BUSINESS
Toppr raises Rs 350 crore Series D funding from Foundation Holdings
The startup will use the money to develop an operating system to provide a standardised in-school and after-school learning experience.
BUSINESS
Exclusive: Sequoia India loses senior executive
The executive has not decided her next career move yet but will possibly continue early stage biotech investing elsewhere
TRENDS
Book Review | Facebook: The Inside Story by Steven Levy
American technology journalist Levy, a veteran of half a dozen books and Editor-at-large for Wired, got unprecedented access to Zuckerberg.
STARTUP
Coronavirus puts founder-VC relationship to the test
Video calls and online conferencing can never be a substitute when it comes to convincing potential investors, say founders. At stakes now are tough decisions like laying off employees, saying no to potential deals and postponing funding rounds.
BUSINESS
Fourth Partner Energy raises $15 million from Swiss investor responsAbility
This is the Zurich-based investor's third round of debt in the solar company, after earlier rounds in 2016 and 2017.
BUSINESS
Exclusive | PharmEasy in talks to acquire Medlife for $200 million
Medlife has been looking to raise $100-150 million in growth capital for over a year but has not found an investor.
BUSINESS
Inside India's online education boom
Critics say most companies are overvalued and long-term growth is a big question, but industry insiders say it is just the beginning of something big.
BUSINESS
Coatue leads $100 million round in Vedantu, valuation jumps to $600 million
Founded by Vamsi Krishna, Pulkit Jain, Anand Prakash and Saurabh Saxena in 2011, Vedantu currently provides live coaching classes for K12 students, including for entrance exams such as IIT JEE Main and Advanced for engineering and NEET for medical colleges
WORLD
Book review: No Filter: The Inside Story of Instagram - a pacy, breathtaking read
Of course, like most technology novels of the past decade, even ones where he does not have an active role, Mark Zuckerberg is the most important factor of this book.
INDIA
Online teaching is hot skill now, but what does it take to get there?
Vocal intonation, short notes and activities to regain drifting student attention are the key. Many institutes are even hiring actors to train teachers on how to face the camera and on keeping eye contact
BUSINESS
Exclusive: Urban Ladder looks for buyer at lower valuation; top VCs may have to take haircut
Its proposed valuation of about Rs 200 crore is only a fraction of the capital it has raised -- over Rs 700 crore from top venture capital funds.
BUSINESS
Oyo, Byju-backer Sequoia Capital India raises $1.35 billion across new funds
The new fund will allow Sequoia to be aggressive at a time when valuations are relatively low and most other investors don’t have as much capital to deploy, sources told Moneycontrol
BUSINESS
Exclusive | Byju’s in talks to acquire coding upstart WhiteHat Jr
Online learning platform Unacademy, which focuses on test preparation for competitive exams, had also expressed interest, but Byju’s has offered more money to acquire WhiteHat Jr
BUSINESS
Exclusive | China a major investor but companies already looking at other sources, says InnoVen Capital CEO Sharma
There is higher investor interest in sectors enjoying tailwinds due to COVID, for instance, ed-tech, health-tech and ecommerce, says Sharma
BUSINESS
Zetwerk raises $21 million in Series C round led by Greenoaks Capital
The B2B startup will use funds for international expansion, launching new products.
BUSINESS
Exclusive: Edtech startup Vedantu to raise $100 million, double valuation to $600 million in just 3 months
Vedantu was valued at $280 million in April, according to an Entrackr report.
BUSINESS
COVID-19 impact | Startup funding in June quarter at $1 billion - lowest in five quarters
Indian startups raised $1 billion across 116 deals in the second quarter of 2020, compared to $3 billion in the first quarter, according to data from Venture Intelligence, a startup data tracker.
BUSINESS
Not just firing, Indian startups are hiring too
With long-term goals on mind, companies are looking for specialists to build technology, products and analyse data.
BUSINESS
Exclusive | Online learning startup WhiteHat Jr eyeing $350 million valuation
WhiteHat was founded by Karan Bajaj, the former CEO of Discovery India, in late 2018. It is currently witnessing bookings of Rs 30-35 crore a month.
BUSINESS
Exclusive | Postman CEO Asthana: APIs can be big and we are just getting started
With new technology, the gap between the developed world and emerging economies is shrinking, if it hasn’t disappeared already, says Asthana.
BUSINESS
Exclusive: BharatPe chief business officer quits
Agarwaal was responsible for BharatPe’s lending business, where it is currently disbursing about Rs 30 crore a month to offline retailers and merchants - the bulk of the company's customer base.
BUSINESS
Exclusive | Chinese VCs bullish on Indian startups despite FDI rule, border tensions
Chinese funds, among the largest investors in Indian startup ecosystem, are still issuing term sheets to early stage companies in spaces such as content, gaming, and online education — spaces that will gain from the COVID-19 pandemic.
BUSINESS
A91 Partners invests Rs 125 crore in Pushp Spices
Founded by Mahendra Surana and Surendra Surana, Pushp said it will use the capital for expanding and deepening distribution network, beefing up the existing sales team and enhancing marketing initiatives to strengthen the brand across India.
BUSINESS
Jai Kisan raises Rs 30 crore from Arkam Ventures, Nabard arm
The rural fintech startup has given loans worth Rs 50 crore to farmers in the last six months.
