Electric vehicle (EV) startup Simple Energy has successfully raised $20 million in a Series A funding round, with plans to ramp up production of its cutting-edge electric scooters. This significant funding milestone highlights Simple Energy’s growth trajectory and ambitious plans for the future.

A Leap Forward for Simple Energy

Following a successful Seed Round, this Series A funding demonstrates that Simple Energy is on solid ground and ready to scale its product offerings. The round saw participation from existing investors, including high-net-worth individuals (HNIs) from prominent family offices such as the Haran family office, A Velumani’s family office, Vasavi family office, and the Desai Family office, among others.

Scaling Production and Expanding Markets

The newly raised funds will be instrumental in scaling up the production of Simple Energy’s flagship e-scooters – the Simple One and Simple Dot One. Additionally, the capital will support the company’s expansion into new markets across India, enhance its nationwide presence, and facilitate the development of new products.

“As the adoption of electric vehicles accelerates significantly in India, we are committed to playing a pivotal role in this burgeoning ecosystem,” stated Suhas Rajkumar, Founder and CEO of Simple Energy. “The capital raised will be strategically deployed to bolster our production capacity and expand our dealership network nationwide,” he added.

Ambitious Growth Targets

With this fresh infusion of capital, Simple Energy aims to achieve a top line of Rs 150 crore in the current financial year. Balamurugan Arumugam, Chief Growth Officer at Klarity and an HNI participant in the round, expressed confidence in Simple Energy’s growth prospects. “With a clear vision and a strategic roadmap for the next phase of growth, Simple Energy is primed to redefine the landscape of technologically advanced EV two-wheelers in India and beyond,” he said.

Leading the EV Revolution

Simple Energy boasts of India’s longest-range electric scooter, the Simple One. The company manufactures 95% of its scooter components in-house, setting it apart as the only original equipment manufacturer (OEM) in the country with a state-of-the-art motor manufacturing line within its 200,000 square foot plant located in Shoolagiri, Tamil Nadu.

Currently in a pilot phase in Bangalore, Simple Energy has begun deliveries in the city and is preparing to open dealership stores in Bangalore, Mysore, Chennai, Vijayawada, Goa, Vizag, Kochi, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Surat, Delhi, and Hyderabad in the coming weeks.

Previous Funding Milestones

This Series A round follows Simple Energy’s previous funding efforts, including over $20 million raised in a Bridge round in February this year, $21 million in a Pre-Series round in October 2021, and an undisclosed amount in March 2022.

1. What impact do you think Simple Energy’s innovative approach to EV manufacturing will have on the Indian electric vehicle market?
2. How do you see the growth of electric scooters influencing urban mobility in India?
3. What are your thoughts on Simple Energy’s strategy to manufacture 95% of its scooter components in-house?
4. How important do you think funding rounds like these are for the advancement of sustainable transportation solutions?
5. Which city do you think will benefit the most from Simple Energy’s expansion, and why?

Fibr, an innovative artificial intelligence-powered personalization platform, has successfully raised $1.8 million in a funding round spearheaded by Accel. The round also included investments from 2am VC and prominent angel investors like Kunal Shah, founder of Cred.

Revolutionizing Personalization with Cutting-Edge AI

Fibr plans to utilize the funds to advance its AI personalization platform, broaden its customer base, and recruit top-tier talent, including engineers, product marketers, and sales and go-to-market experts. The platform aims to create unique, tailored experiences for website visitors, delivering personalized content and marketing messages based on individual preferences and behaviors.

Founded in January 2023 by Ankur Goyal and Pritam Roy, Fibr’s flagship product, Pilot, enhances conversions by offering personalized landing pages for every ad, email, SMS, notification, or any other communication channel.

Challenging the Status Quo of Personalization Tools

“Most personalization tools available are quite outdated,” stated Goyal. “They excel in one area, be it web, ads, or email, but miss the comprehensive picture. They often resort to generic pop-ups, adding names in emails, or running basic A/B tests. That’s not true personalization,” he told ET.

Fibr primarily serves lead generation clients across sectors such as insurance, broadband, home improvement, and consumer services. The company is currently targeting markets in the US, Canada, and India, with plans to expand into Europe.

“For us, the US remains the primary focus, but Europe is also a great target due to our alignment with general data protection regulation (GDPR),” Goyal explained. “By the end of this year, we aim to have 60-70% of our operations in the US, 10-20% in India, and potentially start in Europe.”

Expanding Product Line with AI-Powered Tools

The Bengaluru-based startup is developing the beta version of its second product, Blocks. “Our second product includes AI tools that help marketers scale their content across various formats, such as converting a high-performing Facebook ad into a blog, Google ad, or social media post,” Goyal elaborated.

A Gamechanger in the Ad Ecosystem

Prayank Swaroop, partner at Accel, expressed his optimism about the investment, saying, “We believe Fibr’s landing page for every ad proposition could revolutionize the ad ecosystem for consumer companies, especially given the customer acquisition cost (CAC) challenges arising from privacy policies and cookie deprecation. Fibr’s affordable sachet pricing model, where users only pay for usage, disrupts traditional SaaS pricing, making it accessible for all marketers.

• What are the biggest challenges you see in the current personalization tools market that Fibr aims to address?
• How do you think AI-powered personalization tools like Fibr will change the landscape of digital marketing?

Bengaluru-based real estate giant Puravankara Limited is set to initiate a significant financial maneuver by launching a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) valued between Rs 700-800 crore ($100 million), according to insiders familiar with the plan.

Founded in 1975, Puravankara boasts three prominent brands: Purva, Provident Housing, and Purva Land. By the end of March 2024, the company had completed 86 residential and commercial projects, covering around 50 million square feet. With a land bank of over 36 million square feet and more than 23,000 homes under development, Puravankara is making a bold move into the redevelopment sector in Mumbai, securing rights for two housing societies spanning three acres with a potential gross development value of Rs 1,500 crore.

“Puravankara has enlisted ICICI Securities as one of its advisors for the QIP and plans to add one or two more banks. The company is currently awaiting shareholder approval for its fundraising plans, expected in the next few days. The deal launch is likely to occur next month, post the union budget,” stated one source.

The funds raised from the QIP will be directed towards both organic and inorganic growth opportunities, capital expenditure, and debt reduction. As of March 31, Puravankara’s net debt stood at Rs 2,151 crore, up from Rs 1,741 crore at the end of the previous quarter.

Puravankara is seeking shareholder approval to raise up to Rs 1,000 crore through a postal ballot ending on July 14. If successful, this will mark the fifth real estate company to tap the stock market for equity this year.

Industry Trends and Market Confidence

Mumbai-based real estate developers have been particularly active in 2024. Lodha Group (Macrotech Developers Ltd) raised Rs 3,300 crore through a QIP in March, followed by D B Realty with Rs 920 crore in the same month. Rustomjee (Keystone Realtors Ltd) raised Rs 800 crore in May, and Capacit’e Infraprojects secured Rs 200 crore in January.

These QIPs reflect a strategic shift from reliance on debt to alternative capital sources, signaling strong investor confidence in the real estate sector’s growth prospects. According to Moneycontrol, sales and new supply in eight major cities grew by 8% and 11% YoY, respectively, driven by markets in western India, including Pune, Mumbai, and Ahmedabad, which accounted for 61% of the Q2 CY2023 share.

Corporate Fundraising Insights

The first half of 2024 has been a busy period for corporate fundraising through the QIP route, with 37 companies raising Rs 32,527 crore, compared to 45 companies raising Rs 52,349 crore in the entirety of 2023, as per Prime Database.

1. What impact do you think Puravankara’s $100 million QIP will have on the company’s future growth and debt management?
2. How significant is the shift from debt reliance to equity fundraising for real estate companies in India?
3. With Puravankara’s recent foray into Mumbai’s redevelopment sector, what opportunities and challenges do you foresee for the company?
4. Do you believe the real estate sector’s growth prospects justify the high investor confidence reflected in recent QIPs? Why or why not?
5. How might the outcome of Puravankara’s QIP influence other real estate developers considering similar fundraising strategies?