Connect with us

Funding

SoftBank Looking At Investing In Zomato

Published

on

SoftBank Looking At Investing In Zomato,Startup Stories,2018 Latest Business News,Startup News India,SoftBank Invest In Zomato,SoftBank Latest Business News,Indian FoodTech Sector Zomato,SoftBank Funding News,India Food Delivery

SoftBank, Japan based investment firm, is looking at opening investments in the restaurant discovery and food delivery platform, Zomato. Six months after the initial talks, the investment platform is working at investing around $ 250 million in the homegrown food delivery platform. The investment firm also held multiple conversations with Swiggy for a possible investment. Two people involved and familiar with the conversation said, “(Swiggy) is of the view that it is still little early to raise a large cheque from the Japanese firm.”

According to reports, SoftBank is in talks to invest in different areas of Zomato, spanning over the platform’s three main metrics as well as Zomato’s international expansion plans over the next few years. In Zomato’s last round of funding the platform raised $ 200 million from Chinese based e commerce platform, Alibaba’s payments affiliate, Alipay.

This new development comes shortly after SoftBank’s decision on whether or not it wants to sell more than 20% of its stake post the Flipkart take over by Walmart. “SoftBank discussed business metrics across Zomato’s three main business lines. One of the points of conversations revolved around Zomato’s international expansion over next few years,” said the person pointing out that “there is no guarantee the conversations will materialize into an investment.”

While SoftBank is still scanning India’s food delivery space looking to finalize a candidate for a likely investment of  $ 200 to 400 million, a final decision on its investment is likely to be taken by the end of the year. With the food industry increasing by 125 % in the year 2017, international investors are looking at increasing their hold on the growing food sector in the Indian market. With order values increasing to 4 to 5 lakhs a day, the food sector is definitely increasing at a fast and continuously growing pace. SoftBank is also the largest shareholder in the cab hailing applications Ola and Uber, both of which acquired and launched food delivery services last year.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Funding

Flam Secures $14M Series A to Revolutionize Mixed Reality Marketing with AI

Published

on

Flam_StartupStories

AI infrastructure startup Flam has raised $14 million in a Series A round led by RTP Global, with participation from Dovetail and existing investors, bringing its total funding to $22 million. Founded in 2021, Flam enables brands to create and deliver high-fidelity mixed reality (MR) and generative AI experiences without the need for app downloads, allowing consumers to access immersive content via QR codes or links in under 300 milliseconds.

Flam’s platform is already used by over 100 global brands-including Google, Samsung, and Netflix-reaching more than 380 million users. The new funding will accelerate product innovation, expand operations in North America, Europe, and Asia, and launch a full-stack enterprise suite for MR and GenAI-driven marketing. The company currently has over 120 employees and plans to grow to 180 by the end of 2025, aiming to transform every brand touchpoint into an interactive digital experience.

Continue Reading

Funding

Info Edge Delivers 36% Returns on Startup Investments

Published

on

Infoedge

Info Edge, the parent of Naukri.com, has achieved a 36% gross internal rate of return (IRR) on its startup investments since 2007, turning a total investment of INR 3,959 crore across 111 startups into a portfolio now valued at INR 36,855 crore-a nearly 9X gain. Early bets on Zomato and Policybazaar have been especially lucrative, with holdings in these two companies alone worth INR 31,500 crore as of March 2025.

The company’s investment strategy spans multiple vehicles, including the SEBI-registered Info Edge Venture Fund (IEVF), Info Edge Capital, and Capital 2B, with a combined fund corpus of INR 3,423 crore and Info Edge committing INR 1,614 crore. Early-stage investments now contribute 30-40% of the company’s overall value.

Info Edge’s Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) investments have yielded an IRR of 18.7%. Many portfolio companies, such as TrueMeds, Geniemode, Attentive.ai, and InPrime, have attracted follow-on funding from major investors like Accel, Peak XV Partners, and Tiger Global. Notably, BlueStone, the largest investment of Info Edge Capital, has filed for an IPO after securing investments from Prosus, Peak XV, and Steadview Capital.

Founder Sanjeev Bikhchandani emphasized the company’s focus on strong governance and financial controls, with a preference for value realization through public listings or strategic exits.

Continue Reading

Funding

Phab Raises $2M Seed Funding to Expand Healthy Snacking Brand

Published

on

PHAB

Phab, the D2C healthy snacking brand co-founded by Ankit Chona of ice cream brand Hocco and his wife Gayatri Chona, has raised $2 million (around ₹17 crore) in a seed funding round led by OTP Ventures, with participation from Capri Global, Sim&San law firm, and angel investors.

Founded in 2018, phab offers protein bars and healthy milkshakes, leveraging Ankit’s decade-long food industry experience and Gayatri’s expertise as a certified nutritionist. The brand has sold over 2 million units and sells through e-commerce and quick commerce platforms like Amazon, Flipkart, Zepto, and Blinkit.

Despite a 12% dip in operating revenue to ₹5 crore in FY24, phab trimmed its net loss by nearly 3% to ₹6.8 crore, showing improved efficiency.

The new funds will be used to expand the team, invest in production capacity, and grow phab’s presence across digital, quick commerce, and offline channels. The brand competes with Yoga Bar, Beyond Snack, and The Whole Truth in India’s growing $68 billion healthy snacking market. OTP Ventures’ founding partner Suhail Sameer praised phab’s bold, differentiated approach and the founders’ vision, signaling strong investor confidence in the brand’s growth potential.

 

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Recent Posts

Advertisement