore or $2.9 million, its regulatory filings sourced from the Registrar of Companies (RoC) shows. India Accelerator and Shah both will invest Rs 5 crore each, Shirish Patel, CEO of Prudent Corporate Advisory (wealth management company) will invest Rs 3 crore and the remaining amount will be invested by other individual investors. The firm will use these proceeds for general corporate purposes, the filings said. As per Entrackr’s estimates, the Gurugram-based firm will be valued at approximately Rs 3,097 crore or $360 million post-allotment. “We deliberately kept the valuation very low for the Indian subsidiary as a strategic move to give material upside to Indians who did not have opportunity to participate in the making of Droom in the past one decade,” said Sandeep Aggarwal, Founder and CEO of Droom, in response to queries about the company's valuation. “We plan to raise a bit more capital in the near term at much higher valuation both in Singapore and India…” Droom is an online marketplace for buying and selling used vehicles, including cars, motorcycles, and electric vehicles. It also offers rental services. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Droom has raised approximately $330 million from investors including 57 Stars, Seven Train Ventures, Lightbox, and Beenext. Droom reported Rs 85 crore in revenue for FY24, a 66% decline from Rs 253 crore in FY23. It managed to reduce its losses by 35% to Rs 40 crore in FY24. Droom is reportedly planning to file draft papers for a Rs 1,000 crore IPO in 2027, targeting a valuation between $1.2 billion and $1.5 billion.

Kareena Kapoor-backed Pluckk to raise $10 Mn in Series A

EntrackrEntrackr · 6m ago
Kareena Kapoor-backed Pluckk to raise $10 Mn in Series A
Medial

Pluckk competes with Gourmet Garden, Kisankonnect, and, to some extent, Otipy. Its major competitors, Deep Rooted and Fraazo, shut down their operations after raising a sizeable amount. Business-to-consumer fresh produce food-tech platform Pluckk is all set to raise Rs 85 crore (approximately $10 million) in its Series A funding round from Euro Gulf Investment. This marks the Mumbai-based company's first notable fundraising after a three-year hiatus. The board at Pluckk has passed a special resolution to issue 3,023 Series A compulsory convertible preference shares at an issue price of Rs 2,81,383 each to raise Rs 85 crore or $10 million, its regulatory filings accessed from the Registrar of Companies show. The filings further added that the fresh proceeds will be used for aggressive growth, interest payment on debentures, and other corporate purposes. According to Entrackr’s estimates, the company will be valued at around $50-55 million post-allotment. Founded in 2021 by Pratik Gupta, Pluckk is a farm-to-fork platform that delivers fresh, lifestyle-focused produce to consumers. It also offers trendy food options like vegan choices, carb alternatives, and items for gut health and immunity. Before this round, the company had secured $5 million in seed funding from Exponentia Ventures. Following that, it acquired the DIY meal kit platform KOOK for $1.3 million. Last year, Pluckk acquired the nutrition brand Upnourish for $1.4 million. The Mumbai-based company is targeting a Rs 200 crore ARR for the current fiscal year. In the fiscal year ending March 2024, it experienced a 25.6% year-on-year growth to Rs 42.8 crore, compared to Rs 34 crore in FY23, with a loss of Rs 41.03 crore.

M League earns Rs 560 Cr from overseas in FY25, turns profitable

EntrackrEntrackr · 3d ago
M League earns Rs 560 Cr from overseas in FY25, turns profitable
Medial

M League earns Rs 560 Cr from overseas in FY25, turns profitable According to its consolidated financial statements filed with Singapore’s ACRA, M League’s revenue from operations surged to Rs 1,423 crore ($166.7 million) in FY25 from Rs 1,092 crore ($127.9 million) in FY24. M League, the parent company of Mobile Premier League (MPL), has recorded one of its strongest financial performances in FY25, clocking over 30% year-on-year growth and turning profitable at the group level. The turnaround, however, comes at a time when the company has had to shut down its real-money gaming (RMG) operations in India. Gaming remained the primary revenue driver, contributing $165.8 million, while the rest came from advertising and other operating activities. India was the largest market, accounting for around 60% of total revenue, followed by Europe and the US. Its German subsidiary, GameDuell Studios, a wholly owned unit, contributed nearly $60 million revenue in FY25. Advertising formed the largest expense, making up 42% of the total and rising 32.8% to $70 million. The company managed to trim employee benefit expenses by 20.5% to Rs 364 crore, while other operating costs, including payment gateway, server hosting, and professional fees, pushed total expenditure to $166.2 million (Rs 1,419 crore) in FY25. M League reported a net profit of $4.2 million (Rs 36.5 crore) in FY25, a sharp turnaround from a loss of $44.8 million (Rs 383 crore) in FY24. Its EBITDA margin turned positive at 2.45% during the last fiscal year. While FY25 marked a milestone year, the company’s outlook in India remains uncertain after the government’s move to outlaw real-money gaming. A company spokesperson told Entrackr that the latest results highlight the benefits of M League’s diversified strategy. “We didn’t put all our eggs into the India RMG basket. We have bought ourselves time and can act from a place of near-EBITDA breakeven at a group level while continuing to invest in growth areas such as GameDuell, Xsquads, and other ventures,” the spokesperson added. GameDuell grew 64% during FY25, while M League had already made early inroads into the US and Brazil by March 2025. International expansion is part of the company’s long-term vision to host a digital Olympics with players from across nations. M League maintained that its global portfolio gives it the flexibility to balance investment and returns. GameDuell has been profitable for years despite its rapid growth, and at the group level, M League has the ability to generate EBITDA whenever it chooses. M League refrained from sharing near-term projections, stating that it is too early to forecast annualized revenue after shutting down its India operations.

Indian startups raise $1 Bn in July: Report

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Indian startups raise $1 Bn in July: Report
Medial

After closing the first half year on a promising note, Indian startups managed to cross the $1 billion monthly funding run rate in July too. Startups are also anticipating favorable market conditions with many set for their stock market debut in early August, be it Ola Electric or Infra.Market later in the year. Meanwhile, the Indian government has abolished angel tax which is seen as a positive for the entire ecosystem. As per data compiled by TheKredible, Indian startups raised over $1.03 billion across 126 deals in July. This consisted of 28 growth stage deals amounting to $725 million and 72 early stage deals worth $311.83 million. Meanwhile, there were 26 undisclosed transactions mainly in early-stage deals. [Y-o-Y and M-o-M trend] While the last month saw a sharp decline in funding from $1.93 billion in June, this is the highest funding for July in the past three years. The sudden jump in June was steered by Zepto’s $665 million megaround followed by Flipkart, PharmEasy and Lenskart. Indian startups have raked in $8 billion in the first seven months of 2024. If the trend continues, the overall funding is comfortably expected to cross the $11 billion milestone of 2023. To recall, Indian startups saw $38 billion and $25 billion funding in 2021 and 2022, respectively. [Top 10 growth stage deals] There were two $100 million plus deals in July with Purplle and Rapido raising $120 million each. Bike taxi firm Rapido also turned unicorn and became the third company to enter the billion dollar valuation club in 2024 so far. Hospitality firm Oyo’s $50 million came in third position followed by home service marketplace Urban Company, fintech company Navi, electric vehicle firm Matter, and wealthtech startup Dezerv, among others. It’s worth highlighting that Oyo saw a major haircut in its valuation while Urban Company raised the amount in secondary and Navi raised the sum in debt. [Top 10 early stage deals] As many as 72 early-stage startups raised $311.83 million funding last month. Manufacturer of high precision tooling for aero-engines and airframes, Unimech Aerospace led the list with a $30 million fundraise followed by renewable energy services company BluPine, electric vehicle and clean energy startup Simple Energy, gen-Z focused fast fashion D2C brand Newme, and wealthtech startup Stable Money which pocketed $28.8 million, $20 million, $18 million, and $15 million, respectively. Further, artificial intelligence startup UptimeAI, biotech firm Immuneel Therapeutics, community-led mobility app Namma Yatri, wedding service provider Meragi, and NBFC Seeds Fincap also raised funding among others. The list of early-stage startups also includes 26 startups that did not disclose their funding amount. For more information, visit here. [Mergers and Acquisitions] The month witnessed 17 acquisition deals. Gaming company Nazara Technologies acquired an additional 48.42% stake in Paper Boat Apps (PBA) from its promoters Anupam and Anshu Dhanuka for a sum of Rs 300 crore while its gaming arm Next Wave Multimedia acquired the intellectual property rights of Ultimate Teen Patti from Games24X7 for Rs 10 crore. The list further counts acquisition of Excelmax Technologies by IT giant Accenture, OneCare by Acko, Ekagrata by Adda247, Koral by Captain Fresh, Centcart by CASHe, BitOasis by CoinDCX, Galleri5 by Collective Artists Network, SiliConch Systems by L&T, and Munitalks by Melooha, among others. [City and segment-wise deals] City-wise, Bengaluru-based startups maintained the top position with 42 deals, contributing around 37% of the overall funding in July. Delhi-NCR and Mumbai followed with 33 and 24 deals, respectively. The list further counts Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Chennai, Pune, and Kolkata, among others. Segment-wise, fintech startups led the show followed by e-commerce (including D2C brands) and SaaS with 15 and 10 deals, respectively. Healthtech, AI, and Agritech were next on the list. Visit TheKredible for more details. [Stage-wise deals] Series-wise, equivalent to 36 startups raised funding in the seed round followed by 27 Series A, 15 pre-Series A, 13 pre-Seed, and 4 Angel funding deals. Debt-only funding contributed $160.76 million or 15.5% of the overall venture funding across deals. [ESOP buyback] Adda247 and Swiggy announced ESOP buyback programs this month. Edtech platform Adda247 has initiated its first-ever ESOP buyback benefiting over 130 employees, following its acquisition of Ekagrata Eduserv. Meanwhile, food delivery giant Swiggy has rolled out its fifth ESOP liquidity program worth $65 million, providing an opportunity for employees to monetize their equity. These moves highlight the growing trend of startups rewarding employees through ESOP buybacks. [Layoffs, shutdowns and departures] Edtech major Unacademy laid off 250 employees as part of its cost-cutting measures. Similarly, agriculture supply chain firm Waycool underwent its third round of layoffs, affecting over 200 employees. In the content creation space, Pocket FM laid off nearly 200 contract writers based in the US. The startup ecosystem also saw three shutdowns. Vernacular microblogging platform Koo has ceased operations after failing to secure a buyer or sufficient funding. Apollo Tyres has also reportedly discontinued its doorstep car service, Trumigo, due to a lack of traction. In the edtech space, Bluelearn has shut down and will return a significant portion of its raised capital to investors. Edtech major Unacademy has seen the departure of its COO for offline centers, Jagnoor Singh. Similarly, Simplilearn’s Chief Product Officer, Anand Narayanan, stepped down after an eight-year tenure. Zoomcar’s global president has resigned amidst company restructuring while Medikabazaar’s co-founder Vivek Tiwari stepped down as CEO. Eight Roads Ventures’ Asia managing partner Raj Dugar also stepped down after 17 years with the investor, as per media reports. Visit TheKredible to see series-wise deals along with amount breakup, complete details of fund launches, and more insights. [Trends] It’s raining startup IPOs: This year quite a few internet companies such as TBO tech, Digit Insurance, Awfis and Ixigo have got listed on the Indian stock exchange, with all delivering spectacular returns post listing as well. Three more companies including Ola Electric, FirstCry and Unicommerce are all set to make their stock market debut. Moreover, Mobikwik, Swiggy and Avanse have been waiting for approval from the market regulator. Wealthtech on the rise: A clutch of wealthtech startups have managed to score decent funding in the ongoing calendar year. In July, Deserv and Stable Money raked in $32 million and $15 million respectively. As per reports, more wealthtech startups are on the verge of raising new rounds. Geographic expansion: Traditionally dominated by metros like Bengaluru, Delhi-NCR, and Mumbai, the landscape is now witnessing a surge in entrepreneurial activity from smaller cities. Startups hailing from Ankleshwar, Bareilly, Bicholim, Nashik, Rupnagar, and Udaipur have recently secured funding, underscoring the growing potential of these regions. Family offices spreading out: Wealthy families are diversifying their portfolios. Traditionally focused on real estate and fixed deposits, they’re now actively seeking new investment avenues. This shift has led to the creation of separate investment pools and a growing interest in equity markets. In the past month, seven family offices participated in funding rounds. These include the family offices of Sunil Singhania, Jyothi Pradhan (CEO of Kurlon), MS Dhoni, Dr. A Velumani, Vasavi Family Office, Desai Family Office, and a Tamil Nadu-based family office. [Conclusion] As we had predicted in 2023, and earlier this year, the markets are expected to pick up by H2 this year, and here we are. Perhaps the last piece in the puzzle would be an interest rate cut by the Fed, to catalyse a whole chain of events that could lead to a mini-boom yet again. While expecting the highs of 2021 might be too much to hope for ($38 billion), it is not unreasonable to expect the Indian market to attract at least $15 billion in funding in 2025. The strong record of IPOs that is building up will not hurt investor confidence at all. The only thing to watch out for might be a rotation from Fintech and E-commerce to newer and important segments like Healthcare and Climate tech. Both are areas where India has large domestic markets, multiple use cases, and the crying need for solutions that can make a difference. With the kind of huge targets the country has in front, and massive schemes to get close, expect some large deals in the renewables space soon.

Third Wave Coffee’s scale grows 4.5X to Rs 144 Cr in FY23

EntrackrEntrackr · 1y ago
Third Wave Coffee’s scale grows 4.5X to Rs 144 Cr in FY23
Medial

Coffee chain firm Third Wave Coffee secured $35 million led by homegrown private equity firm Creaegis in September last year. The funding was followed by its notable growth in scale during FY23. Third Wave’s revenue from operations surged 4.5X to Rs 144 crore in the fiscal year ending March 2023 as compared to Rs 32 crore in FY22, its annual financial statements filed with the Registrar of Companies show. Just like StarBucks, Third Wave Coffee offers curated food menus and handpicked coffee, and has over 90 cafes across Hyderabad, Coonoor, Bengaluru, Delhi (NCR), Mumbai, Chandigarh, and Pune. The firm claims to have about 109 stores, of which 50% are operational in Bengaluru. Income from the sale of coffee and food items were the two revenue sources for TWC. The firm also made Rs 2 crore from the interest on bank deposits which took its total income to Rs 147 crore in FY23. For Third Wave Coffee, its employee benefits emerged as the largest cost center accounting for 28.8% of the firm’s overall expenditure. This cost surged 3.8X to Rs 58 crore in FY23 from Rs 15 crore in FY22. Third Wave Coffee’s costs of procurements (coffee and food materials), rent, legal, freight-logistics, marketing, and other overheads took its total expenditure to Rs 201 crore in FY23 from Rs 47 crore in FY22. See TheKredible for the detailed expense breakup. Expenses Breakdown Total ₹ 47 Cr https://thekredible.com/company/third-wave-coffee/financials View Full Data To access complete data, visithttps://thekredible.com/company/third-wave-coffee/financials Total ₹ 201 Cr https://thekredible.com/company/third-wave-coffee/financials View Full Data To access complete data, visithttps://thekredible.com/company/third-wave-coffee/financials Cost of materials consumed Cost of materials consumed Employee benefit Employee benefit Rent Rent Legal professional Legal professional Travelling conveyance Travelling conveyance Transportation distribution Transportation distribution Discounting charges Discounting charges Selling and marketing Selling and marketing Others To check complete Expense Breakdown visit thekredible.com View full data The increase in employee benefits and rent led its losses to increase 3.6X to Rs 54 crore in FY23 from Rs 15 crore in FY22. Its ROCE and EBITDA margin improved to -38% and -25.9% respectively. On a unit level, TWC spent Rs 1.40 to earn a rupee in FY23. Third Wave has raised over $66 million to date including its $35 million Series C round in September last year. According to the startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, WestBridge Capital is the largest external stakeholder with 32.62% followed by Creaegis. As per Fintrackr’s estimates, its enterprise value to revenue multiple is 8.86X as of FY23. FY22-FY23 FY22 FY23 EBITDA Margin -38% -25.9% Expense/₹ of Op Revenue ₹1.47 ₹1.40 ROCE -47% -38% Towards the end of current fiscal year (FY24), Third Wave Coffee went through a tough phase as it laid off more than 100 employees soon after the $35 million fundraise. The company’s chief executive Sushant Goel also moved to a board role and Rajat Luthra, former head of KFC India and Nepal, was appointed as the new CEO. Goel had 7.89% stake in Third Wave Coffee. It competes with Blue Tokai, Sabko Coffee, Rage Coffee, Slay Coffee, Sleepy Owl, and Seven Beans Co., among others. Its closest competitor Blue Tokai registered Rs 129 crore in revenue with Rs 42 crore loss in FY23. While the mushrooming of coffee chains is not a surprise considering the rapid urbanization and aspirational whiffs around these, the sector has an unusual amount of volatility for the hospitality segment. Coffee chains by default seek the premium end of the market, leaving an opportunity for smaller setups to grab share in the lower price points, and perhaps even eventually add lower priced coffee to their offerings. Doing it all with an aura of cool can be a deadly combination for the newer coffee chains, and something they should watch out for.

Download the medial app to read full posts, comements and news.