$210 mn Series B funding round led by Hornbill Capital; Physics Wallah will use funding to expand reach
Edtech unicorn PhysicsWallah said on Friday it has raised USD 210 million in a funding round led by Hornbill Capital at a 2.5 times higher valuation of USD 2.8 billion. Lightspeed Venture Partners, along with existing investors GSV and WestBridge, also participated in the funding round. "PhysicsWallah Pvt Ltd (PW) has closed its series B funding round, raising USD 210 million. This investment brings the company's post-money valuation to an impressive USD 2.8 billion, 2.5x (times) jump over its last valuation of USD 1.1 billion," the company said in a statement. There has been a long dry spell of significant funding in the Indian edtech sector with a significant dip in the valuation of large edtech firms. "PhysicsWallah's funding round serves as a beacon of optimism amidst challenging times for the edTech sector, showcasing the unwavering confidence of both existing and new investors in PhysicsWallah's growth and its mission to democratise education across India," the company said.
A committee of creditors (CoC) is a group of lenders who make decisions about an insolvent company or borrower in the insolvency resolution process
Byju's statement further added that they had 'multiple call recordings', where BDO representatives explicitly suggested backdating these documents, which Byju's refused to do
Byju's defended its inability to provide the documents, saying in a statement the materials were requested from the firm's board, which has been suspended
According to the report, the Indian edtech sector reported the highest-funded quarter in Q3 2021 with an overall funding of $2.48 billion
The company is being run by court-appointed resolution professional Pankaj Srivastava who is inviting lenders, employees, vendors and government to claim unpaid dues
The edtech sector has attracted $215 million in funding to date in 2024, reflecting a slight improvement compared to the total $321 million secured in entire 2023
This means that the US term loan lenders will not be party to the discussion of the CoC
Edtech firm ODA Class said on Thursday it has raised USD 500 thousand (about Rs 4 crore) in a fresh funding round from Singapore and China-based investors. Skywalker Education Technology Co Ltd. (Singapore), Hong Kong-based Daituzi Education Technology Corporation Limited, and Matrix Partners China invested in ODA Class during the series B funding round. "ODA Class has announced the completion of its series B funding round by securing USD 5,00,000. The company is supported by investors who believe in its mission, including Skywalker Education Technology Co. Ltd. (Singapore), Daituzi Education Technology Corporation Limited, and Matrix Partners China," ODA Class said in a statement. With this fresh funding round, the edtech firm has raised USD 12.75 million (about Rs 106 crore) from investors. The company raised USD 9 million in 2021, USD 3 million in 2022 and an additional USD 2,50,000 in 2023 "With the latest funding, we are well-positioned to enhance our technological ...
Survey finds that children above the age of 10 in major metro cities use GenAI once a week, mainly for educational purposes, while 20% use it to pursue personal interests
India's Supreme Court is set to hold on Thursday its next hearing in the insolvency process it allowed to continue last week, when it sided with the protesting US lenders
Expresses deep concern about being asked to interfere with proceedings in another country's judicial system
US Bankruptcy Judge Brendan Shannon rejected a lender request to block Riju Ravindran, brother of Byju's founder
Earlier this week, a judge in Delaware, where the main legal action against Byju's is taking place, ordered Ravindran to pay $10,000 a day until he helps locate the $533 million
The NCLAT noted that "money being offered by the largest shareholder and former promoter (Riju Raveendran) has nothing to do with the US lenders, which gives the court power to rule"
Formation of committee of creditors stayed till August 2
Raveendran's brother had made part-payment on Tuesday
The missing cash belongs to a bankrupt shell company, Byju's Alpha Inc., which is affiliated with Think & Learn and was taken over by the lenders after their loan defaulted
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who appeared on behalf of the BCCI, informed the bench that some talks were on and the BCCI wanted time to see if "anything fruitful will come" out of such discussion