Connect with us

News

Flipkart – Walmart Deal: All The Latest Information

Published

on

Flipkart Walmart Deal,Flipkart Latest Information,Startup Stories,2018 Latest Business News,Startup News India,Entrepreneur Stories 2018,Ecommerce Startup Flipkart,Indian Startup Ecosystem,Walmart Buys Stake in Flipkart,Flipkart Business News,Flipkart Walmart Business

Three months ago reports surfaced the international retail giant Walmart was looking to invest in homegrown ecommerce startup Flipkart. While sources suggested the deal may close as soon as March, but new reports hinted Seattle based ecommerce giant Amazon.com was also looking to make a bid for a potential investment in the company. Since then, there has been a continuous back and forth between Walmart and Amazon to finalize a record breaking deal.

Recently, a number of key Flipkart shareholders agreed to sell their stakes in the company to Walmart. However, sources close to the development said SoftBank, which is the largest shareholder in Flipkart, is holding out for a better price. In order to become the largest investor in the Bengaluru based company, Walmart Inc., has already reached an agreement with the New York based investment firm Tiger Global Management, the South African media conglomerate Naspers, the venture capital firm Accel and China’s Tencent Holdings. According to The Economic Times, Sachin Bansal and Binny Bansal may sell a part of their stake in the company as well. However, a new hurdle in the form of the ecommerce firm eBay, may hamper the deal.

Recode reported, Walmart may have to first work out a deal with eBay, a Flipkart investor and partner, in order to buy a majority stake in India’s online shopping site. eBay, which invested close to $ 500 million in Flipkart last year, has a 5% stake in the business and handed over its eBay India operation as a part of the deal. Along with the investment, the San Jose based firm also signed a four year exclusive commercial arrangement to partner with Flipkart. The four year exclusive commercial arrangement gave the merchants who sell on Flipkart access to more than 150 million new customers from eBay, while eBay sellers outside of India got access to a new group of consumers inside the country. In accordance with this agreement, Walmart may not be able to seal merchandise based deals with Flipkart, unless Walmart and eBay come to some agreement. Recode further added, according to one person familiar with the arrangement eBay can also take back control of the eBay India brand name if Flipkart is acquired.

On the other hand, SoftBank has reportedly remained relatively cold to overtures made by Walmart. The Japan based venture firm invested close to $ 2.5 billion in Flipkart last year after the failed merger deal between Flipkart and Snapdeal. According to a report by The Economic Times, SoftBank was offered a $ 10-12 billion valuation to purchase its shares in Flipkart. One of the sources also said, “Discussions with SoftBank are still ongoing. Most of the others have come aboard. In a deal like this, there are always ebbs and flows, but there is a time factor to consider as well.

Flipkart has slowly grown to become one of the most valued company in the Indian startup ecosystem. With close to 8,000 permanent employees, the company has made at least 10 acquisitions in the 10 years of its existence. The firm managed to establish itself in the ecommerce industry by introducing the “cash on delivery” payment method, one of the biggest factors for its success.

 

Note: This article will be updated as and when we get further information.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

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

News

Bhavish Aggarwal’s Krutrim Unveils ‘Kruti’ — An Agentic AI Built for Bharat

Published

on

Kruti

Bengaluru, June 2025 – Krutrim, the AI startup founded by Ola’s Bhavish Aggarwal, has launched its new agentic AI assistant, Kruti. Unlike traditional virtual assistants, Kruti is designed with an Indian-first approach — combining cultural context, multilingual capabilities, and generative AI to offer a more intuitive, task-oriented experience for users.

Kruti is built to do more than just respond to queries — it can independently perform tasks, make decisions, and integrate across platforms for productivity and communication. Powered by Krutrim’s proprietary Indian-trained language model, it brings a deep understanding of local languages and digital behaviors, catering to both personal and business needs in the Indian ecosystem.

Aggarwal described Kruti as “India’s digital brain,” highlighting its role in redefining AI for Bharat. The assistant will be rolled out in phases, starting with enterprise partners and expanding through apps and APIs. As Kruti integrates into various platforms — including Ola’s services — it marks a significant stride in India’s ambition to lead the global AI race.

Continue Reading

News

Bankruptcy Forces BYJU’S to Offload Epic and Tynker for a Fraction of Acquisition Cost

Published

on

BYJU’S StartupStories

BYJU’S, once India’s most celebrated edtech startup, has sold its major US-based subsidiaries Epic and Tynker for a fraction of their original purchase prices, marking a dramatic reversal in its global expansion strategy. The distressed sales, approved by a US bankruptcy court on May 20, 2025, come amid the company’s ongoing financial and legal turmoil. Tynker, a coding education platform acquired by BYJU’S in 2021 for $200 million, was sold to CodeHS for just $2.2 million in cash, while Epic, a digital reading platform bought for $500 million in 2022, was acquired by China’s TAL Education Group for $95 million.

These fire-sale transactions were part of a broader restructuring effort to address disputes with lenders after BYJU’S defaulted on a $1.2 billion loan, which triggered bankruptcy proceedings for its US entities. The company’s US unit, Byju’s Alpha, became the focal point of legal battles, including allegations of mismanagement and the misappropriation of funds by top executives. Court rulings in the US have highlighted instances of fraudulent transfers and breaches of fiduciary duty by suspended directors, further compounding BYJU’S woes.

As BYJU’S scrambles to stabilize its core operations, several of its other high-profile acquisitions, such as Great Learning and Aakash Institute, have started operating independently and distancing themselves from the parent company. The massive losses from the sales of Epic and Tynker underscore the risks of BYJU’S aggressive acquisition spree and the severe impact of its financial mismanagement, leaving the future of the once high-flying edtech giant in question.

Continue Reading

Funding

Flick TV Secures $2.3M to Revolutionize India’s Micro-Drama Streaming Scene

Published

on

Flick TV StartupStories

Flick TV, India’s first mobile-focused OTT platform dedicated to micro-dramas, has secured $2.3 million in seed funding led by Stellaris Venture Partners, with participation from Gemba Capital and Titan Capital. Founded in early 2025 by Kushal Singhal, Pratik Anand, and Sanidhya Mittal, the platform aims to address the growing demand for high-quality, short-form storytelling tailored for mobile consumption. Unlike traditional user-generated short video platforms, Flick TV produces professionally shot, under-five-minute dramas across genres such as romance, thrillers, and slice-of-life—each crafted for vertical viewing to suit India’s rapidly expanding mobile internet audience.

The newly raised capital will be used to scale up content production, with plans to launch over 100 original titles, enhance the platform’s streaming technology, and expand offerings into four regional languages. Flick TV is also investing in generative AI and advanced workflows to streamline scripting and production, aiming to combine creative excellence with operational efficiency. The founders bring deep expertise from previous roles at ShareChat, EloElo, Meesho, and Pocket FM, positioning the company to bridge the gap between creator agility and cinematic storytelling in India’s nascent micro-drama ecosystem.

Industry observers see Flick TV as a frontrunner in India’s next entertainment wave, which is expected to be mobile-native, emotionally engaging, and built for short attention spans. With the micro-drama market projected to reach $5 billion in India over the next five years—mirroring the $7 billion success in China—Flick TV is poised to set new standards for premium, binge-worthy short-form content and redefine streaming for the modern Indian viewer.

 

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Recent Posts

Advertisement