india

Oyo founder seeks new investment at $3.8 billion valuation

Startups /

Oyo founder Ritesh Agarwal’s investment vehicle has proposed to inject another $65.1 million into the hotel management startup, according to shareholder notifications reviewed by TechCrunch. The investment, through Redsprig Innovation Partners, would value the SoftBank-backed company at $3.8 billion, according to terms shared in the extraordinary general meeting notice. While this represents a 38% premium […]

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Reliance, Disney complete India media merger valued at $8.5B

Media & Entertainment /

Reliance and Disney have completed their landmark Indian media merger, creating an $8.5 billion entertainment powerhouse in the country’s streaming and television markets. The deal, proposed in February, brings together Disney’s Star India with Reliance-controlled Viacom18 under a joint venture that will control about 85% of India’s streaming market and roughly half of television viewership

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ePlane looks to ride the Indian government’s interest in air taxis with new $14M round

Transportation /

Soaring private vehicle ownership and declining use of public and non-motorized transport have created mounting traffic congestion in India, the world’s most populous country, which also struggles with relatively narrower roads and inadequate parking facilities in cities. New Delhi recognizes these challenges and has been exploring new ways to address them quickly. Indian Prime Minister

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Swiggy market debut fuels India’s food, quick commerce wars

Startups /

Shares of Swiggy surged 5.56% to 434 rupees on Wednesday as the food delivery and quick commerce startup concluded India’s second-largest IPO this year, in a closely watched debut that puts it in direct comparison with what analysts have long considered the benchmark Indian internet stock: Zomato. The listing of the 10-year-old Bengaluru-headquartered firm marks

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Lightspeed doubles down on Wheelocity as it pivots to rural India commerce

Fundraising /

While India’s urban population is shifting from mom-and-pop stores to quick commerce platforms, its rural side — home to more than 800 million people — still heavily relies on offline businesses for daily consumption. Wheelocity aims to transform that untapped market to let people living beyond the top 200 cities of the country easily shop online.

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Equal has a plan to fight India’s growing cyber fraud problem

Fintech /

India, the world’s most populous country and the second-largest internet market after China, is becoming increasingly digitally active. However, this rapid digitization comes with a growing risk of online fraud. Cyber fraud is mounting in India to the point where the Indian government estimates it could amount to 0.7% of the country’s GDP — over

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India issues notice to Wikipedia over concerns of bias

Government & Policy /

Wikipedia is facing mounting regulatory pressure in India as local authorities question whether the platform should continue to enjoy legal protections as a neutral intermediary rather than being classified as a publisher.  The Indian Ministry of Information and Broadcasting issued a notice to Wikipedia on Tuesday questioning the encyclopedia’s intermediary status that’s offered to tech

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Once-dominant Swiggy seeks $11.3B value at IPO, less than half Zomato’s worth

Startups /

Swiggy, one of India’s largest food delivery and quick commerce startups, is seeking a valuation of up to $11.3 billion in its initial public offering, marking a 57% discount to rival Zomato’s market cap. The lossmaking Bengaluru-based company has set an IPO price band of ₹371 to ₹390 ($4.41-$4.64) per share for next month’s IPO.

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Meesho claims Indian e-commerce first with positive cash flow

Commerce /

Meesho has become India’s first horizontal e-commerce firm to generate positive cash flow, marking a significant shift in a market where profitability has long remained elusive even as new competitive threats emerge. The SoftBank and Prosus-backed startup, which serves customers in smaller Indian cities and towns, reported positive operating cash flow of ₹232 crores ($27.6

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