Indian startup INDmoney has raised $75 million in a new round as it attempts to build a super finance app to become a “one-stop shop” for people’s investments and expenses, a top executive said on Monday. Tiger Global, Steadview Capital, and Dragoneer co-led the startup’s $75 million Series D funding, said Ashish Kashyap, founder and […]
Ghanaian fintech Float raises $17M seed to power cash flow for commerce in Africa
Cash flow is a major pain point for small businesses in Africa. Long payment cycles, which can take 30-90 days after services or products have been rendered, and little or no capital, of which research says 85% of African small and medium businesses are subject to, are the main culprits of cash flow issues. Many […]
Avataar raises $45 million to improve consumer shopping experience with life-sized 3D product evaluation
The vast majority of e-commerce customers prefer to preview the product before making the purchase. That’s the reason why the likes of Amazon have historically struggled to move fashion and home decor items online. A San Francisco and Bengaluru-based startup is attempting to solve this problem and has just raised a new funding round to […]
Record number of unicorns and IPOs: Indian startups raised $39B in 2021
In late March last year, as the virus started to spread across India, investors began to worry about the impact a potential pandemic could have on their portfolio firms. They exchanged notes, and on April 1, penned a joint open letter to the local startup ecosystem, advising firms to “prepare for the worst.” In the […]
African tech took center stage in 2021
Two years ago, the African tech ecosystem saw newfound attention from global players that translated to the continent’s best year of receiving venture capital. From varying sources, it is estimated up to $2 billion went into African tech startups in 2019. With high-profile visits from the most famous Jacks (Ma and Dorsey), a long-awaited first […]
Dinner is servoed
I’ve been up to my neck in CES planning — and, I suppose, unplanning this week. There’s a strange disconnect getting pitches for the one millionth UV light sanitizing robot while you’re weighing the pros and cons of attending a show in-person, amid the latest variant surge. Ultimately, we’ve decided not to go to Vegas […]
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 […]
Maple VC locks down $16.5 million for its second seed-stage fund by waving the Canadian flag
Maple VC is based in San Francisco, but don’t let that fool you, says its founder, Andre Charoo. The young fund, which launched in 2016 with $1.2 million in capital commitments, just closed on $16.5 million in capital commitments for a second fund that promises to almost exclusively back savvy Canadian founders, no matter where […]
India’s Slice becomes unicorn with $220M funding from Tiger Global, Insight Partners and Advent
Rajan Bajaj, founder of fintech Slice, chimed in on a Twitter thread early this year and wondered aloud what he needs to do to turn his startup into a unicorn before he turns 30. At just 28, Flipkart alum Bajaj has figured it out. I turned 28 few weeks back. I want @sliceit_ to become […]