venture Unicorns clear the way for decacorns; deal activity skyrockets in Q3 Decacorns, namely, Paytm and Byju’s are the Indian outliers. By Divya Guha
venture CRED raises $251 mln in fresh funding at a valuation of $4 bln One of India’s most coveted unicorns—which is also known for its witty ad campaigns—now has a total fund tally of about $700 million. By Asmita Dey
venture The PE/VC trap: do they push growth over profitability? There is money to burn but there is no way around getting and keeping customers. By Divya Guha
venture “Did months of research pre-launch” “Start-ups just get emotional with an idea and start a business. Very few do high-quality research before launch. That’s the reason 99% of them fail.” By Debojyoti Ghosh
venture “Had to make sure app is usable in an unstable environment” “Our customers are unique in terms of the kind of internet connections they have, the kind of phones they run. So, when you build a product for them, it has to be very simple.” By Prerna Lidhoo
venture CarDekho becomes the 33rd unicorn; raises $250 mln Fresh funding led by Leapfrog Investments values the firm at $1.2 billion. By fortuneindia.com
venture “Contrary to opinions, marketed one service at a time” “Sales were difficult in the first few years since we were new. We realised the best sales pitches are those focused on one strong value proposition.” By Anshul Dhamija
venture The VC blitzkrieg: deal value doubles to $26bn in 2021 Investment activity flourished even as Covid-19 raged, the private capital market showing remarkable vitality. By Divya Guha
venture “It was about picking up each problem, and solving them” “In eyewear a lot of ‘problem diagnosis’ is required. The core challenge was staying grounded and focussing on those issues.” By Prerna Lidhoo