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Ola To Raise Fresh Funds From SoftBank And Others

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Ola Raise Fresh Funds From SoftBank,Startup Stories,Latest Business News 2017,Inspirational Stories 2017,Ola Cabs Raise From Tencent,Ola Cabs News,Indian industrialist Ratan Tata,Ola CEO

Homegrown taxi hailing startup Ola has secured $2 billion in new funding from SoftBank Group Corp., and Tencent Holdings Ltd. These fresh funds will help the taxi aggregator fight its fiercest rival in India, Uber Technologies Inc.

Bloomberg reported, this funding round is backed by a venture capital fund jointly run by Indian industrialist Ratan Tata, the investment arm of the University of California and various U.S. institutional investors. The company’s valuation after the funding round is not clear as the round is not yet completed and the total amount raised may vary. However, the cab aggregator saw a steep decline in its valuation from $ 6 billion last year to around $ 2.5 billion this year.

These fresh funds will help Ola build both its supply of vehicles and drivers to maintain the upper hand in the $10 billion Indian market. This sub round of funding was led by the Chinese Internet giant Tencent, with an investment of $ 450 t0 $ 500 million. However, SoftBank, which is supposed to invest close to $ 1 billion in the company, has set terms for Ola to receive the second part of the planned $ 2 billion investment. Ola will only receive the additional funds once it delivers on the goals the Japanese investor has set for the company.

This round of investment marks the second largest funding round in an Indian startup after both SoftBank Vision Fund and Tencent invested a total of about $4 billion in Flipkart this year. These fresh funds come at a time when global rival Uber, is recovering from a management shakeup including a surprise announcement by former CEO Travis Kalanick.

Ola’s co founders Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati, have also joined Indiatech.org, an industry body formed solely to fight for local companies to battle against ‘deep pocketed’ global competitors. Led by Flipkart founder Sachin Bansal, this lobby group will represent the interests of local ventures for favorable laws in the digital commerce market space.

Neither Ola nor SoftBank have responded to queries regarding the newest investment.

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Funding

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

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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.

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Info Edge Delivers 36% Returns on Startup Investments

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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.

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

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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.

 

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