Trouble Brewing at Third Wave Coffee? - Indian Startup News 214

Summary

The Indian food, beverage, and restaurant sectors are bustling with activity. Zomato is in talks to acquire Paytm's movie ticketing business, potentially integrating food sales for a dual revenue stream. Third Wave Coffee Roasters faces challenges after layoffs and financial losses, with co-founder Sujeet Kumar's heavy involvement questioned. Meanwhile, IN-SPACe launches a pre-incubation program for space startups, and Iigo's parent company debuts on the stock market with a successful IPO. Indian startups raised $176 million this week, with Umid Housing Finance leading with a $76 million Series F round.

Takeaways

• 📈 Zomato is in talks to acquire Paytm's movie ticketing business, which could potentially integrate food and beverage sales with movie tickets, enhancing revenue streams.
• 💡 Third Wave Coffee Roasters, despite raising $35 million in funding, has faced significant challenges, with over 70% of its stores incurring losses and the company burning through cash rapidly.
• 🤔 The involvement of Sujeet Kumar, co-founder of Ola and a major investor in Third Wave Coffee Roasters, has reportedly led to operational issues and disagreements among the founders.
• 🚀 IN-SPACe has launched a pre-incubation entrepreneurship program aimed at early-stage space startups and students interested in space technology, fostering innovation in the sector.
• 📊 Indian National Space promotion and authorization Center's program is a comprehensive 20-month initiative providing expert guidance to help startups and students develop their prototypes.
• 📉 Unacademy is reportedly in discussions with K12 Techno Services for a potential merger, which could provide Unacademy access to a large student base and educational technology platforms.
• 💼 Iigo's parent company, Le Travel Technology, made a successful debut on the stock market, with its shares receiving a significant premium over the IPO price.
• 💰 Indian startups raised a total of $176 million in funding this week, slightly less than the previous week's total.
• 🏆 UHFL (Umid Housing Finance Limited) secured the largest funding round of the week, raising $76 million in its Series F round.
• 🍺 New Delhi-based beer brand 'BE 91' raised $25 million, indicating the growing interest in the craft beer market in India.
• 🛍️ Bangalore-based fintech startup POP, offering cashback in the form of POP coins for UPI transactions, raised $2.4 million in its seed round, highlighting the innovation in digital payments and rewards.

Q & A

What is the current situation with Third Wave Coffee Roasters in India?

Third Wave Coffee Roasters, despite raising $35 million in funding, has faced significant challenges. The company has laid off over 100 employees and is currently experiencing losses in more than 70% of its stores. The issues are attributed to their business and management strategies.

What role did Sujeet Kumar play in Third Wave Coffee Roasters' growth and current situation?

Sujeet Kumar, co-founder of Zomato, became involved with Third Wave Coffee Roasters as an investor and later took on a significant operational role. He helped secure additional funding and expand the business but is also implicated in the company's rapid expansion at the expense of profitability.

Why is Zomato interested in acquiring Paytm's movie ticketing business?

Zomato sees an opportunity to integrate movie ticket sales with food and beverage offerings, potentially increasing revenue from both ticket sales and restaurant partnerships. This strategy could capitalize on the synergies between food and movie experiences.

How does the potential acquisition of Paytm's movie ticketing business align with Zomato's existing business model?

The acquisition would allow Zomato to offer a combined package of movie tickets and food delivery, enhancing the user experience and potentially increasing revenue from both ticket sales and food orders.

What is the significance of the pre-incubation entrepreneurship program launched by IN-SPACe for space startups?

The program is designed to support early-stage space startups and students interested in space technology, providing a 20-month platform to develop and demonstrate prototypes with expert guidance, thereby fostering innovation in the space sector.

What was the market response to Iigo's IPO, and how does it reflect on the company's business strategy?

Iigo's IPO was met with a 48.5% premium on its share price, indicating a positive market response. This reflects well on the company's 'boring' business strategy, which prioritizes steady growth over high-profile marketing.

How much funding did Indian startups raise in the week covered by the script?

Indian startups raised a total of $176 million during the week, which is slightly less than the previous week's total of $192 million.

Which company had the largest funding round among those mentioned in the script?

Umid Housing Finance had the largest funding round, raising $76 million in their Series F round.

What is the business model of the fintech startup Pop mentioned in the script?

Pop is a fintech startup that offers cash back in the form of Pop coins for every UPI transaction made using their platform. Users can then use these coins to shop on their curated e-commerce platform, similar to the model used by Cred.

What is the collaboration between the podcast 'Backstage with Millionaires' and Google Play, and what is its focus?

The collaboration involves a podcast episode featuring an interview with the founders of Programming Hub. The episode focuses on their journey in building a bootstrapped, profitable business with over 40 million students using their platform.