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Software Technology Parks of India (STPI) has failed to meet the target of funding 300 start-ups under a central scheme, its Director General Arvind Kumar said while calling for a review of the performance of the agency which has been set up to promote IT and ITES companies. During the STPI's Sangam event, Kumar said that the organisation has been able to provide seed funds to 136 start-ups in the last three years under the Next Generation Incubation Scheme (NGIS) which calls for analysing the shortcomings in the implementation of the scheme. He said that the event Sangam marks the celebration of a technology startup's success. "But for me, it is more of a report card. The scheme was started five years back, but for two years actually, nothing happened except finding some fund manager. In these two and a half years, we were able to support around 685 startups and to 136, we were able to give seed funds. If I have to write my performance report, I think we are not able to do what we
Growth capital firm Playbook Partners intends to invest USD 20 million (around Rs 175 crore) each in about 12-15 companies over the next two years, a top company official said. The firm's investment portfolio includes companies like Myntra, PolicyBazaar, InMobi, Nazara Technologies, Rapido, and Renee, among others. While primarily investing in India, it has also backed global companies like SpaceX and Stripe. "With planned investments up to USD 20 million each in 12-15 companies, we are targeting high-potential ventures across SaaS, E-commerce, Healthtech, ClimateTech, B2B & B2C, Playbook Partners Founder and Managing Partner Vikas Choudhury said. Our focus is on companies that have crossed Rs 100 crores in turnover, where our capital and expertise can accelerate their journey to the next level of growth," Choudhury told PTI. Commitments to three companies are in the final stages of closing and will be announced over the next quarter, he added. The former Jio president said he has
Electric two-wheeler firm Pure EV on Monday said it has raised USD 8 million (around Rs 66 crore) from a consortium of investors. The funding was led by Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd, Hindustan Times Media Ventures, alongside Ushodaya Enterprises Pvt Ltd, existing investors and high net-worth individuals, Pure EV said in a statement. The Hyderabad-based company said it is currently in the final stage of concluding its Series A1 funding round, amounting to USD 25 million with the participation of a foreign institutional investor. Concurrently, ongoing discussions are taking place with potential investors from Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore for Series A2 funding, targeting an infusion of USD 15 million, it added. "We will be rapidly expanding our pan-India sales network from 140 to 300 dealers in the next six months," Pure EV Co-Founder & CEO Rohit Vadera stated. The company sells a range of electric motorcycles and scooters and has already sold over 70,000 units.