Connect with us

Latest News

Sheroes Acquires Career Platform Women Restart

Published

on

Women focused career platform Sheroes has acquired the Bengaluru based online career restart platform Women Restart, for an undisclosed amount. India’s largest growth network for women Sheroes, is owned and operated by Delhi based Applied Life Pvt., Ltd.

Women Restart, founded in 2015, helps women restart careers and progress in their chosen field after a break. According to a press statement, as a part of this acquisition, the founder and CEO of Women Restart, Sheetal Arora will join Sheroes as director of research and resources.

Women Restart was launched because of the challenges women face trying to restart careers after a break, acting as a support system for such women. They have been a strong community on the Sheroes app which lends holistic support and space to its community of women according to Sheroes founder Sairee Chahal

Founded in 2014, Sheroes works with companies to provide support for their workforce needs and helps them build women centric channels. This women centered platform offers a diverse range of engagement formats to women such as corporate jobs, partner programs, work from home, part time work, freelancing and internship programs. Speaking about their third acquisition, Sairee Chahal said, “The aim is to strengthen women in their personal and professional pursuits. This acquisition will integrate with those efforts.” 

The company acquired online counseling platform LoveDoctor.in for an undisclosed amount in September last year. In October, they also acquired Gharkamai.com, which is an online platform that helps stay at home professional women find work. The career portal for women raised Rs. 12 crores in a Series A funding round led by Gurgaon based investment firm Lumis Partners along with the HR Fund, angel investor Rajul Garg and existing investor Raghav Bahl led Quintillion Media, in August 2016. 500 Startups, Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Google India head Rajan Anandan and Flipkart cofounder Binny Bansal have also invested in this women focused career startup.

Continue Reading
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest News

Zepto Delays IPO to Focus on Profitability and Indian Ownership

Published

on

Zepto - StartupStories

Overview

Zepto, a leading quick commerce startup, has postponed its planned IPO to early 2026, shifting its focus to achieving profitability and increasing Indian shareholding before going public.

Key Reasons for Delay

  • Profitability Focus: Zepto aims to reach EBITDA break-even before listing, unlike many tech firms that went public while still loss-making.
  • Market Uncertainty: Ongoing global and domestic market volatility influenced the decision to wait for more stable conditions.
  • Peer Comparison: The company wants to present a stronger profit profile, learning from the performance of rivals like Swiggy and Zomato (now Eternal).

Boosting Domestic Shareholding

  • Target: Zepto plans to raise Indian ownership to at least 51% to comply with FDI norms and reinforce its Indian identity.
  • Actions: The company is conducting secondary share sales to Indian investors and founders are increasing their stakes by buying from foreign investors.
  • Progress: Domestic ownership has reached about 40-44%, with expectations to surpass 51% before the IPO.

Financial and Operational Updates

  • Efficiency Drive: Zepto is optimizing operations, running over 900 dark stores and offering 48,000 SKUs, to reduce cash burn and move toward profitability.
  • Challenges: The company faces stiff competition from Swiggy Instamart and Blinkit, leading to higher costs, and has dealt with operational pauses and regulatory scrutiny in some regions.

Outlook

Zepto remains positive about its future, aiming to raise around $800 million in its IPO and attract both domestic and international investors. CEO Aadit Palicha emphasizes building a sustainable, majority Indian-owned business before entering the public market.

Summary: Zepto’s IPO delay reflects a strategic focus on financial stability and regulatory compliance, with profitability and Indian ownership at the forefront.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Polygon Enters New Era: Leadership Shift and Major Upgrades Under Sandeep Nailwal

Published

on

Polygon StartupStories

Sandeep Nailwal, co-founder of Polygon, has been appointed as the first CEO of the Polygon Foundation, marking a shift from decentralized governance to focused leadership. This change aims to provide clear direction and accelerate Polygon’s growth in the competitive blockchain space.

Under Nailwal’s leadership, Polygon will discontinue its zkEVM network in 2026 to concentrate on the Polygon PoS chain and AggLayer, a new cross-chain liquidity protocol. Significant upgrades to the Polygon PoS chain are planned, starting with the Bhilai upgrade in July 2025, to enhance transaction capacity and support large-scale financial applications.

Polygon enters this new phase with a strong financial position, enabling long-term development without fundraising pressures. While Nailwal leads the Foundation, Marc Boiron continues as CEO of Polygon Labs. This leadership restructuring aims to drive innovation and reinforce Polygon’s position in Ethereum scaling and the Web3 ecosystem.

 

Continue Reading

Latest News

Wow! Momo Raises ₹85 Crore from Stride Ventures to Accelerate Nationwide Expansion

Published

on

WoW Momo StartupStories

Wow! Momo, the Kolkata-based quick-service restaurant (QSR) chain, has secured ₹85 crore (approximately $9.9 million) in debt funding from Stride Ventures, aiming to accelerate its omnichannel expansion and strengthen its presence across India. The company, which operates over 700 outlets in more than 70 cities, plans to utilize the funds to open additional dine-in restaurants, expand its packaged food (FMCG) vertical, and enhance its delivery and supply chain operations. This strategic move will also help refinance existing loans and fuel Wow! Momo’s push into new markets and product categories.

Founded in 2008, Wow! Momo has rapidly diversified its offerings, launching brands such as Wow! China, Wow! Chicken, and Wow! Kulfi, and recently entering the frozen foods segment with quick commerce and retail distribution. The company is targeting a footprint of over 1,500 stores across more than 100 cities within the next three years and aims to grow its FMCG business to ₹100 crore while ramping up its HORECA (Hotel, Restaurant, and Catering) segment. The leadership team views this debt infusion as pivotal for scaling new formats, driving innovation, and building brands that resonate with Indian consumers.

Stride Ventures, known for backing high-growth startups, emphasized Wow! Momo’s strong brand recall, robust business model, and relentless innovation as key reasons for their investment. With this funding, Wow! Momo is well-positioned to further solidify its status as a category-defining player in India’s QSR and FMCG sectors, while preparing for larger equity rounds and a potential IPO in the coming years.

 

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Recent Posts

Advertisement