Investing Power Moves, Executive Returns, EdTech Price Cuts and more

Venturi Partners makes a power move, snagging a stake in K12 Techno Services while Swiggy's bringing back 'Daily' home-cooked meals in Bengaluru. Meanwhile, Digit gears up for its IPO with a reduced size, and Paytm Payments Bank shifts gears. Plus, FrontRow's co-founder returns to Lightspeed India, BYJU’S shakes up its sales game, and Zaggle welcomes back its MD & CEO.

Grab your simmering cup of today’s StartupChai and unwind with our hand-brewed memes.

What Matters

“Ab Aayega Maza”: Venturi Partners Picks Up 5.12% Stake In K12 Techno Services For $27 Mn

Venturi Partners is jumping into the edtech game with a bang, securing a 5.12% stake worth $27 million in K12 Techno Services. The move follows Navneet Education's subsidiary's hefty investment of $14.2 million in the startup, as disclosed in a BSE filing.

With big players like Peak XV Partners and Kedaara Capital already onboard, it seems K12 Techno Services is drawing attention from some heavy hitters in the industry.

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“Ghar Ghar Swiggy”: Swiggy Restarts ‘Daily’ Home-Cooked Meal Deliveries In Bengaluru

Swiggy's hitting the kitchen again in Bengaluru, rebooting its 'Daily' home-cooked meal deliveries after a pandemic-induced pause.

What's new? Now, you can order your homestyle favorites right from the main Swiggy app. Seems like everyone's craving those comforting meals, with Zomato joining the fray last year with 'Zomato Everyday'.

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“Mereko Dhak Dhak Horela Hai”: Digit IPO To Open On May 15, Issue Size Reduces

Digit's IPO kicks off on May 15, with the curtain closing on May 17; but here's the twist, the issue size has shrunk. Originally set at INR 1,250 Cr, it's now down to INR 1,125 Cr, signaling some recalibration in the offering.

Mark your calendars for May 14 too, when anchor bidding begins, it's all systems go for this IPO ride.

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“Halke Mein Nahi Lene Ka”: CCI’s INR 936 Cr Penalty For Abuse Of Dominance Was Amorphous And Overbearing

Google's not taking CCI's hefty fine lying down, branding it "amorphous and overbearing." Their counsel argues that CCI failed to prove any disobedience of norms, especially regarding Google Play Billing System and Google Pay.

According to Google's defense, their billing system doesn't hinder competition; it merely collects service charges, leaving the doors open for other players in the Indian payment processing market.

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“Aadha Teetar Aadha Batair”: Paytm Payments Bank Migrates Its Bill Payment Operations To Euronet India

Paytm Payments Bank is shuffling its cards again, this time shifting its bill payment operations to Euronet India. This move comes after recent changes, like moving retail point-of-sale activities to RBL Bank and settling merchant payments through Axis Bank.

With the directive to halt services, Paytm Payments Bank had to find a new partner, landing on Euronet for smoother bill payment transactions.

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“Main Ghar Laut Aaya”: FrontRow Cofounder Ishan Preet Singh Rejoins Lightspeed India As Investor

Ishan Preet Singh, co-founder of FrontRow, is rejoining Lightspeed India as an investor. After some soul-searching during his sabbatical, Singh realized his passion lies in backing early-stage startups, particularly in consumer internet and AI.

His return comes hot on the heels of Abhishek Nag's departure from Lightspeed India.

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“Dubte Ko Tinke Ka Sahara”: BYJU’S Slashes Product Prices, Revamps Sales Model

BYJU’S is shaking things up with a price cut on its Learning App subscription, now at just INR 12,000 per year, and a revamp of its tuition center courses priced at INR 36,000 annually.

Adding more spice to the mix, they've introduced a bold new sales strategy, tying sales team salaries directly to their weekly revenue performance.

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“Ghar Wapsi”: Listed Fintech SaaS Zaggle Reappoints Avinash Ramesh Godkhindi As MD & CEO

It's a homecoming for Avinash Ramesh Godkhindi, who's back in the captain's seat as MD & CEO of fintech SaaS player Zaggle. Leading the ship since its inception in 2012, he steered Zaggle through its successful stock market debut last September.

With shares closing higher on the BSE, it seems investors are cheering on Godkhindi's return to helm the company's journey.

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1. Myelin Foundry, a deep-tech AI startup, secures $4 million in equity funding, spearheaded by SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd. Existing backers Endiya Partners, Pratithi Investment Trust, and Subh Labh also joined the funding round, solidifying support for the company's innovative ventures.

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2. Inflection Point Ventures leads the charge as Treacle, a cybersecurity startup, secures Rs 4 crore in pre-seed funding. With this boost, Treacle is set to fortify its technical prowess and market reach for expansion in the Indian cybersecurity landscape.

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