Page 2 - Fundings

UN Biodiversity Conference ends in limbo as countries spar over funding

The main focus of COP16 was to advance a landmark biodiversity pact adopted in Montreal two years ago

'What is the source of your funds?' TMC min asks agitating junior doctors

Upping the ante against junior doctors who have been protesting the rape and murder of their colleague at the RG Kar hospital, West Bengal's Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay sought to know the source of their funds that helped continue the agitation for over two months. Chattopadhyay was speaking at a post-Durga Puja get-together organised by the TMC at his constituency Khardaha in North 24 Parganas district on Wednesday. A video of his address went viral on Thursday, triggering a fresh war of words with the junior doctors. PTI did not independently verify the authenticity of the video. "May I ask them, why are you agitating? For what reason are you agitating? Why is all the anger directed at the government?" he said. "What is the source of your funds? From where are you getting so much money?" he added. Reacting strongly, senior doctor Subarna Goswami said the "outburst" showed the discomfiture of the establishment as issues concerning the healthcare system are being .

Zinc raises $25.5 million in seed funding from Nexus Venture Partners

The funding will enable Zinc to drive product innovation and expand its offerings

Delhi court to decide on Engineer Rashid's bail in terror funding on Nov 19

A Delhi court would likely pronounce on November 19 its order on a bail plea of Lok Sabha MP from J&K's Baramulla, Engineer Rashid, in an alleged case of terror funding. Additional Sessions Judge Chander Jit Singh, who was scheduled to pass the order on Monday, adjourned the matter. The judge had on September 10 granted interim bail to Sheikh Abdul Rashid, alias Engineer Rashid, to enable him to campaign for the Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections while deferring the order on his regular bail plea. Rashid's interim bail was previously extended till October 28 on the ground of his father's poor health. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) hadn't opposed the plea after verifying the documents. Rashid has been lodged in Tihar jail since 2019 after the NIA arrested him under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in the 2017 terror funding case. Elections to the 90-member J&K Assembly were held in three phases between September 18 and October 1. The results were declared on .

VC in India funding up 50% in Q1-Q3 2024 on increased big-ticket deals

A total of 883 deals were announced between January and September 2024, marking a 7.3 per cent rise in deal volume compared to the same period in 2023

Avaana raises $135 mn for climate fund to fuel climate-tech startups

Avaana Capital, India's climate-focused venture capital firm, has managed to infuse Avaana Climate and Sustainability Fund with USD 135 million, thanks to support from renowned institutional investors, including the Green Climate Fund (GCF), said a senior official from the company on Wednesday. In a press statement, Anjali Bansal, partner at Avaana Capital, said, "The support we've received from leading global and domestic institutional investors underscores the importance of innovation in driving climate action and delivering long-term impact. The Avaana Climate & Sustainability Fund will help build the next generation of climate-first companies to transform key sectors and make meaningful progress toward a sustainable future." According to her, the fund focuses on three core sectors that account for 90 per cent of India's carbon emissions: Energy and Resource Management, Mobility and Supply Chains, and Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems. Bansal said India is one of the ...

Reliance Infra's Rs 6,000 cr fundraising plan gets shareholders' nod

Shareholders of Reliance Infrastructure have approved the company's plan to raise Rs 6,000 crore through preferential issue of shares and qualified institutional placement (QIP) route. Both proposals have received shareholders' approval, with over 98 per cent voting in favour of the resolutions via postal ballot, the company informed in a stock exchange disclosure. Reliance Infrastructure's board, on September 19, had approved a Rs 6,000-crore fundraise plan. Of this, Rs 3,014 crore was to be raised through preferential allotment of shares or convertible warrants, while Rs 3,000 crore will be raised by QIP. In the first phase, Reliance Infrastructure is launching the Rs 3,014 crore preferential placement by issuing 12.56 crore equity shares or convertible warrants at an issue price of Rs 240 per share. Out of this, Rs 1,104 crore will be invested by the promoters of Reliance Infrastructure through promoter company Risee Infinity Private Ltd. Risee will subscribe to 4.60 crore ...

Temasek arm FFH to invest Rs 252 cr in Lendingkart to get controlling stake

Lendingkart on Friday said existing investor Singapore-based Temasek has committed to investing up to Rs 252 crore in the fintech to take a controlling stake. Earlier, Temasek arm Fullerton Financial Holdings (FFH) had 38.16 per cent stake in the company but the investment amount is not known. A company statement announcing the fundraise was, however, silent on the reports of a huge decline in valuation in the latest round of funding. FFH is committing up to Rs 252 crore more and will have a controlling stake, subject to regulatory nods, the statement said. The capital infusion from FFH will enable the company deepen its reach in underserved markets and enhance technology. The company's founder and managing director, Harshvardhan Lunia said the fresh investment is a "vote of confidence" in Lendingkart's ability to transform the MSMEs' (micro, small and medium enterprises) lending landscape and vowed to replicate the investor's past successes in India. FFH's chief executive Hong P

AGNIT Semiconductors raises $3.5mn in seed round marking first investment

The five-year-old Bengaluru-based startup has raised $4.87 million in total so far and plans to use the fresh funds to scale its production and commercial operations

WHO secures $1 billion for 2025-28, with $700 million in new funding

Germany pledged nearly $400 million over four years, with $260 million in new voluntary funding

Beauty products platform Purplle raises Rs 1,500 cr in funding round

Subsidiary of Abu Dhabi Investment Authority leads in committing investment

Oyo likely to raise $200 million at 2x valuation of $4.5-5 billion

OYO to refinance its $450 mn of outstanding debt

Jewellery retailer GIVA raises Rs 255 cr in Series B funding round

Jewellery retailer GIVA on Monday said it has raised Rs 255 crore in a funding round, as it looks to expand its offline presence and bolster its lab-grown diamond offerings. The extended Series B funding round was led by Premji Invest, Epiq Capital, and Edelweiss Discover Fund, with participation from GIVA's top management. GIVA plans to use the funds for expansion across India and to enable strategic investor exits, the company said in a statement. The round facilitated partial exits for early investors A91 Partners and India Quotient. "Our focus remains steadfast on holding our position as the number one silver jewelry player in the market, while further fortifying our lab-grown diamond segment," GIVA Founder and CEO Ishendra Agarwal said. The company also aims to broaden its gold offerings and consolidate its market presence, Agarwal added. GIVA did not disclose the new valuation or the size of the stakes sold by existing investors.

India's gaming sector to double topline in 4 years despite funding slowdown

Companies in the social and casual gaming sector earned Rs 13,800 crore in 2023 and are expected to reach Rs 36,600 crore in topline in the next five years

LC Nueva Investment announces new venture capital fund to raise Rs 250 cr

LC Nueva Investment Partners has announced its second venture, LC Nueva Momentum Fund, with total target corpus size of Rs 250 crore. LC Nueva Investment Partners is a partnership between Singapore's Lighthouse Canton and Delhi-based Nueva Capital. "The new LC Nueva Momentum Fund focuses on investing in 10-15 high-growth companies at the Series A, B and growth stages. The target size of the new fund is Rs 150 crore (about USD 18 million), with a greenshoe option of Rs 100 crore (USD 12 million)," the venture capital firm said in a statement. LC Nueva Investment Partners had in 2023 closed its LC Nueva Fund at Rs 350 crore. "We are confident that our strategic focus on high-potential investments will position LC Nueva Momentum Fund to achieve exceptional returns. By actively pursuing secondary opportunities alongside leveraging the strong relationships established through our previous fund, we are poised to navigate the current market dynamics effectively," Sohil Chand, Founding ...

XDLINX Space Labs raises $7 mn in seed funding from Lucky Investments

Founded in 2022 in Hyderabad, XDLINX Space Labs aims to make satellite technology accessible to a broader range of clients

NBFCs turning to alternative funding sources amid slower bank loans

This shift has been spurred by changes in banking regulations, making it more difficult for NBFCs, especially those with lower credit ratings, to secure bank funding

State-owned Punjab National Bank raises Rs 5,000 crore through QIP issue

State-owned Punjab National Bank (PNB) has raised Rs 5,000 crore through an issue of equity shares to qualified institutional players. The bank allocated about 48.19 crore equity shares at an issue price of Rs 103.75 per share, which was at a discount of 4.96 per cent to the floor price of Rs 109.16 per share, PNB said in a statement. The bank's QIP issue was open for subscription from September 23 to 26, 2024, it said. "The bank received Bids from Qualified Institutional Buyers (QIBs) including Mutual Funds, Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs), Insurance Companies, etc., to the tune of Rs 41,734 crore for the QIP Issue, which is 16.7 times the base issue size of Rs 2,500 crore and 8.3 times the total issue size of Rs 5,000 crore," it said. The amount of capital raised through QIP issue will augment the bank's CET-1 Ratio and the overall Capital Adequacy Ratio, it added.

Godrej Properties to consider raising funds via securities in Oct 1 meet

Realty firm Godrej Properties on Thursday said its board will meet on October 1 to consider a proposal to raise funds through the issue of securities. The company did not disclose the amount it wants to raise. In a regulatory filing, Godrej Properties informed that a meeting of the board of directors is scheduled to be held on October 1 to discuss and consider the proposal to raise funds by way of the issue of equity shares, or any other eligible securities and/or instruments. The issue of securities could be through public and/or private offerings, including qualified institution placements, preferential issues, rights issues, further public offers or any other permissible method. Godrej Properties is one of the leading developers in the country. It has a major presence in Delhi-NCR, Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune and Bengaluru. It has entered into Hyderabad market recently. In the last fiscal, the company's sales bookings jumped 84 per cent to a record Rs 22,527 crore, t

Startup firm Whatfix raises $125 mn in Series E round led by Warbug Pincus

Supporting 80+ Fortune 500 companies, Whatfix registered top-decile performance with a 4.5x increase in annual recurring revenue since 2021 round, with new products contributing 15 per cent of revenue