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Indian Hotel Chain Oyo Raises $1 billion at $5 billion Valuation

25Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Indian Hotel Chain Oyo Raises $1 billion at $5 billion Valuation

Indian hospitality chain Oyo Hotels which is soaring high with success these days has planned to secured funds amounting to $1 billion for the purpose of expansion into China and other global regions. This round is expected to be led by existing investors including SoftBank Vision Fund, Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The existing investors have currently put in $800 million, with commitments for another $200 million. About $600 million of the total will be deployed into China where Oyo had forayed just 10 months back. “With this additional funding, we plan to rapidly scale our business in these countries, while continuing to invest further in technology and talent,” Agarwal stated. “We will also deploy fresh capital to take our unique model that enables small hotel ow...

Parenting Startup BabyChakra Raises Funds from Multiple Investors

10Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

Parenting Startup BabyChakra Raises Funds from Multiple Investors

Online parenting company BabyChakra has reportedly secured an undisclosed amount of funds in a funding round. The round was led by investors including Mark Mobius & Rajesh Sehgal backed Equanimity Ventures Fund, Facebook’s director Anand Chandrasekaran and OYO’s Chief Strategy Officer Maninder Gulati. The funds so raised will be utilized in strengthening the company’s region and vernacular segment. Other existing investors that participated in the round include Arihant Patni, Artha Ventures and Bharat Rawla. BabyChakra had earlier secured series-A funding from RoundGlass Partners and seed funding from Mumbai Angels, Patni Family Office, and Singapore Angel Network. “The fresh capital will be used to further strengthen BabyChakra’s regional and language-specific content and communit...

Blood-Testing Company Theranos is Shutting Down

6Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

USA

Blood-Testing Company Theranos is Shutting Down

Health technology company Theranos based in California that was once known as a high flying blood-testing start-up accused of cheating and betraying its investors is reportedly shutting down. It is being stated that the company was not able to sell itself and is now looking to pay unsecured creditors its remaining cash of about $5 million in the coming months. A major portion of the employees already had their last day. Theranos tries to sell itself, but, unfortunately, nobody was willing to acquire a company that has been disgraced and lost its investors nearly $1 billion. This move has come three months after the company’s founder and CEO, Elizabeth Holmes, along with former chief operating officer Ramesh Balwani were charged with criminal fraud. They were accused of misleading ...

US-Based Factual Raises $42 million from Multiple Backers

6Sep By Gauri SinghNo Comments

FUNDING

US-Based Factual Raises $42 million from Multiple Backers

US-based location data company Factual has reportedly raised funds amounting to $42 million in a fresh funding round. The investors that participated in the round were Upfront Ventures, Felicis Ventures and others. This was a party round, without a lead investor. The funds so raised by the company are being planned to be used in the growth beyond the United States, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. “It was easy, for one thing,” Gil Elbaz, founder and CEO said. “It didn’t take up a lot of time, I didn’t have to go look for a lead, I could focus my efforts on growing the business.” The company is currently hiring fresh employees in Asia — starting with Chris Pattinson, a former Grapeshot executive who will lead Factual’s Asian headquarters in Singapore. Founded in 2009 by ...

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin Falls Below $8000

31Jul By AnkitaNo Comments

Market

Cryptocurrency Bitcoin Falls Below $8000

In a recent news, Cryptocurrency Bitcoin fell below $8000, as investors stepped away from the risk exposure to cryptocurrencies, due to selloff in shares of technology and internet companies spilled over into other high risk assets Bitcoin is a cryptocurrency, a kind of electronic cash. It is a decentralized digital currency without a central bank or single administrator, though some researchers point at a trend towards centralization. It can be sent from user to user on the peer-to-peer bitcoin network directly, without the need for intermediaries, though intermediaries are widely used. “It looks like the entire market is in a risk-off mood today. It started with the (FAANG) stocks, but the mood seems to be dragging down crypto markets as well at the moment,” said Mati Gree...

Restaurant Chain Barbeque Nation Raises Pre-IPO Funds From Jhunjhunwala

25Jul By AnkitaNo Comments

Market

Restaurant Chain Barbeque Nation Raises Pre-IPO Funds From Jhunjhunwala

One of the top investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's co-founded firm, Alchemy Capital Management, has recently invested Rs 80-90 crore in CX Partners-backed casual dining restaurant chain Barbeque Nation Hospitality Ltd before the IPO placement. “Alchemy Capital has picked up a minority stake in Barbeque Nation through Alchemy India Fund for a consideration of around ₹80-90 crore. The pre-IPO placement valued the company at ₹2,300-2,400 crore”. According to the reports, The capital will be used to build new restaurants and also for repayment of debt. In 2013, CX Partners had invested in the restaurant chain, Alchemy Capital was set up in 1999. The first Barbeque-Nation restaurant was launched in 2005. The company operated 81 restaurants across 42 cities in India and one in Dubai till 30 J...

Investors Willing to Sell Their Facebook Shares After Data Scandal

21May By Sheldan RungasamyNo Comments

News

Investors Willing to Sell Their Facebook Shares After Data Scandal

Many image conscious investment firms are selling or rethinking their Facebook Inc. shares as they grow discontent with the firm’s way of strengthening personal data protection and online safety after several scandals surfaced about the improper management of user’s information by Facebook. Backing out from the world’s largest social media network is surely the strongest response from investors to apprehensions about Facebook’s treatment of user data. Cambridge Analytica, the now shut down political data firm whose service was used by Donald Trump during the 2016 US election for ad targeting, were found guilty of harvesting data for 87 million Facebook users and is currently under probe in United States and Europe. Facebook shares also fell in the first quarter of the year when me...

Meaningful Exit Strategy for Startup Founders and Investors

29Jan By RishabhNo Comments

BLOGS

Meaningful Exit Strategy for Startup Founders and Investors

The startup industry is not doing it for the money, but money is one of the most talked about thing in the startup world. Money flows in the system at a greater pace and in considerable numbers. The scenario is pretty much clear for VCs, how they plan on making money by funding the startup at a nascent stage. For the founders, who are starting up or have already started up, its important for them to know how can they get most out from their startups. The optimal financial strategy for founders is to start bootstrap, raise seed funding, grow their venture and take exit. But at what stage should a founder plan his/her exit from the startup for better personal financial returns, is something we're often confused at! A lay man would say bigger the number, better the returns, well actu...

25 Investors and 300 Entrepreneurs Participated in Venture Garage “Capitalize Funding Conclave” at IIT Delhi

15Apr By RishabhNo Comments

News

25 Investors and 300 Entrepreneurs Participated in Venture Garage “Capitalize Funding Conclave” at IIT Delhi

On Friday 7th April , Venture Garage organized “Capitalize-Funding conclave ” at IIT Delhi which saw an overwhelming response with over 25 investors and 300 entrepreneurs attending the event. The event started with a panel discussion moderated by Rahul Narvekar, ex CEO of NDTV Ethnic and now CEO, Scale Ventures. Rehan Yar Khan of Orios Ventures who is one of the first investors in OLA Cabs was special guest of honor. Other panel members included Ravi Kaushik, Partner at Water Bridge Ventures, Ojasvi Babber of Amity VC, Girish Shivani of Yournest Angel Fund and Tej Kapoor of Fosun Kinzon Capital. These investors together have over $1 Bil to be invested in startups. The investors shared their views on the startup ecosystem and its outlook in the new financial year, why profitability ...

Axel & Boris from Germany – The First Yessspreneurs Ready To Conquering the Indian market

1Apr By AnkitaNo Comments

Story

Axel & Boris from Germany – The First Yessspreneurs Ready To Conquering the Indian market

Born and raised in Germany, Axel & Boris grew up together and started their first IT company together in 1997 and were since then involved in technology and energy projects. They also creators of the Yesss Spirit, a powerful way to be energetic and positive every day - doesn't matter what's going on in life. Axel & Boris consider themselves as explorers, seeking for amazing people, new innovative ideas and discoveries worldwide. They founded Yesss CAPITAL to invest in technology, energy, and entertainment startups from India & Europe. Yesss CAPITAL was born out of their passion for innovations and the recognition that synergies do exist between diverse sectors, companies, & humans, and their growth can be greatly enhanced if their efforts are synchronized. The strate...

Average Size of Startup Funding Up 27% to Rs 4.6 Cr: Report

6Nov By Press Trust of IndiaNo Comments

ANALYSIS

Average Size of Startup Funding Up 27% to Rs 4.6 Cr: Report

The average size of Startup Funding received from angel investors grew 27 per cent to Rs 4.67 crore in 2015, from Rs 1.06 crore in 2009, a report said. Also, the average investments made by these angel investors individually saw an annual growth rate of 34 per cent from Rs 0.21 crore in 2009 to Rs 1.69 crore in 2015, according to the '2016 India Venture Capital and Private Equity Report on Start-Ups' by Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-Madras). "Start-ups have an important role to play in the modern innovation economy. The national government has recognised this and start-ups have emerged as a focus area for policy making now," IIT Madras Director Bhaskar Ramamurthi said. This report provides an interesting commentary on the trends in start-ups and the start-up ecosyste...

5Nov By reutersNo Comments

FUNDING

Online Retailer Bonobos Reportedly in Talks to Raise $100 Million Funding

E-commerce menswear company Bonobos is speaking to investors about raising $100 million in a new round of funding that would value the company roughly at half a billion dollars, according to people familiar with the matter. Bonobos is using the new funds to expand its retail footprint, highlighting the crossover that e-commerce companies are making into traditional brick and mortar retail as they push for growth, the sources said on Friday. Bonobos, which is profitable, generates around $150 million in sales and is working with Citigroup to assist with the fundraising, according to the people, who asked not to be named because the matter is private. Citi and Bonobos declined to comment. New York-based Bonobos was founded in 2007 by Stanford business school graduates who wanted ...