Amazon is seeking an Indian antitrust watchdog’s approval to buy Catamaran Ventures’ stake in Prione, which operates one of the largest sellers on the e-commerce platform, months after the two firms said they won’t renew their joint venture after May next year. The announcement comes as a surprise as Catamaran owns a 76% stake in […]
Zepto, a 10-minute grocery delivery app in India, raises $100 million
Zepto, a Mumbai-based startup that operates a 10-minute instant grocery delivery service, has more than doubled its valuation to $570 million from $225 million less than two months ago as it expands into newer cities. Y Combinator’s Continuity Fund led the $100 million Series C round in Zepto, the two said Monday. Glade Brook, Nexus, […]
India’s OfBusiness valued at $5 billion in $325 million funding
OfBusiness, a New Delhi-headquartered startup that sells industrial goods and provides small businesses with credit, has secured its fourth financing round this year and is now valued at about $5 billion. Alpha Wave Global, Tiger Global, and SoftBank Vision Fund 2 led the startup’s $325 million Series G financing round. Alpha Wave Global, formerly known […]
Indian fintech giant Razorpay valued at $7.5 billion in $375 million funding
Razorpay has more than doubled its valuation to $7.5 billion from $3 billion in April as one of India’s largest fintech giants demonstrates fast growth and aggressively broadens its product offerings. The Bangalore-headquartered startup, which is a market leader in payments processing in India, said Sunday evening it has raised $375 million in its Series […]
India antitrust watchdog suspends Amazon’s 2019 deal with Future, imposes fine
An Indian antitrust watchdog has revoked the approval it had granted for Amazon’s 2019 investment in a Future Group unit and imposed a fine of about $26.3 million to the American e-commerce giant for concealing facts. The Competition Commission of India said Amazon, which invested in Future Coupons in 2019, “suppress[ed] the actual scope and purpose […]
India’s most valuable startup Byju’s in talks to go public via record SPAC deal
Indian edtech giant Byju’s, the nation’s most valuable startup, is in talks to go public in the U.S. by merging with a blank check company led by Churchill Capital, a person familiar with the matter said. Byju’s, currently valued at about $21 billion, is seeking a valuation of over $45 billion and looking to raise […]
Indian Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter account was ‘briefly compromised’
The Twitter account of India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “briefly compromised” on Sunday, his office said. Modi’s account — whose handle is @narendramodi — tweeted after the midnight that India had officially adopted bitcoin as a legal tender, prompting suspicions about a hack because of the timing of the announcement and also as New […]
Coinbase Ventures backs cross-chain infra Router Protocol
A startup that has built a decentralized exchange as well as a cross-chain infrastructure to facilitate communication across layer 1 and layer 2 blockchain solutions is the latest to receive backing from Coinbase Ventures. Singapore-headquartered Router Protocol said on Friday it has raised $4.1 million in a strategic funding round from Coinbase Ventures, Alameda Research, […]
Web creator Tim Berners-Lee’s startup Inrupt raises $30 million
Tim Berners-Lee’s startup, Inrupt, has raised about $30 million in its Series A financing round, a source familiar with the matter said. Forte Ventures led Inrupt’s new round, the two said Thursday, but both declined to disclose the size of the deal. The round saw participation from “all existing investors,” including Akamai Technologies and Glasswing […]
VCs eye investment in Polygon
A number of investors including Sequoia Capital India and Steadview Capital are in talks to back Polygon, which operates a framework for building and connecting Ethereum-compatible blockchain networks, by way of tokens purchase, three sources familiar with the matter told me. The investors are looking to purchase tokens worth $50 million to $150 million, sources said, requesting […]