FutureTech

Xpressbees, an e-commerce logistics provider, became a unicorn on Wednesday, a company valued at $1 billion or more, after raising $300 million in Series F funding led by Blackstone Growth, TPG Growth, and ChrysCapital. According to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity, Xpressbees was valued at $1.2 billion in the most recent round of funding. Existing investors Investcorp and Norwest Venture Partners also participated in the round, according to the company. In October, VCCircle reported that Xpressbees, a startup run by BusyBees Logistics…

Krishi Network, an agritech platform, announced on Thursday that Bollywood actor Pankaj Tripathi has invested in the company. It did not say how much money Tripathi has put into the platform, which is connected to at least 30 lakh farmers. The new funds will be used to expand the startup’s AI-based technology platform across India and help it grow quickly, according to a statement. “Coming from a farmer background, I have always believed in supporting initiatives that help farmers with access to information to grow their business,” said Tripathi. “Back…

Binny Bansal, a cofounder of Flipkart, has led a new $25 million investment round in his own startup, xto10x Technologies, which is a scaling platform for growth-stage companies, according to a statement released by the company on Wednesday. Swiggy cofounder Harsha Majety, Meesho cofounder Vidit Aatrey, Razorpay founders Harshil Mathur and Shashank Kumar, and Cred founder Kunal Shah were among the 28 founders and executives who participated in the funding round from India and Southeast Asia. According to the company, the funds will be used to expand learning programmes, software…

There’s a lot of buzz in India about e-commerce, but companies that help modernise traditional kirana stores appear to be unlocking some serious value as well. ElasticRun, a kirana-tech startup that connects businesses to kirana stores, has raised $300 million in a new funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund II, making it India’s latest unicorn. The $1.5 billion round valued the six-year-old startup. ElasticRun has more than tripled in value in the last ten months, making it India’s sixth unicorn this year, following MamaEarth, Fractal Analytics, LEAD School, Darwinbox,…

Headout, a company that helps travellers find and book tours, activities, events, and other local experiences, has raised $30 million in Series B funding led by Glade Brook Capital, bringing its total funding to $42 million. Existing investors Nexus Venture Partners, FJ Labs, and 500 Startups, as well as a slew of startup CEOs and operators, including Swiggy CEO Sriharsha Majety, Postman CTO Ankit Sobti, and Pratilipi CEO Ranjeet Pratap Singh, took part in the round. In September of last year, the startup raised $12 million in funding led by…