Latest news with #IndianCities
Entrepreneur
27-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
ZILO Raises USD 4.5 Mn Led by Info Edge and Chiratae to Revolutionise Fashion Commerce
The capital will be deployed to help ZILO achieve product-market fit, strengthen its hybrid supply chain, forge brand partnerships, and expand its operations beyond Mumbai to other major Indian cities in the coming months. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Fashion-tech startup ZILO has raised USD 4.5 million in seed funding, with Info Edge Ventures and Chiratae Ventures leading the round. The capital will be deployed to help ZILO achieve product-market fit, strengthen its hybrid supply chain, forge brand partnerships, and expand its operations beyond Mumbai to other major Indian cities in the coming months. ZILO was founded by Padmakumar Pal, a former Vice President at Flipkart and Myntra, and Bhavik Jhaveri, a serial entrepreneur. The platform is pioneering a new model in fashion retail, offering rapid delivery of curated styles from over 250 top brands such as Levi's, Puma, United Colors of Benetton, and The Souled Store. At its core, ZILO is designed for the quick-commerce era—delivering on-trend fashion in under 60 minutes, while enabling instant returns and scheduled home trials. Customers can try multiple items at home and return what they don't like immediately, streamlining the decision-making process. Operating through a mix of dark stores and partner brand outlets, ZILO ensures access to fresh, in-season products. "We founded ZILO to bring intentionality back into online fashion," said Padmakumar Pal, Co-founder and CEO. "Our platform offers a blend of online convenience and offline experience, where speed, quality, and curation coexist. Fashion discovery should be joyful, and we're here to deliver it seamlessly and reliably." Co-founder and CIO Bhavik Jhaveri added, "ZILO was created to solve a real consumer pain point. Power shoppers buy frequently, but today's retail landscape is fragmented and impersonal. We're rebuilding fashion retail from the ground up—combining discovery, delivery, and returns into one smooth, trustworthy experience." Currently live in Mumbai, ZILO plans to expand to multiple metros and add footwear, bags, watches, and fashion accessories to its offering—stocking nearly 100,000 styles by the festive season. Kitty Agarwal, Partner at Info Edge Ventures, commented, "ZILO's model delivers on speed, personalization, and trust—three critical factors for modern fashion consumers. We're excited to back a team that blends operational rigor with bold innovation to redefine how India shops for fashion." With its hyper-curated platform and rapid logistics, ZILO is set to reshape fashion e-commerce, offering a compelling new benchmark for convenience and consumer delight.
Entrepreneur
10-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Stride Ventures Invests INR 85 Crore in Wow! Momo
You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Stride Ventures has announced a debt investment of INR 85 crore in Wow! Momo Foods, one of India's leading quick-service restaurant (QSR) chains. The funding will be used to refinance existing loans and power the company's expansion across its QSR and fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) verticals. Wow! Momo Foods, which houses brands including Wow! Momo, Wow! China, Wow! Chicken, and Wow! Kulfi, currently operates over 700 self-owned outlets across more than 70 Indian cities. The company has become a category-defining force in India's QSR landscape, demonstrating industry-leading same-store sales growth and a highly scalable omnichannel strategy encompassing dine-in, delivery, and FMCG formats. The brand's focus now includes scaling its FMCG vertical to INR 100 crore and aggressively expanding its newly launched HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant and Catering) division. The company also plans to expand its retail footprint to over 1,500 stores across more than 100 cities in the next three years. "The support from Stride Ventures marks a pivotal moment in our journey of redefining Indian QSR. With their partnership, we aim to scale new heights, introduce new formats, and continue building brands that India can be proud of," said Sagar Daryani, Co-founder and CEO of Wow! Momo. Apoorva Sharma, Founder and Managing Partner at Stride Ventures, added, "Wow! Momo is a reflection of India's evolving consumer story. Their passion for innovation and scale makes them a standout player in the food services sector. We are proud to support their journey as they continue to bring their culinary creations to every corner of the country." This debt investment marks another step in Stride Ventures' mission to back high-growth, category-leading startups. The firm remains focused on supporting businesses that are reshaping India's consumer and economic landscape through innovation and execution at scale. With an ambitious roadmap and a visionary founding team, comprising Sagar Daryani, Binod Homagai, Miftaur Rahman, and Murali Krishnan, Wow! Momo is poised for high-decibel growth across multiple channels over the next 24 to 36 months.
Times of Oman
07-06-2025
- Business
- Times of Oman
Urban consumer confidence shows stable sentiments, expects brighter outlook: RBI survey
Mumbai: The Reserve Bank of India's Urban Consumer Confidence Survey (UCCS) for May 2025 indicates that consumer sentiments regarding the current economic situation have remained largely stable compared to March, supported by slight improvements in areas such as employment and prices, though these still remain in the negative zone. According to the survey data, the overall Consumer Confidence Index (CCI) registered a marginal decline, dipping slightly from 95.5 in March to 95.4 in May 2025. This reflects a minor weakening in current consumer sentiment. However, expectations for the future have improved notably. The survey findings stated that the people are more optimistic about the economic outlook, employment prospects, income levels, and their ability to spend. This growing optimism pushed the Future Expectations Index (FEI) up by 1 point, from 122.4 in March to 123.4 in May. The RBI conducted the survey between May 2 and May 11, covering 6,090 respondents across 19 major Indian cities. The survey highlights how urban households perceive the present economic environment and what they anticipate for the coming year. A key takeaway from the survey is the growing optimism among urban households regarding inflation and price levels. This is the second consecutive round where concerns about high prices have declined. Looking ahead, most respondents expect inflation and prices to ease further. RBI said "Pessimism about the current price level and inflation continued to ease for the second consecutive round. Households also expect a decline in both price and inflationary pressures over the coming year." Although consumers did not report a major change in their current income levels, there is strong optimism about future earnings. "Households remain firmly optimistic on future earnings even though their sentiment on current earnings remained around its March 2025 level," the RBI added. Spending patterns also reflect this cautious optimism. While current spending, both on essential and non-essential items, has seen a slight dip compared to March, expectations for future spending have improved. In summary, the survey revealed that while consumers feel only slightly better about present conditions, they are significantly more confident and hopeful about the year ahead.
Entrepreneur
24-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Agri-Commerce Startup Kisaan Se Kitchen Tak Raises $1.3 Million to Fuel National Expansion
Founded by Santosh Srivastava and Ishaan Hukku, KSKT operates a farm-to-fork supply chain platform that directly connects over 5,000 farmers with a customer base of more than 32,000 across both B2B and B2C segments You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Kisaan Se Kitchen Tak (KSKT), a fast-growing agri-commerce startup, has secured $1.3 million in a funding round led by Keiretsu Forum and Favcy's 1stCheque Angel Network. The round comprises both equity and debt, and is expected to power the company's next phase of growth, including a major expansion into more than 20 Indian cities. Founded by Santosh Srivastava and Ishaan Hukku, KSKT operates a farm-to-fork supply chain platform that directly connects over 5,000 farmers with a customer base of more than 32,000 across both B2B and B2C segments. The company aims to onboard over 50,000 farmers in the coming phases and enhance its operational backbone using AI-driven demand forecasting tools to optimize supply, reduce waste, and respond swiftly to market shifts. According to data shared by the company, KSKT reported revenue of INR 14.5 crore for FY25, reflecting a fourfold year-on-year growth. The founders have set an ambitious target of reaching INR 100 crore in annual recurring revenue within the next three years, leveraging data, logistics, and an expanding network of farmers and urban consumers. "Our model is built to reduce friction in the agricultural supply chain while ensuring consistent quality and price transparency," said co-founder Santosh Srivastava, highlighting the company's operational efficiency. KSKT claims a 68 per cent repeat customer usage rate and minimal wastage of just 3 per cent, which it attributes to its tight-knit logistics and real-time tracking systems. The startup is a part of Favcy's 1to10 Accelerator program, which backs high-growth potential startups from India's tier II and tier III cities. KSKT was selected for its early traction, revenue performance, and scalable model. The accelerator is currently accepting applications for its Summer 2025 Cohort, further extending opportunities for regional entrepreneurs looking to scale. The capital infusion will not only support city-wise expansion and deeper market penetration but also go into fortifying KSKT's tech infrastructure, enhancing its predictive analytics and platform capabilities to manage supply chain complexities as volumes increase.
Reuters
12-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Policybazaar parent PB Fintech's new India hospital venture raises $218 million
May 8 (Reuters) - Policybazaar owner PB Fintech ( opens new tab said on Thursday its new healthcare venture has raised $218 million in a seed round, marking its entry into India's fast-growing healthcare industry. The venture, PB Health, will use the funds to set up four to five hospitals in and around New Delhi by 2027, with a long-term plan to build a 25–30 hospital network across 10 Indian cities, PB Fintech chairman Yashish Dahiya told Reuters in an interview. The fund raise includes $50 million from Silicon Valley-based General Catalyst, which last year led a $340 million round in Mumbai-based quick commerce startup Zepto and is a backer in Indian startups Cred and Spinny. Policybazaar is India's largest insurance aggregator, selling health, life, and motor coverage on behalf of insurers. 'Providing quality affordable healthcare in India is a complex challenge. We believe one way to tackle this issue is through the world of insurance,' Dahiya said. PB Fintech's initial investment of about $62 million will give it a 26% stake in PB Health, Dahiya said, without naming other shareholders. Private investment in Indian healthcare has surged in recent years, with the sector drawing 84 PE/VC deals worth $3.2 billion in 2024 and 62 deals totalling $5 billion in 2023, according to a report by EY and IVCA. "We believe India has a unique opportunity to leapfrog legacy models and build a resilient, inclusive health assurance system," Neeraj Arora, MD of General Catalyst said in a statement. The investment comes just a year after General Catalyst expanded in India by merging, opens new tab with local venture firm Venture Highway and earmarking $500 million to $1 billion for fresh investments in the country.
