Latest news with #Z47
Mint
08-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Z47 to raise $300-400 million maiden fund, its first since Matrix split
Mumbai: Z47, formerly Matrix Partners India, is in early discussions to raise its first fund, multiple people aware of the matter told Mint. The fund is likely to target a corpus of $300-400 million and could be launched sometime next year, they said. The investment firm is currently in talks with potential investors and is also exploring partial exits from some portfolio companies to demonstrate interim liquidity. 'It is in conversations with various investors for the new fund. The current focus is to sell some stakes in its portfolio companies to show interim liquidity as this is their first venture post the split," said two people cited above. Z47 declined to comment. In today's cautious fundraising climate, showing distributed capital has become a crucial signal for private equity and venture capital firms seeking to raise successor funds. Z47 is eyeing secondary stake sales in companies such as Ola, OfBusiness, Razorpay, and Dailyhunt, which could fetch around $150–180 million, as per an Economic Times report last year. Talks are underway with other funds for a potential portfolio sale transaction. Z47, which ended its partnership with the US firm, has backed startups across consumer and enterprise tech sectors. Its portfolio includes OneCard, Captain Fresh, Country Delight, Jupiter, MoEngage, and Zupee, among others. Historically, Z47 has exited investments in companies like Avail, CreditVidya, Five Star Business Finance, ITZ Cash, Muthoot Finance, and Ola Electric through a mix of strategic sales and IPOs. 'OfBusiness and Razorpay are also expected to tap the public markets in the near future and are likely to give exits to some of their existing investors in the process," one of the people added. The new fund will come more than two years after the firm closed its fourth fund with a corpus of over $550 million, which focused on seed, early-stage, and early growth investments across sectors in India. Z47's effort mirrors a broader fundraising revival in Indian venture capital. Peak XV Partners, the rebranded Sequoia India & SEA, is also in early talks to raise a new India-Southeast Asia fund of up to $1.4 billion—its first since the split from Sequoia Capital. The fund is likely to be raised by the end of the current financial year, Mint reported earlier. In parallel, Peak XV has exited in part or full from several portfolio companies over the past 12–18 months, including Porter, Rebel Foods, HealthKart, Finova, K12 Techno, and Cloudnine Hospitals. It has also pared stakes in listed and pre-IPO firms such as Ixigo, Awfis, Go Digit General Insurance, Blackbuck, Zomato, Mamaearth, Truecaller, Indigo Paints, Five Star Business Finance, and MobiKwik. Several other Indian investment firms, including Kedaara, ChrysCapital, Stellaris Venture Partners, India Quotient, Sixth Sense Ventures, Prime Ventures, Accel, A91 Partners, Cornerstone VC, and Bessemer Venture Partners, have also returned to the market to raise new funds over the past six to eight months. Z47 joins the growing list of firms such as Nexus Venture Partners, Lok Capital, Chiratae Ventures, Tenacity Ventures, Peak XV Partners, WEH Ventures, InCred Alternative Investments, Avataar Venture Partners, Blume Ventures, and Fireside Ventures preparing for fresh fundraises in a market that is showing cautious optimism.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
ETBWS 2025: Why ‘Zero to One' is still the most exciting stage for D2C
At the seventh edition of the ET Brand World Summit 2025 , hosted by ETBrandEquity, a packed room of marketers and startup founders gathered for an engaging fireside chat titled 'Pitch Perfect: A VC's Lens on India's D2C Equity.' The session featured Chandrasekhar Venugopal , Principal at venture capital firm Z47, in conversation with Krystyna Devina Lason, Senior Anchor and Producer at The Economic Times. Venugopal described his career as a journey marked by a consistent focus on "zero to one" value creation. His path, which he attributes to "serendipity," began at BCG. He then led growth strategies at Foodpanda before venturing into his own start-ups in food and digital marketing. Prior to Z47, he also ran Glance Collective . Venugopal expressed a deep affinity for this foundational stage, stating, 'I'm not an operator or a founder or a VC; I'm just in love with the stage. I think it's a beautiful stage. In 'zero to one,' you just get to see magic created from nothing and that's what got me here.' Reflecting on the current consumer landscape, Venugopal noted that the environment for building brands has never been more promising. 'I have been acquiring consumers since 2014 across various sectors, and it has never looked this good. What once required immense effort to reach a five-lakh monthly run rate is now comfortably reaching one crore. Contribution margins are improving, customer acquisition costs are declining, return on ad spends are rising, and retention and repeat purchases are increasing across categories. It is truly an optimistic time to build in India.' India's D2C market is on a distinctive path, according to Venugopal, prompting discussion about whether it will follow the lead of the US or China. 'I don't think our supply backend is the same as some of these other countries and their trajectory,' Venugopal explained. He pointed out a unique paradox in India: despite being "brand-starved" with a largely unorganised and fragmented market, its supply chain infrastructure isn't yet fully developed, resulting in a substantial "influx of material from outside." He emphasised that to effectively serve India's enormous consumer base, "you do need innovation on the supply chain backend and get new price points in." Venugopal offered an interesting example from Z47's portfolio: Country Delight. "Country Delight started off selling milk. Now it does everything from veggies to, you name it." This expansion, he clarified, "required deep, absolutely deep backend sort of vertical integration to make the quality of milk right, or to get the freshness of the fruits and veggies right, or to get the staples right." He highlighted that "for Country Delight to unlock a new price point and repeat behaviour, it took a tonne of work on vertical integration." He also praised Lenskart for its similar approach, noting that "every large sort of outcome, you'd see this sort of deep vertical integration to sort of crash price points and reach India in the right sort of positioning." This focus on vertical integration is presented as a vital differentiating factor for successful D2C brands within the Indian landscape. On what makes a brand VC-backable, Venugopal cautioned against a one-size-fits-all approach. 'We have done a disservice by grouping very different businesses under the D2C label. Everything from Unilever to Nike to Decathlon gets lumped together, but they are not the same. Public market investors understand these nuances, and we need to apply the same lens. Metrics like retention and revenue are important, but their significance varies by category. A tile brand and a skincare brand will never have the same retention, but both can build meaningful businesses.' For marketers and founders, he encouraged a greater focus on what he termed 'the hidden potential of the long tail.' 'Marketers in large companies focus on the big levers that can move the needle by ten times. But in startups, there is value in the overlooked insights found in the long tail. These can lead to breakthroughs that do not come from conventional strategy. It is often in these small, seemingly unscalable moments that the biggest growth levers lie.' Addressing the scaling challenge from the first thousand to the first million customers, he advised founders to stay close to their users. 'Do not delegate customer conversations too early. That is where your product-market fit lives. Also, while growing fast, do not lose sight of financial discipline. It is easy to compromise on terms in the short run, but that can come back to bite you. Finally, strategic thinking should not be postponed. If your business becomes too dependent on one channel or partner, it can create risk. Take time to step back and assess whether your trajectory is sustainable and well-positioned.' Venugopal believes AI will be a monumental force in D2C, creating entirely new brands and sales channels. He highlights a historical pattern: every major shift in distribution (from newspapers to mobile) has led to new brands emerging. While AI will boost productivity, Venugopal urges founders and marketers to think bigger: how can AI enable entirely new frameworks? He points to areas like personalised experiences in local stores or property tech, which are still rudimentary. AI could transform these into truly one-to-one interactions. A key example for India is bridging the digital divide in "Bharat." Current app interfaces are often intimidating due to their Western UI/UX. Vernacular, voice-powered AI could be a game-changer, leveraging the comfort people have with phone conversations. This seemingly "unscalable" approach could forge entirely new, accessible commerce channels and, consequently, new brands. As he puts it, "Do things that don't scale in the beginning. You'll be surprised at what gets created." When asked what category he would choose if he were to start his own D2C brand today, Venugopal offered a framework rather than a specific sector. 'If you look at the most successful brands of recent times-Decathlon, Lenskart, Zudio, Country Delight, they all combine vertical integration with control over distribution. These are not just brands; they are full-stack businesses. On the backend, they own their supply chain. On the frontend, they own their customer interface through apps or stores. When a consumer sees a retail experience, but the business owns the full profit and loss like a brand, it creates a powerful advantage. If you find a category where you can do both, I would love to hear about it.'
Yahoo
24-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
India's GoKwik raised a small $13M round for a hefty leap in valuation
GoKwik, an Indian startup that offers a suite of integrated e-commerce products, has raised a small round of $13 million, which it calls a 'growth' round, that has boosted its valuation to $450 million pre-money. While the new funding round, led by RTP Global, is 63% smaller than its Series B of $35 million, announced in May 2022, it has valued the New Delhi-based startup 43% more than its last pre-money valuation of $315 million. The fresh funding also included participation from the startup's existing investors, namely Z47, Peak XV Partners, and Think Investments, bringing its total fundraising to $68 million since its inception in 2020. But what has made GoKwik so attractive to investors? Its offerings help companies, big and small, set up shop online and enter the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space. The D2C space is expected to see a significant increase over time as more brands poised to come online target young consumers and the internet reaches new homes. In India, the world's second-largest internet market after China and the most populous country, the D2C market is expected to reach $60 billion in value by 2027, up from $12 billion in 2022, per a report (PDF) by KPMG. Currently, GoKwik has more than 12,000 paying merchants, up from 2,500–3,000 a year ago, spread over India, Europe, the UK, and U.S. These merchants use its SaaS products that allow them to set up their online stores powered by Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, and WooCommerce and enable checkout, online payments, and facilities to offer returns and cash-on-delivery options. It also helps brands to do commerce via WhatsApp, a popular platform for businesses and consumers in markets like India, parts of Europe, and Brazil. GoKwik counts brands like Indian eyewear giant Lenskart, personal care brand Honasa Consumer, cosmetics company Lakmé, London's Pepe Jeans, and Licester's Xplosive Ape as customers. Some of the products that GoKwik offers are also available through other players. For instance, Razorpay and Cashfree Payments offer checkout solutions; Clevertap and MoEngage offer CRM. But Chirag Taneja, co‑founder and CEO, told TechCrunch that GoKwik's suite of products is integrated so customers tend to buy at least two of them on average. 'If you use our login product, it helps you do retargeting better. Hence, our KwikEngage product emerges there, which is a WhatsApp commerce piece. Similarly, if you use our checkout product, the abandoned cart, for abandoned carts, you end up using our KwikEngage piece,' he said. This has helped GoKwik increase its annualized revenue by 20% year-over-year, reaching over $30 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) this year, up from $25 million last year. It has helped brands process a cumulative gross merchandise value of $2 billion, with 55% of transactions involving prepaid payments and 45% cash-on-delivery. Of all the prepaid payments, 80% are via the Indian government's Unified Payments Interface. With the fresh funding, GoKwik aims to expand its presence and customer base by entering new markets and deepening its presence in areas where WhatsApp has a large consumer base, such as Germany, France, and Latin American countries including Brazil. The startup also plans to bolster AI's presence on its products. It already offers solutions such as AI calling for abandoned carts. Furthermore, the startup plans to enable Indian merchants to sell their products to foreign customers with a global checkout solution that would integrate Stripe and other international payment processing services. GoKwik currently has a runway of 60-70 months, with close to $35–$37 million in the bank, and is targeting profitability within the next 18 months. It also looks to go public within the next 3–5 years. Meanwhile, the startup is attracting investor interest, although Taneja confirmed to TechCrunch that it is not currently raising more funds. The startup has a headcount of around 400 people, primarily based in its offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru, with a handful of employees also based in the UK. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
TechCrunch
24-06-2025
- Business
- TechCrunch
India's GoKwik raised a small $13M round for a hefty leap in valuation
GoKwik, an Indian startup that offers a suite of integrated e-commerce products, has raised a small round of $13 million, which it calls a 'growth' round, that has boosted its valuation to $450 million pre-money. While the new funding round, led by RTP Global, is 63% smaller than its Series B of $35 million, announced in May 2022, it has valued the New Delhi-based startup 43% more than its last pre-money valuation of $315 million. The fresh funding also included participation from the startup's existing investors, namely Z47, Peak XV Partners, and Think Investments, bringing its total fundraising to $68 million since its inception in 2020. But what has made GoKwik so attractive to investors? Its offerings help companies, big and small, set up shop online and enter the direct-to-consumer (D2C) space. Image Credits:Jagmeet Singh / TechCrunch The D2C space is expected to see a significant increase over time as more brands poised to come online target young consumers and the internet reaches new homes. In India, the world's second-largest internet market after China and the most populous country, the D2C market is expected to reach $60 billion in value by 2027, up from $12 billion in 2022, per a report (PDF) by KPMG. Currently, GoKwik has more than 12,000 paying merchants, up from 2,500–3,000 a year ago, spread over India, Europe, the UK, and U.S. These merchants use its SaaS products that allow them to set up their online stores powered by Shopify, Magento, Salesforce, and WooCommerce and enable checkout, online payments, and facilities to offer returns and cash-on-delivery options. It also helps brands to do commerce via WhatsApp, a popular platform for businesses and consumers in markets like India, parts of Europe, and Brazil. GoKwik counts brands like Indian eyewear giant Lenskart, personal care brand Honasa Consumer, cosmetics company Lakmé, London's Pepe Jeans, and Licester's Xplosive Ape as customers. Some of the products that GoKwik offers are also available through other players. For instance, Razorpay and Cashfree Payments offer checkout solutions; Clevertap and MoEngage offer CRM. Techcrunch event Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Save $200+ on your TechCrunch All Stage pass Build smarter. Scale faster. Connect deeper. Join visionaries from Precursor Ventures, NEA, Index Ventures, Underscore VC, and beyond for a day packed with strategies, workshops, and meaningful connections. Boston, MA | REGISTER NOW But Chirag Taneja, co‑founder and CEO, told TechCrunch that GoKwik's suite of products is integrated so customers tend to buy at least two of them on average. 'If you use our login product, it helps you do retargeting better. Hence, our KwikEngage product emerges there, which is a WhatsApp commerce piece. Similarly, if you use our checkout product, the abandoned cart, for abandoned carts, you end up using our KwikEngage piece,' he said. This has helped GoKwik increase its annualized revenue by 20% year-over-year, reaching over $30 million in annual recurring revenue (ARR) this year, up from $25 million last year. It has helped brands process a cumulative gross merchandise value of $2 billion, with 55% of transactions involving prepaid payments and 45% cash-on-delivery. Of all the prepaid payments, 80% are via the Indian government's Unified Payments Interface. GoKwik co-founder and CEO Chirag Taneja Image Credits:GoKwik With the fresh funding, GoKwik aims to expand its presence and customer base by entering new markets and deepening its presence in areas where WhatsApp has a large consumer base, such as Germany, France, and Latin American countries including Brazil. The startup also plans to bolster AI's presence on its products. It already offers solutions such as AI calling for abandoned carts. Furthermore, the startup plans to enable Indian merchants to sell their products to foreign customers with a global checkout solution that would integrate Stripe and other international payment processing services. GoKwik currently has a runway of 60-70 months, with close to $35–$37 million in the bank, and is targeting profitability within the next 18 months. It also looks to go public within the next 3–5 years. Meanwhile, the startup is attracting investor interest, although Taneja confirmed to TechCrunch that it is not currently raising more funds. The startup has a headcount of around 400 people, primarily based in its offices in Gurugram and Bengaluru, with a handful of employees also based in the UK.
Entrepreneur
24-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
E-Commerce Enabler GoKwik Secures USD 13 Mn Funding Led by RTP Global
The latest infusion takes the total equity raised by the startup to USD 68 million since its inception in 2020. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. E-Commerce enabler GoKwik has raised USD 13 million in a growth funding round led by RTP Global, with participation from existing backers Z47, Peak XV Partners, and Think Investments. The latest infusion takes the total equity raised by the startup to USD 68 million since its inception in 2020. The fresh capital will be deployed to accelerate GoKwik's international expansion and fast-track research and development across its AI-first commerce stack. As global eCommerce pivots toward hyper-personalised, data-driven experiences, GoKwik aims to build a unified growth operating system that supports seamless, intelligent commerce across geographies. "As the next era of eCommerce is defined by intelligent, interoperable products, our mission is to build a unified growth operating system for brands worldwide," said Chirag Taneja, Co-founder and CEO of GoKwik. "AI is not an add-on for us—it is the operating system that powers every experience we create." Founded in 2020 by Chirag Taneja, Vivek Bajpai, and Ankush Talwar, GoKwik offers AI-powered solutions for Direct-to-Consumer (D2C) and eCommerce brands, helping improve checkout conversions, reduce return-to-origin (RTO) rates, and boost COD success. Its core product suite includes KwikCheckout, KwikEngage, KwikPass, and Return Prime, which address friction across the customer journey—from cart abandonment to returns management. "It's been a privilege to witness GoKwik's journey," said Galina Chifina, Partner and CEO at RTP Global. "Their data-led approach and ability to anticipate market shifts have made them a vital partner for the D2C ecosystem." GoKwik's platform is already trusted by top Indian and global brands like Mamaearth, Man Matters, Libas, Plix, and Shoppers Stop, processing millions of transactions daily and enabling merchants to handle over USD 2 billion in gross merchandise value (GMV). The company continues to post 100% year-on-year growth. With international traction growing, particularly in the UK through its WhatsApp commerce tool KwikEngage, GoKwik is poised to redefine the infrastructure for eCommerce success. "We're proud to deepen our partnership with the GoKwik team as they push the boundaries of AI-powered commerce," added Rajat Agarwal, Managing Director at Z47.
