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ElasticRun Secures $8 million from Venture Partners & Kalaari Capital

6Oct By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

ElasticRun Secures $8 million from Venture Partners & Kalaari Capital

Ntex Transportation Services that runs logistics startup ElasticRun has secured funds amounting to $8 million (Rs 60 crore) in a fresh funding round. The round was co-led by existing backers Venture Partners and Kalaari Capital. With this funding round, the estimated post-money valuation of the Pune-based startup has reached around $60-65 million (Rs 442-479 crore). The company was founded in 2016 by co-founders Saurabh Nigam and Shitiz Bansal. Prior to this, the startup had raised $7 million (Rs 45.5 crore then) as part of a Series A round from Kalaari Capital and Norwest Venture Partners in April last year. ElasticRun uses technology for transportation and supply chain operations and runs an asset-light, variable-capacity logistics network. The startup caters to clients in e-com...

Philippines-based First Circle Raised $25 Million for Regional Expansion

3Oct By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Philippines-based First Circle Raised $25 Million for Regional Expansion

Philippines based SME lending platform First Circle has reportedly secured funds amounting to $26 million in a fresh funding round. This round was led by Venturra Capital. The other backers that participated in the funding round were Insignia Ventures Partners, Hong Kong’s Silverhorn Investment Advisors, and Tryb Group. The company plans to use these funds for the purpose of regional expansion. Prior to this, the company raised $2.5 million, including a $1.3 million seed round 18 months ago. Founded by Irish duo CEO Patrick Lynch and CTO Tony Ennis, the goal of the company is to help small businesses scale by offering them short-term loans. “A lack of access to capital is a problem that faces tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of businesses in the Philippines,” Patrick...

1Oct By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Vahdam Teas Secures $2.5 million in a Fresh Funding Round

An Indian online tea brand called Vahdam Teas has reportedly raised funds amounting to $2.5 million (Rs 16 Crore) in its third institutional round of fundraising. This round was led by existing investor Fireside Ventures. With this funding round, the company plans to expand its presence in the US which is one of the largest markets of the company. Also, a part of the funds will be used towards customer acquisition and brand building and also in exploring new markets in India. The company is based in New Delhi and was founded in 2016 by Bala Sarda. Vahdam Teas is a vertically-integrated, online-first tea brand. The tea is procured directly from 150-200 plantations and tea growers in India and Nepal within 24-48 hours of production. Bala Sarda, Founder, Vahdam Teas, said, “We are exci...

China’s Mobile Internet Firm Cootek Inc Listed on the NYSE for IPO

29Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

Market

China’s Mobile Internet Firm Cootek Inc Listed on the NYSE for IPO

China’s mobile internet company CooTek (Cayman) Inc has been now listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The company that is based in East China's Shanghai started trading on Friday. The company issued 4.35 million American Depository Shares (ADS) and raised $52.2 million. Every ADS of CooTek was priced at $12. The share price of CooTek was traded lower than its opening price of $11.5 in the first four trading hours of the first trading session. The funds secured through this initial public offering are planned to be utilized by the company in the marketing of the products. CooTek generally earns its revenue from the advertisement with its software product TouchPal Keyboard and other APPs on fitness and healthcare. The main motive of the company behind its entry on the NYSE ...

29Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

AI Startup Netradyne Raised $21 million in Series B Funding

Artificial Intelligence startup Netradyne that is concerned with driver and commercial fleet safety has reportedly raised funds amounting to $21 million in Series B funding. The round was led by Microsoft’s corporate venture arm M12 (formerly Microsoft Ventures). It also saw participation from backers like Reliance Industries and Point72 Ventures. Following the funding round, M12 will join the company board and "bring additional resources and expertise focused on scaling the company". The funds so raised by the company are being planned to be used in making a sizable investment in the application of AI and deep learning in new industry segments. This includes areas like Dynamic 3D or HD Mapping, Data Analytics and Insurance. "We’re excited about our investment in Netradyne, an innov...

San Francisco-Based Stripe Secures $245 million to Fuel Growth

28Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

San Francisco-Based Stripe Secures $245 million to Fuel Growth

US fintech startup Stripe has reportedly raised funds amounting to $245 million in a financing round. The funding round has valued the company at $20.25 billion, a dramatic surge from its most recent $9.2 billion valuation in 2016. The funding round was led by billionaire investor Chase Coleman's hedge fund Tiger Global Management, and also saw participation from DST Global and Sequoia. The funds raised through this round are being planned to be used to fuel growth in key overseas markets such as Southeast Asia and India, where it plans to tap into the growth of the e-commerce industry to expand its payments products. The company also claimed that more than 500 million people in Southeast Asia and India are expected to become online customers in the next three years. Along with th...

China’s English Learning Platform LAIX Debuts on NYSE

28Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

Market

China’s English Learning Platform LAIX Debuts on NYSE

China’s AI-based English learning platform LAIX Inc has debuted on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) with its initial public offering (IPO), trading under the ticker symbol of "LAIX." The company priced its initial public offering of 5,750,000 American depositary shares (ADSs) at $12.50 per ADS. The total offering size was roughly $71.9 million. Along with this, LAIX has granted the underwriters an over-allotment option, exercisable within 30 days. "Listing on the NYSE will make LAIX a more international company, which can help us attract customers all over the world, as we believe our English learning platform driven by AI not only can serve Chinese English learners, but also can help English learners in other countries," said Yi Wang, chairman and chief executive officer of LAIX. ...

Chinese E-Scooter Startup Filed For an IPO on Nasdaq

25Sep By PriyankaNo Comments

Market

Chinese E-Scooter Startup Filed For an IPO on Nasdaq

Electric scooter startup called Niu Technologies which is based in China has filed for an initial public offering (IPO) on Nasdaq. The company has planned to raise up to $150 million through this IPO. Niu claims to be the largest lithium-ion battery-powered e-scooters company in China. Founded in 2014, the company is based in Beijing and currently holds a market share of 26% in China on the basis of its sales volume. Niu’s scooters connect with an app that gives drivers maintenance and performance data and along with that delivers firmware updates. The firm stated that it had sold more than 431,500 smart electric scooters in China, Europe and other markets as of June 2018. According to the reports, China has been termed as the largest market for electric two-wheeled vehicles, wher...

Digital Lending Startup Qbera Raised $3 million from E City Ventures

22Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Digital Lending Startup Qbera Raised $3 million from E City Ventures

Digital lending startup Qbera which is headquartered in Bengaluru has raised funds amounting to $3 million (about Rs 21.5 crore) in its first institutional fundraising since its establishment. The funding is an all-equity deal led by E City Ventures which is a subsidiary of Essel Group. The funds raised in this fresh funding round are planned to be used by the one-year-old company in the expansion of its scope of operations. Also, the funds will be used to strengthen the company’s technology platform and expand its team. “We are in eight cities presently, and will now expand the business to new cities like Patna, Chandigarh, Indore and Bhopal,” said Qbera founder Aditya Kumar. “We are currently getting around 10,000 loan applications per month. The target is to scale up to 50,000 in th...

China’s Meituan Dianping Raises $4.2 billion in Hong Kong IPO

14Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

Market

China’s Meituan Dianping Raises $4.2 billion in Hong Kong IPO

Meituan Dianping, Chinese online food delivery-to-ticketing services company has reportedly raised $4.2 billion in the world's largest internet-focused IPO in four years. Tencent Holdings-backed Chinese firm sold about 480 million primary shares at HK$69 ($8.79) each in the Hong Kong IPO. This IPO valued the company at around $52.8 billion. "Since the stock priced at the upper end of the range, it suggests institutions are holding a more positive view on the company and on this type of new economy IPOs," said Steven Leung, sales director at brokerage UOB Kay Hian. The funds collected by the company will help them to fortify itself against tough competition from its main competitor, food-delivery platform Alibaba-backed Ele.me. Both of these platforms, in a tough battle for market shar...

Narvar Secures Millions of Funds from US-based Accel

29Aug By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Narvar Secures Millions of Funds from US-based Accel

E-commerce premium post-purchase customer engagement platform Narvar has secured funds amounting to $30 million in a funding round. The round was led by US-based venture capital firm Accel along with participation from Salesforce Ventures, Scale Venture Partners and existing investors Battery Ventures. With this funding round, the company is aiming to scale its India business over the next 3 years. It expects to onboard its first set of e-commerce and retail clients by the end of September in keeping with the festive season. As a part of the development, Ryan Sweeney, partner at Accel, will join Narvar’s board. As of now, the company has worked with over 500 international retailers to build their customer engagement platforms for customer service and post purchase experience providin...

Auto Component Maker Craftsman Automation Gets Sebi’s Nod for IPO

28Aug By Gauri SinghNo Comments

Market

Auto Component Maker Craftsman Automation Gets Sebi’s Nod for IPO

Auto component manufacturer Craftsman Automation Pvt Ltd has successfully received capital markets regulator Sebi's approval for the launch of its initial public offerings (IPO). The firm had filed its draft prospectus with SEBI in June. The two PE backers of the company are Standard Chartered Private Equity and International Finance Corporation (IFC), World Bank’s private-sector investment arm. The promoters offloading the stakes include Srinivasan Ravi (2.10 lakh shares), Marina III (Singapore) (over 15.59 lakh), IFC (14.14 lakh ) and K Gomatheswaran (up to 12 lakh). The funds raised by the company through this public offering are expected to be utilized towards the repayment/pre-payment of certain borrowings and for general corporate purposes fully or partly. Craftsman Autom...