New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Homegrown B2B e-commerce platform <keyword id="6357316" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="udaan" source="Orion">Udaan</keyword>, which raised $340 million last week, laid off more than 100 employees as part of a restructuring exercise. A company spokesperson said that they have made significant progress in their journey towards building a profitable business and “continue to make relevant interventions to our already proven business model, while remaining customer centric and agile”. “However, these interventions have also resulted in some redundancies in the system,” the spokesperson said in a statement. The Bengaluru-based company restructured its business units in September to merge the essentials business (FMCG, staples, and pharma) and the discretionary business (general merchandise, lifestyle, and electronics). “We remain committed to our goal of driving Kirana commerce and empowering small &amp; medium businesses of Bharat by leveraging the power of e-commerce,” the company spokesperson added. In 2022, Udaan had fired over 500 employees in two phases. Last week, the B2B e-commerce platform raised $340 million (a mix of equity and convertible notes) in a Series E round led by UK-based savings and investment firm M&amp;G Prudential, and participated by existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners and DST Global. Udaan said that it aims to deploy fresh funds towards strengthening customer experience, market penetration, strategic vendor partnerships, and to reinforce long-term capabilities of supply-chain and credit. The fresh funding “enables our continued journey of growth and profitability, positioning us well to be public-market ready in the next 12-18 months", said Vaibhav Gupta, Udaan co-founder and CEO. Founded in 2016, Bengaluru-based Udaan has raised $1.8 Bn in funding to date. In FY23, the unicorn saw its operating revenue nosedive by 43 per cent to Rs 5,609 crore from Rs 9,897.3 crore in FY22.

Udaan lays off 100 employees a week after raising $340 million

<ul><li>The B2B e-commerce platform cheers the latest fundraise especially as the startup industry is currently going through a tough time finding investors to pump in the money. </li><li>A recent PwC India report stated that <keyword id="2924060" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="startup-funding" source="Orion">startup funding</keyword> hit a two-year low at $2.7 billion across 205 deals in the July-September quarter. </li><li>Udaan is also targeting to go public in the next 12-18 months. </li><li>The company has been restructuring its business model and focusing on cost efficiency as it plans to achieve profitability soon. Presently, Udaan is among top loss-making unicorns. </li></ul>While the whole startup ecosystem is facing a funding crunch this year, this outlier startup – a business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform called Udaan – has raised $120 million in convertible notes and debt. With this round, the total funds raised by Udaan through convertible notes and debt in the last four quarters have crossed $350 million. Udaan enables small manufacturers, farmers, and brands to market and sell their products across the country at low cost with 100% payment security and complete transparency. The company cheers the latest fundraise especially as the startup industry is currently going through a tough time finding investors to pump in the money. “Despite the funding-related challenges being experienced by the larger start-up ecosystem, this fund raise reflects the confidence of investors in our business model and their endorsement of the journey to unit economics, driven by great progress in evolution of our business model and cost efficiency, that we initiated last year,” said Udaan’s chief financial officer Aditya Pande in a mail to employees. In fact, a recent PwC India’s report stated that startup funding has hit a two-year low at $2.7 billion across 205 deals in the July-September quarter. Moreover, only two startups in India attained unicorn status in the same quarter. This mirrors a global trend which too saw a decline in the number of new unicorns last quarter. Experts have found it hard to predict the end line of the funding slowdown as investors remain cautious in a volatile environment. “It is tough to predict how long the slowdown in funding will last but clearly, both founders and investors are being more selective and cautious in deal-making,” said Amit Nawka, partner-deals and India startups leader at PwC India. Besides, the B2B e-commerce startup is targeting to go public in the next 12-18 months. The company has been restructuring its business model and focusing on cost efficiency as it plans to achieve profitability soon. Presently, Udaan is among top loss-making unicorns. It has now become crucial for startups to achieve profitability before going public as investors have become very cautious about investing in loss-making startups as seen in the cases of Nykaa, Paytm and Zomato.

Amid startup funding crunch, Udaan raises $120 million and plans IPO after a year

Business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform <keyword id="6357316" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="udaan" source="Orion">Udaan</keyword> has raised $120 million in convertible notes and debt, as it plans an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 12-18 months amid the <keyword id="6357455" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="funding" source="Orion">funding</keyword> winter. Udaan's chief financial officer <keyword id="2753906" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="aditya-pande" source="Orion">Aditya Pande</keyword> wrote in an email seen by IANS that with this round, the total funds raised by Udaan through convertible notes and debt in the last four quarters have crossed $350 million, making it one of the largest structured instrument fundraises in the country. "Despite the funding-related challenges being experienced by the larger start-up ecosystem, this fundraise reflects the confidence of investors in our business model and their endorsement of the journey to unit economics, driven by great progress in the evolution of our business model and cost efficiency, that we initiated last year," said Pande. He added that these steps have not only helped us achieve positive unit economics last quarter, but also improved efficiency in the system, with huge cost benefits, "which is key to building a sustainable business, and being public market-ready in 12-18 months". The Bengaluru-headquartered startup improved its unit economics by "1,000bps with equally strong improvements in both gross margins and operating cost," said Pande. "The journey of right business design and unit economics has translated into over 60 per cent reduction in the burn. Continued focus on customer-first thinking and initiatives on strengthening our value proposition for them have resulted in monthly buyer repeat rates increasing by more than 500 bps in the last 2 quarters," he added. Earlier this year, Udaan raised $250 million, $200 million in a convertible note and $50 million in debt. In the calendar year 2021, Udaan raised $500 million, taking its total raise to $1.4 billion to date. To cater to the growing demand, Udaan plans to scale its warehouse capacity to 50 million square feet across the country in the next seven-eight years. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/corporates/news/jiomart-on-whatsapp-is-a-big-opportunity-for-paid-messaging-market-zuckerberg/articleshow/95114891.cms">JioMart on WhatsApp is a big opportunity for paid messaging market: Zuckerberg</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/kkr-to-acquire-digital-services-transformation-company-ness-digital-engineering/articleshow/95119920.cms">KKR to acquire digital services transformation company Ness Digital Engineering</a>

Udaan raises $120 mn in funding winter, plans IPO in 12-18 months

EV startup Vidyut on Tuesday said it has raised $10 million in its Series A fundraise (a mix of equity and debt funding) led by 3one4 Capital, and will deploy new funds to scale its new offerings that include EV insurance, lifecycle management and EV resale. The round also witnessed participation from new and existing investors namely, Saison Capital, <keyword id="20657706" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zephyr-peacock" source="keywords">Zephyr Peacock</keyword>, Force Ventures, a venture debt fund Alteria Capital and CEO of Udaan, <keyword id="20483955" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sujeet-kumar" source="keywords">Sujeet Kumar</keyword>. Founded in 2021, the startup said it aims to expand its presence to 40 cities and will double its team size by the end of FY25 as it prepares to build a full stack EV ecosystem. "Our focus is not just on financing but on elevating the entire EV ownership journey for India's SMBs, who are the backbone of our economy," said <keyword id="20657704" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="gaurav-srivastava" source="keywords">Gaurav Srivastava</keyword>, co-founder of Vidyut. The company already offers ownership solutions for Mahindra, Piaggio, Altigreen, Murugappa Group's Montra Electric, Euler Motors and OSM vehicles. "Vidyut's model removes EV adoption barriers, especially in the large but price sensitive driver cum owner segment. At 3one4 Capital, we are excited to back the Vidyut team in their mission to simplify EV ownership," said <keyword id="20657703" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="sonal-saldanha" source="keywords">Sonal Saldanha</keyword>, Vice President, Investments, 3one4 Capital. "After hitting an inflection point, customised financing and lifecycle management solutions will play a central role in large scale EV adoption, requiring lenders to evaluate asset risk alongside borrower risk," added <keyword id="20657705" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dhairen-tohliani" source="keywords">Dhairen Tohliani</keyword>, Vice President, Alteria capital. SEE ALSO:<a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-8-pro-review/articleshow/107726935.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/google-pixel-8-pro-review/articleshow/107726935.cms" target="_blank">Pixel 8 Pro review: ‘Okay Google’ – The flagship smartphone ticks almost all boxes</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/dell-xps-17-9730-review/articleshow/107330203.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/dell-xps-17-9730-review/articleshow/107330203.cms" target="_blank">Dell XPS 17 9730 review – Feature-packed laptop but at a premium</a><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/viewsonic-vx3219-2k-pro-review/articleshow/106729348.cms" target="_blank"></a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/viewsonic-vx3219-2k-pro-review/articleshow/106729348.cms" target="_blank">ViewSonic VX3219 2K PRO gaming monitor – Reliable at an affordable price</a>

EV startup Vidyut raises $10 mn to build full-stack ecosystem

<ul><li>The investment was led by the startup’s existing investors Inventus India and Jetty Ventures.</li><li>This takes <keyword id="7937433" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Euler-Motors">Euler Motors</keyword>’ total fundraise, so far, to ₹65 crore.</li><li>The company already has over 250 electric three-wheelers, which have been deployed by startups like BigBasket, EcomExpress and Udaan in Delhi-NCR.</li></ul><keyword id="381751" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Electric-vehicle">Electric vehicle</keyword> startup Euler Motors has raised ₹30 crore as a part of its series A fundraise. This takes its total fundraise, so far, to ₹65 crore. The investment was led by the startup’s existing investors Inventus India and Jetty Ventures, and also saw participation from another existing investor Sujeet Kumar, co-founder of online B2B trade platform Udaan. Meanwhile new investors Srinivas Anumolu &amp; K Ganesh from Growth Story too joined in on this round. Founded in 2018, the startup is also looking to launch new electric three-wheelers this year. The company already has over 250 electric three-wheelers, which have been deployed by startups like BigBasket, EcomExpress and Udaan in Delhi-NCR. With the latest investment the company plans to build a new production facility as well as expand its charging and servicing infrastructure. “The new investment has come at a time when the company has demonstrated extreme resilience during the pandemic and is now all set for the next phase of growth. I am delighted that our existing investors trust our vision and execution; and have chosen to continue to invest in Euler Motors,” Saurav Kumar, founder and chief executive officer of Euler Motors said in a statement. Kumar is no new face in the Indian startup ecosystem. In 2012, Kumar along with two others had founded the technology start-up Cube26, which had made news for its funding from Tiger Global Management and Flipkart. The startup was later acquired by Vijay Shekhar Sharma’s Paytm. With Euler Motors, Kumar is now betting on India’s burgeoning <keyword id="186291" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="EV">EV</keyword> market, which has the likes of Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Elon Musk’s Tesla making their presence felt. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/bootstrapped-online-travel-aggregator-easemytrip-makes-its-way-to-the-public-markets/articleshow/81326200.cms">INTERVIEW: Bootstrapped online travel aggregator EaseMyTrip makes its way to the public markets</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/indias-supreme-court-observes-that-ott-platforms-are-showing-pornography-and-proposes-screening-of-online-content/articleshow/81328555.cms">India's Supreme Court observes that OTT platforms are showing pornography and proposes screening of online content</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/this-spam-blocker-may-add-a-layer-of-anonymity-to-your-social-media-presence-while-twitter-and-facebook-are-under-pressure-to-verify-their-users/articleshow/81327239.cms">This spam blocker may add a layer of anonymity to your social media presence while Twitter and Facebook are under pressure to verify their users</a>

Ahead of its electric three-wheeler launch, EV startup Euler Motors raises ₹30 crore

<keyword id="10245463" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="coinswitch-kuber" source="Orion">Coinswitch Kuber</keyword> on Wednesday said it has raised USD 260 million (around ₹1,943 crore) in a fundraising round that values it at USD 1.9 billion. The company becomes the second crypto exchange to achieve the unicorn status after rival Coindcx, even as deep concerns on the crypto currencies among the regulators continue. In business parlance, a unicorn is a privately held startup company valued at over USD 1 billion. <keyword id="10587326" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="coinswitch" source="Orion">Coinswitch</keyword> Kuber was founded only 16-months ago by Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni and Vimal Sagar. It is the 30th company to enter the unicorn club this year and the youngest company ever. Other young startups to enter the unicorn club include two-year-old Apna and three-year-old BharatPe that were valued over $1 billion this year. Ecommerce platform for business Udaan and Ola’s electric vehicles (EV) arm Ola Electric turned unicorns when they were three year old. Coinswitch Kuber said it has raised money from Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Coinbase Ventures and existing investors Paradigm, <keyword id="2126501" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ribbit-capital" source="Orion">Ribbit Capital</keyword>, Sequoia Capital <keyword id="3658" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="india" source="Orion">India</keyword> and <keyword id="526777" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="tiger-global" source="Orion">Tiger Global</keyword>. 'a16z' is a venture capital firm known to back bold entrepreneurs building the future through technology while Coinbase is one of the early pioneers of creating a crypto economy and operates one of the world's largest crypto exchanges, as per the statement. It can be noted that the RBI has expressed its deep concerns about private cryptocurrencies like Bitcoins multiple times in the past and has conveyed the same to the government. The concerns stem from the high volatility of the instruments, lack of transparency in supply etc. Coinswitch said it will utilize the funds to make crypto a household name and is targeting to onboard 50 million Indians on its platform. The money will also be utilised to hire leaders and experts across engineering, product, data, growth to define the crypto industry in the country, adding new asset classes, onboarding institutional clients, launching an ecosystem fund and on crypto awareness, the statement said. "Coinswitch Kuber is on a mission to build wealth for Indians by making crypto more accessible. I believe, simplifying crypto investments for the Indian youth has helped us to stand out," its co-founder and chief executive Ashish Singhal said, adding that it has reached the unicorn status within 14 months of operations in the country. Started in 2017 by Ashish Singhal, Govind Soni, and Vimal Sagar, the company was launched as a global aggregator of crypto exchanges. It launched India operations in June 2020 and presently has 10 million users in India, of which 7 million were classified as monthly active. "We are incredibly excited about the crypto market opportunity in India, and with its breakout growth, Coinswitch has emerged as the leading retail platform in the country," David George, general partner at Andreessen Horowitz, said. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/investment/news/forbes-400-list-of-the-richest-people-in-america-now-has-six-crypto-billionaires/articleshow/86805312.cms">Forbes 400 list of the richest people in America now has six crypto billionaires</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/cryptocurrency/news/crypto-trading-volume-on-binance-is-reportedly-soaring-despite-a-market-crackdown-and-regulatory-pressure/articleshow/86788343.cms">Crypto trading volume on Binance is reportedly soaring despite a market crackdown and regulatory pressure</a>

Coinswitch Kuber raises $260 million, becomes the second cryptocurrency unicorn in India

<ul><li><keyword id="263867" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Pravin-Jadhav">Pravin Jadhav</keyword>, the former managing director and chief executive officer of Paytm Money, has launched his own financial services platform – <keyword id="10825312" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="raise-financial-services">Raise Financial Services</keyword>.</li><li>Raise will offer financial services across financing, insurance, investments, payments and wealth.</li><li>The startup’s seed funding round is led by <keyword id="110875" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mirae-Asset">Mirae Asset</keyword> Venture Investments, which is an India-focussed fund launched by South Korean firm Mirae in January 2021.</li></ul>Pravin Jadhav, the former managing director and chief executive officer of Paytm Money, has launched his own financial services platform – Raise Financial Services. Jadhav, who had <a href="https://www.newindianexpress.com/business/2020/apr/02/paytm-money-founder-md-pravin-jadhav-quits-due-to-growing-differences-with-company-board-2124585.html#:~:text=BENGALURU%3A%20Founder%20MD%20and%20CEO,the%20company%20board%2C%20sources%20said.">reportedly</a> quit Paytm due to growing differences with the founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, has found his way back into financial services. “This time I am not starting from scratch, I am starting from my experiences. I have done it before, and I aim to do it again – raise the bar! This time even higher with Raise Financial Services,” he wrote in a <a href="http://www.beingpractical.com/2021/02/24/raising-the-bar-with-raise-financial-services/">blog</a>. Jadhav wrote that Raise will offer ‘technology-led consumer products &amp; infrastructure services to serve Indians with financial services (across financing, insurance, investments, payments and wealth).’ The startup has raised investments from Mirae Asset Venture Investments, which is an India-focussed fund launched by South Korean firm Mirae in January 2021. Raise is their first investment through the fund. It has also raised investments from Multi-Act Private Equity, Blume Ventures and US based early-stage investor Social Leverage, among multiple other startup founders. Here are some of the founders and startup leaders who have pooled in to invest in Raise, and interestingly many operate in the financial services space themselves <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kunal Shah </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Cred, Freecharge </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kalyan Krishnamurthy </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Flipkart </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Amod Malviya &amp; Sujeet Kumar </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Udaan </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sameer Nigam &amp; Rahul Chari </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">PhonePe </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;"> Amrish Rau </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Pine Labs, Citrus Pay </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Sandeep Tandon </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Freecharge </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Anupam Mittal </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Shaadi.com </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Jitendra Gupta </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Jupiter, Citrus Pay </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Girish Mathrubootham </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Freshworks </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Nischal Shetty </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">WazirX </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Kuldeep Dhankar </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Clevertap, Microsoft, Nokia </td></tr></tbody></table> The Mumbai-based startup is now hiring aggressively across leadership roles. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/a-candid-kavin-mittal-admits-his-mistakes-as-he-reinvents-hike-and-plans-fresh-fundraising-this-year/articleshow/81204449.cms">A candid Kavin Mittal admits his mistakes as he reinvents Hike and plans fresh fundraising this year</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/apps/news/carbonwatch-indias-first-mobile-app-to-calculate-your-carbon-footprint-falls-short-of-what-it-is-promising/articleshow/81203364.cms">CarbonWatch — India’s first mobile app to calculate your carbon footprint falls short of its promises</a>

Former Paytm Money CEO launches his own financial services platform with an investment from Mirae, and several other major startup founders

<ul><li><keyword id="6630114" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="unacademy">Unacademy</keyword> has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Tiger Global Management and Dragoneer Investment Group. </li><li>With the latest investment, the edtech unicorn’s valuation has soared to $2 billion. </li><li>In September, the five-year old startup had entered the unicorn club with a $150 million cheque from SoftBank.</li></ul>Adding on to the list of phenomenal edtech fundraises this year, Unacademy has raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Tiger Global Management and the US-based Dragoneer Investment Group. With the latest investment, the edtech unicorn’s valuation has soared to $2 billion. Unacademy’s valuation growth <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">February 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$510 million </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">September 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$1.45 billion </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">November 2020 </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">$2 billion </td></tr></tbody></table> “Our mission from Day One has been to democratise education and make it more affordable and accessible. We have consistently built the most iconic products that deliver high quality education to everyone,” said Gaurav Munjal, Co-Founder and CEO, Unacademy, in a statement. In September, the five-year old startup had entered the unicorn club with a $150 million cheque from SoftBank. Unacademy had also raised funding from Facebook in February, the social media giant’s second direct investment in India. The startup is also backed by Sequoia India, Nexus Venture Partners, Steadview Capital and Blume Ventures, and individual investors Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart and Sujeet Kumar, co-founder, Udaan. Unacademy in numbers <table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none; width: 468pt; table-layout: fixed;"><colgroup></colgroup><col /><col /><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Number of educators </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">47,000+ </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Languages </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">14 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Presence in cities </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5000 </td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Watchtime on Unacademy </td><td style="border-left:solid #000000 1pt;border-right:solid #000000 1pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 1pt;border-top:solid #000000 1pt;vertical-align:top;padding:5pt 5pt 5pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">2 billion minutes per month </td></tr></tbody></table> “The opportunity to improve lives through online education is enormous because of its sheer accessibility. The Unacademy team has innovated rapidly to build a leading platform that is taking education to the farthest corners of India. We are very excited to partner with Unacademy and look forward to seeing it scale further,” said Scott Shleifer, Partner at Tiger Global, in a statement. The startup was also one of the official sponsors of the Indian Premier League. SEE ALSO: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/sequoia-surge-and-info-edge-invest-6-million-in-logistics-platform-shipsy/articleshow/79402567.cms">Sequoia’s Surge and Info Edge invest $6 million in logistics platform Shipsy</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/upgrad-acquires-coaching-institute-the-gate-academy-says-more-acquisitions-are-on-the-cards/articleshow/79390154.cms">upGrad acquires coaching institute The Gate Academy — says more acquisitions are on the cards</a>

Unacademy valuation soars to $2 billion as the edtech startup raises more funds from Tiger Global and Dragoneer Investment Group

The startup boom in <keyword id="3658" type="COUNTRY" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>, which some say peeked in 2015, is still looked at as the key to innovation and entrepreneurship in the country. Analysing these <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">startups</keyword>, <keyword id="28120" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Linkedin">LinkedIn</keyword> published the 2018 LinkedIn Top Startups List for India. The world’s largest professional network looked at actions taken by more than 50 million professionals on the site and came up with a list of the 25 most attractive startups where people want to work. <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword>, India’s largest hospitality company, tops the list. Their aggressive expansion plan has led them into Malaysia, China and the UK in just the last 9 months. Currently the company is in conversation to raise $1 billion which will bring its total valuation to over $4 billion. The health and wellness startup, <keyword id="4506924" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="cure-fit">Cure.fit</keyword> came in second, which isn’t really a surprise considering they offer their employees unlimited leave, fixed increments every six months and a concierge service for personal tasks. It’s followed by <keyword id="6890164" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="dunzo-in">Dunzo.in</keyword>, a concierge services venture, in third place. That being said, Dunzo.in isn’t pan-India yet and only has services available in Pune, Bangalore and Gurgaon. While the list is extensive, there is no set trend to what sector of startups people prefer. <div type="image" title="Orange and Black Vector Job Fair Flyer" tempid="251815" msid="65866696" hostid="261"></div>

 Unicorn club Other than OYO, Rivigo and Udaan.com are two other startups on the list that are near unicorn status. Rivigo, a logistics startup, is almost at $1 billion after recently raising an additional $50 million in funds. Udaan.com is leading the pack, according to the report, with it being valued at over $ 1 billion after its round of September fundraising. Employee engagement matters Some of the startups on the list have made it there because they recognise that it’s important for employees to feel a sense of ownership. For instance, OYO ensures that all new hires are exposed to actual business problems from their first day at work so that they understand their responsibility and accountability. Razorpay, on the other hand, has a unique regulation where every team member has to take fours hours of customer support calls, regardless of seniority or role. Other companies employ innovative appraisal methods instead. Jumbotail, for example, flouts the norm by giving 80% weightage to peer feedback and only 20% to manager feedback while looking at annual reviews. The startups on this list have been measured across four pillars - employment growth, engagement, job interest and top talent. While a lot of disruptive and new startups made it to the list, older names like Flipkart, Swiggy and BigBasket are missing.

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