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Blue Tokai to Zepto: What are the Indian start-ups that raised $466 mn last week?

In 2024, grocery shopping is a thing of the past in India. Delivery platforms like <keyword id="19939135" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swiggy-Instamart" source="keywords">Swiggy Instamart</keyword>, <keyword id="20069203" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Blinkit" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Blinkit" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Blinkit">Blinkit</keyword> and <keyword id="19939134" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Zepto" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Zepto" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Zepto">Zepto</keyword> have made life easier for millions of people by delivering regular household items at their doorsteps. Ran out of salt? Order it online. Ran out of flour? Order it online. Need some stationery items for your kid’s school project? It can be delivered too. The list is endless. <h2><keyword id="21384253" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zepto-CEO" source="keywords">Zepto CEO</keyword> compares it with Zomato</h2> Zepto, which is newer when compared to Swiggy and Blinkit, is a popular choice in many areas. And its CEO and co-founder <keyword id="22736526" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aadit-Palica" source="keywords">Aadit Palica</keyword> feels that the company is in the stage where <keyword id="19904608" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Amazon" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Amazon" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> was in 1990s or early 2000s. While speaking at the Moneycontrol Startup Conclave 2024 on Friday, Palicha drew a bold comparison between his company’s current trajectory and that of Amazon during the late 1990s and early 2000s. He added that with the right execution, Zepto could potentially achieve a valuation between $50 billion and $80 billion, positioning itself as a leader in the global quick commerce sector. With that being said, Palicha is keenly aware that success isn’t guaranteed. “It is largely just execution,” he noted, talking about the importance of flawless operational strategy in turning potential into reality. He also acknowledged the history of companies that had the right ingredients for success but failed to execute, highlighting Zepto’s commitment to staying focused on its core business for the foreseeable future. Over the past year, Zepto has been on an aggressive fundraising streak, securing significant investments that have fuelled its growth. In August 2023, Zepto raised $231 million at a valuation of $1.4 billion, marking its entry into the unicorn club. But that was just the beginning. The startup recently closed another funding round, pulling in $665 million and boosting its valuation to $3.6 billion. The momentum doesn’t stop there. Zepto has attracted further interest from investors, with discussions underway for an additional $250 million in funding. This new round, which could grow to as much as $400 million, is expected to push the company’s valuation to around $4.6 billion. <h2>When Palicha said Zepto will be bigger than D-Mart </h2> This isn’t the first time that Palicha has made a bold prediction about Zepto. Last month, Palicha had said that Zepto would be bigger than D-Mart in the near future. Speaking at the JIIF Foundation Day event in Delhi, Palicha had pointed out that despite D-Mart’s impressive $30 billion valuation, the retail behemoth is currently only 4.5 times larger than Zepto in terms of sales. "D-Mart is a $30 billion company, and they are only 4.5 times our size in sales. If we maintain our current pace, growing 2-3 times each year, we could potentially surpass them in the next 18-24 months," Palicha had said.

Zepto CEO compares his startup to Amazon, says it can be worth 80 billion if things go right

New Delhi, Online food delivery platform <keyword id="6358977" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Swiggy" source="Orion">Swiggy</keyword> on Tuesday said it has facilitated over Rs 450 crore in loan disbursal to more than 8,000 restaurant owners as part of its capital assist programme. Launched in 2017, the capital assist programme is a first-in-the-segment solution designed to bridge the financing gap and empower restaurant owners. Over 8,000 restaurants have availed loans so far, of which 3,000 availed loans in 2022 alone, the company said in a statement. Partnering with multiple lending partners, including Indifi, Incred, FT Cash, PayU Finance, and IIFL, Swiggy offers tailored financial solutions like term loans and credit lines. "The NBFCs will soon facilitate more exciting solutions like pre-approved loans to enable our partners to gain easier and quicker access to capital, driving even more growth for their businesses," said Swapnil Bajpai, VP-Supply, Swiggy. From quick sign-ups to even quicker approvals, through capital assist programme, the NBFCs take a fast, easy, and efficient approach to provide funds for restaurant partner's business needs. "We have done three rounds of financing so far and have used these funds for our working capital requirements. The entire process from the application to receiving funds is incredibly quick, efficient, and transparent," said Aarti and Sumit Rastogi, owners of ARTINCI -- Indulge Guilt Free! in Bengaluru.

Swiggy disburses over Rs 450 cr in loans to 8000 restaurant owners

Back in November 2022, when <keyword id="19918826" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ChatGPT" source="keywords">ChatGPT</keyword> was launched for the public, interest around <keyword id="19896272" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="generative-AI" source="keywords">generative AI</keyword> reached new heights. The AI chatbot’s ability to respond to questions in a manner as if a human being was talking left many people surprised as well as awestruck. Soon, AI became a buzzword in the tech industry and investors started pouring funds heavily into AI companies. <h2><keyword id="19959576" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Dunzo" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Dunzo" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Dunzo">Dunzo</keyword> co-founder staring his <keyword id="20128843" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="AI-company" source="keywords">AI company</keyword></h2>In May, an Economic Times report based on insights from market research firm Tracxn said that AI startups in India have already raised USD 91.7 million in funding so far this year, which is a significant increase from USD 29.6 million during the same period last year. And now, former <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/quick-commerce-platform-dunzo-lays-off-30-of-its-workforce/articleshow/99290084.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">Dunzo </a>chief <keyword id="22628971" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mukund-Jha" source="keywords">Mukund Jha</keyword> is reportedly looking forward to start his own AI company. A Moneycontrol report citing sources said that Jha is in discussions to raise between Rs 50-80 crore (approximately $6-10 million) from <keyword id="22628972" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Together-Fund" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Together Fund" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Together Fund">Together Fund</keyword> for his new venture. This comes after Jha stepped down from the board of the cash-strapped startup Dunzo last year. Jha's new venture reportedly focuses on generative <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/ai-startup-neysa-raises-20-mn-from-matrix-partners-nexus-venture-partners-more/articleshow/109181059.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink" target="_blank">artificial intelligence</a> (Gen AI) and aims to automate quality assurance (QA) processes. "Think of it as a blend of AI and SaaS," an insider told Moneycontrol. QA involves creating and running tests, identifying errors, and providing feedback to ensure products meet quality standards. <h2>What happened with Dunzo?</h2>The delivery startup Dunzo delivers essential goods like groceries, household items, fruits and vegetables, pet supplies, pharmaceuticals etc to people locally. Supported by <keyword id="19901342" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reliance-Retail" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Reliance Retail" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Reliance Retail">Reliance Retail</keyword>, the startup has faced strong competition from companies like Zepto, Swiggy, and BlinkIt. Despite raising around $500 million, Dunzo has struggled to secure additional investment and manage payroll. In February, there were rumors that Flipkart might acquire the platform, but there have been no updates on this matter since. Dunzo, on the other hand, was making headlines earlier this year for facing various financial struggles. The company’s top investor Lightbox also exited in May this year. On the other hand, the company is reportedly experiencing a cash crunch and owes approximately Rs 11.4 crore to various vendors, including Google India, Nilenso, Clover Ventures, Facebook India, Cupshup, Koo, and Glance. <h2>About Together Fund</h2>Together Fund, from which Jha is reportedly going to raise funds for his new venture, has invested in over 20 companies across various SaaS sectors, including recruitment, sales intelligence, marketing, healthcare, and cloud solutions for connected devices. “Our areas of focus span across SaaS, enterprise software, developer tools, open source software, cloud-native infrastructure and API-first businesses. We typically invest early (seed, pre A or series A) to help founders through the crucial zero-to-one part of their journey,” the company’s website reads. Together Fund was founded in 2021 by Girish Mathrubootham of Freshworks, Manav Garg of Eka Software, and Shubham Gupta formerly of Matrix Partners India. It initially raised USD 85 million for its first fund and increased the total to USD 150 million with its second fund announced in 2023

Dunzo co-founder Mukund Jha plans to start his own AI company, seeks to raise up to Rs 80 crore from Together Fund

<keyword id="19939134" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="Zepto" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Zepto" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Zepto">Zepto</keyword>, a popular quick-commerce platform which rivals Blinkit and Swiggy Instamart, has secured <keyword id="22972597" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="USD-340-million" source="keywords">USD 340 million</keyword> in a follow-on financing round led by <keyword id="20231170" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="General-Catalyst" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="General Catalyst" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="General Catalyst">General Catalyst</keyword>, pushing the Mumbai-based startup's <keyword id="19896943" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="valuation" source="keywords">valuation</keyword> to $5 billion. This fresh infusion of capital comes shortly after Zepto raised $665 million in June 2024, which had then valued the company at $3.6 billion—almost triple its worth from the previous year. The latest round was spearheaded by General Catalyst, with new investors Dragon Fund and Epiq Capital also joining the fray. Existing backers, including <keyword id="22972598" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="StepStone" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="StepStone" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="StepStone">StepStone</keyword>, Lightspeed, DST, and Contrary, have further increased their investments in Zepto. <keyword id="20291499" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Aadit-Palicha" source="keywords">Aadit Palicha</keyword>, Co-founder and CEO of Zepto, explained that the decision to pursue this follow-on financing was driven by two key factors. "First, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to bring <keyword id="21957857" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Neeraj-Arora" source="keywords">Neeraj Arora</keyword> from General Catalyst on board as our lead investor. Second, strengthening our balance sheet is a strategic move as we continue to show strong growth and operational efficiency," Palicha said according to PTI. Zepto is rapidly expanding its network of dark stores, which currently stands at 370, according to a report in The Hindu. The company plans to increase this to approximately 700 stores by March 2025, thereby strengthening its presence across the top 20 cities in India. In June, Zepto reported crossing the $1 billion mark in annualized Gross Merchandise Value (GMV). Founded in 2021 by Stanford University dropouts Aadit Palicha and Kaivalya Vohra, Zepto has rapidly grown into a leading player in the quick commerce sector, drawing significant attention from investors and industry watchers alike.

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Blue Tokai to Zepto: What are the Indian start-ups that raised $466 mn last week?

Prerna Tyagi

Zepto CEO compares his startup to Amazon, says it can be worth 80 billion if things go right

Divyanshi Sharma

Swiggy disburses over Rs 450 cr in loans to 8000 restaurant owners

IANS

Dunzo co-founder Mukund Jha plans to start his own AI company, seeks to raise up to Rs 80 crore from Together Fund

Divyanshi Sharma

Zepto secures USD 340 million in latest funding round, boosting valuation to USD 5 billion

BI India Bureau

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