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<ul><li>SoftBank is investing $400 million into babycare startup FirstCry. </li><li>The investment will help FirstCry become a unicorn, which are startups valued at over $1 billion. </li><li>The Japanese investment firm already has a leading stakes in many other Indian unicorn startups.</li></ul>SoftBank is leading yet another Indian startup into the unicorn club. The Japan-based investment firm has put in <a href="https://techcircle.vccircle.com/2019/01/22/exclusive-baby-products-e-tailer-firstcry-raises-150-mn-from-softbank">$400 million</a> into FirstCry, a Pune-based babycare and mothercare retailer. The investment is being put in by SoftBank in tranches, with $150 million hitting FirstCry’s as the first round. The funding will take FirstCry’s valuation to <a href="https://yourstory.com/2019/01/softbank-invests-babycare-firstcry/">$800 million</a>, making it just $200 million short of becoming a unicorn, which in startup lingo is used to refer to companies valued at over $1 billion. FirstCry, founded nine years ago, has a <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/softbank-eyes-40-stake-in-firstcry-for-400-mn/">presence </a>in over 125 cities with 300 retail outlets. Its previous investors include <keyword id="145350" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="IDG-Ventures">IDG Ventures</keyword>, SAIF Partners, Valiant Capital Partners and Indian businessman Ratan Tata. Indian startups have seen some big successes lately, with eight<a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/india-picks-up-pace-in-producing-unicorns-8-new-startups-join-2018-club-118102501079_1.html"> unicorns </a>added to the prestigious club in just 2018, taking the total number of unicorns in the country to 18. In what reflects SoftBank’s massive role in India’s startup scene, most members of this $1 billion-valuation club include Ola, Paytm, Policybazaar, <keyword id="2550719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO-Rooms">Oyo Rooms</keyword>, among others -- are already backed by the investment bank. Its $100-billion Vision Fund has its eyes set on the Indian startup ecosystem. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-minting-1-billion-from-flipkart-sale-sachin-bansal-is-now-betting-big-on-ola/articleshow/67526383.cms">Watch out Uber. Sachin Bansal gets Ola share after selling Flipkart</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/byjus-is-going-global-with-its-latest-acquisition-of-us-based-osmo/articleshow/67569325.cms">Online tutoring startup Byju’s is the latest Indian ‘unicorn’ going global</a>

This Indian babycare startup is closing in on the unicorn club

<ul><li>Byju’s, India’s largest online tutoring <keyword id="138263" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup">startup</keyword> and a recent entrant to the ‘unicorn club’, is looking to expand to international markets with the its latest acquisition of US-based <keyword id="2251704" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="osmo">Osmo</keyword>. </li><li>The acquisition comes just a month after Byju’s received fresh funding of $540 million that valued the company at $3.6 billion. </li><li>Other Indian unicorns testing international markets include Zomato, OYO rooms, PayTm. </li></ul>Byju’s, one of India’s largest online tutoring startups and a recent entrant to the ‘unicorn club’ -- startups valued at $1 billion and above-- is the latest to set its eyes on <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/news/in-international-push-indian-edtech-company-byju-buys-osmo-for-120m/">expansion into international markets</a> Its $120 million acquisition of Osmo, a US-based startup that makes <keyword id="3423569" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="educational-games">educational games</keyword>, is aimed at improving learning experience for kids by blending online tutoring through apps with offline games. The acquisition of Osmo comes just a month after Byju’s received fresh funding of $540 million that valued the company at $3.6 billion. Byju’s, founded in 2015, is also now the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/indias-largest-online-learning-service-is-all-set-to-become-the-4th-highest-valued-indian-startup-with-a-254-billion-valuation/articleshow/66474294.cms">fourth most</a> valuable startup in India. 
 <div type="image" title="Byju's 'unicorn club' story" msid="67586213" hostid="261"></div>



 Byju’s had been planning <a href="https://techcircle.vccircle.com/2019/01/16/byju-s-buys-ar-based-learning-platform-osmo-for-120-mn">overseas expansion</a> for a long time by collaborating with partners in the UK, Singapore and Australia, among others. The deal is expected to benefit both companies since Byju’s was seeking to also become a ‘content-driven platform’ aimed at a younger audience — kids of three to seven years of age are Osmo’s target market. While Byju’s apps mostly target school kids across grades 4-12 Byju’s eponymous founder Byju Raveendran <a href="https://news.crunchbase.com/news/in-international-push-indian-edtech-company-byju-buys-osmo-for-120m/">told</a> Crunchbase the company currently has over 1,000 people dedicated to video and game development. Other Indian unicorns in the league eyeing global expansion India’s growing unicorns are now aggressively looking to test overseas markets, keen to have a global presence, and many have already seen some success. The homegrown food delivery unicorn, Zomato, expanded internationally in 2012, starting with Dubai. Since then, the company has grown multifold with an array of acquisitions. In fact, Swiggy has been considering offshore expansion as well, but is currently focussed on <a href="https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/318201">hyperlocal services.</a> Bucking the general trend of international companies expanding in the Indian market last year, digital wallets company PayTm <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/after-revolutionizing-transactions-in-india-digital-payments-company-paytm-seeks-to-conquer-japan/articleshow/66329611.cms">launched</a> its payments app ‘PayPay’ in Japan. The hotel chain, OYO rooms, has also had a great year in terms of <a href="https://inc42.com/features/2018-in-review-what-were-indian-unicorns-up-to-this-year/">international investments</a>. The company forayed into China, Japan, Spain and the UK among others. The company, with its offshore expansion, is looking to have nearly 2.3 million rooms internationally by 2023. See also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/a-6-year-old-indian-startup-wants-to-be-worlds-biggest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/software-and-internet-companies-have-stepped-up-rd-spending-more-than-any-other-industry/articleshow/67449956.cms">Software and Internet companies have stepped up R&amp;D spending more than any other industry</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/the-indian-government-has-reportedly-invested-just-19-of-its-fund-dedicated-to-boosting-startups/articleshow/67323307.cms">The Indian government has reportedly invested just 19% of its fund dedicated to boosting startups</a>

Online tutoring startup Byju’s is the latest Indian ‘unicorn’ going global

<ul><li>Indian <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">startups</keyword> today account for 430,000 jobs, and added 60,000 of them in 2019.</li><li>According to the latest Nasscom-Zinnov report, India now has the third highest number of unicorns in the world.</li><li>However, India’s 24 unicorns are nowhere compared to China’s 206 and US’ 203 unicorns. </li></ul>Indian startups have been growing rapidly in the last few years and it has become the third largest startup ecosystem in the world. India is also home to the third highest number of unicorns, according to the Nasscom-Zinnov report Indian Tech Start-up Ecosystem – Leading Tech in the 20s. In the first eight months of 2019, India added 7 unicorns, taking their number to 24. Though India is at the third position— it is nowhere close to that of China’s 206 unicorns and US’ 203. But <keyword id="2023759" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups-in-India">startups in India</keyword> are also solving its gravest problem — of unemployment. Startups account for 430,000 jobs, and added 60,000 of them in 2019 alone. There are also 50 more startups with the potential to turn unicorns. As many as 35 of them might reach the $1 billion valuation in the next two months as they are a part of soonicorn list. The cumulative valuation of all Indian startups stands at a massive $101 billion. Not just that, India now has about 9,300 tech startups alone, while 1,600 are deep tech startups. It also has 335 incubators and accelerators. "The start-up landscape in the country is becoming the epitome of innovation, with companies bringing out solutions that are aimed at solving locally relevant issues. However, to simulate innovation, government and corporates need to focus on increasing their role as prominent stakeholders playing the part of venture capitalists and providing the appropriate market access, funding, and guidance to seed stage start-ups,” said Debjani Ghosh, President, <keyword id="6372077" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="nasscom">NASSCOM</keyword>. The report also adds that India will see 100 unicorns by 2025 and will create over 1.1 million direct jobs.

The $101 billion valuation Indian startup ecosystem made way for 60,000 jobs in 2019

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This Indian babycare startup is closing in on the unicorn club

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Online tutoring startup Byju’s is the latest Indian ‘unicorn’ going global

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The $101 billion valuation Indian startup ecosystem made way for 60,000 jobs in 2019

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