Start-Ups

BENGALURU: A large number of early to mid-stage startups are unlikely to be able to qualify for the cabinet approved Rs 3 lakh crore emergency credit line even when they are registered as an MSME. According to entrepreneurs and investors, a startup needs to have existing debt on its books to qualify for this loan facility from the government. Venture-debt, a popular instrument used by startups, and shareholder loans, won’t make the cut as debt for startups. Profitability is another angle that is making startups anxious about their chances to…

The COVID-19 pandemic will have a far-reaching and long-lasting impact on the global economy. Even though lockdown restricts have now been eased in several countries, financial markets are likely to take a long time to recover from the covid-19-triggered crisis. As reported by the International Monetary Fund, this is the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, projecting a humongous loss worth $9 trillion in global gross domestic product over the next 2-years. These are challenging times for businesses, even more so for startups that operate with razor-thin margins. Besides…

The world is in a state of unprecedented tumult. Businesses and governments around the globe have been shaken to their cores by the Covid-19. This crisis has forced companies to ask their employees to work from home for their safety and improved productivity. 1. Flexibility for the way people work Around the world, the majority of large corporations still operate on inflexible, conservative management structures that care more about how long people are in the office than how productive they can be. The fear of being wrong or arriving late,…

Ninjacart, a Bengaluru-based fresh produce supply chain start-up, has provisioned essential fruits and vegetables to orphanages, old-age homes and slum areas, at subsidized rates, in the wake of the Coronavirus outbreak-enforced lockdown in India. In order to service the slum areas and orphanages, the company said it is willing to partner with non-governmental organizations and similar institutions across Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Delhi-NCR, Pune and Ahmedabad. “Ninjacart has always strived towards changing the way fruits and vegetables reach our plates, along with enhancing the income of farmers, convenience of retailers…

The ministry of corporate affairs (MCA), on Friday (June 5), announced that the  Companies (Share Capital and Debenture) Amendment Rules of 2020, under which the government has Extended the employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs), changed definition of startups and also made some regulatory changes in share capital requirement. Under the latest amendment the ministry of corporate affairs has also notified that startups can now offer sweat equity of up to 15% of their paid-up share capital. Besides this, the ministry has decided to change the definition of startups to be…