The sorry condition of funding in India's Startup ecosystem from last year is continuing its run even in the new year. So much so that it has now become a matter of common knowledge all around the world. Anticipating the tough times ahead, several India-based startups like GirnarSoft (brand behind auto portals CarDekho, Gaadi and ZigWheels), ShopClues and Policy-Bazaar etc. are now contemplating listing themselves on the American stock exchange, Nasdaq, which already has the shares of several other Indian companies like Azure Power, Make My Trip and Yatra Online currently trading on it.

The Indian startups are now considering a route to Nasdaq as the valuations in the industry have come under immense pressure and raising further rounds of funding is becoming a more difficult task by the day. As of now, listing is one of the few options left for these India-based digital and tech firms. Nasdaq is emerging as a popular choice among the startups as it's home to several tech and Internet biggies like Intel, Amazon, Cisco and Microsoft etc.

According to a statement given by ShopClues cofounder Radhika Aggarwal to ET, the valuation of the famous Tiger Global-backed ecommerce marketplace can be pegged to be over $1.1billion. According to her, the startup would be able to break even by the end of financial year 2017-2018 (i.e. March 2018). She said, "We will be ready to list by year-end."

Another startup eyeing a listing on Nasdaq is online financial products platform PolicyBazaar, which has been successful in raising a whopping 500 crore since starting its shop nine years back in 2008. The Tiger Global and Premji Invest funded startup is hopeful that it will be able to break even by the end of the current financial year. Commenting on the Nasdaq listing, PolicyBazaar's cofounder Alok Bansal said that the company is open to the idea and is currently in the process of vetting it completely.

Umesh Hora, CEO, GirnarSoft, which is the parent company which runs auto portals CarDekho, Gaadi and ZigWheel, said that a listing on the US exchange would be an opportunity worth exploring for India-based tech firms looking to break the glass barrier and reach greater heights.

Offering his expert opinion on Indian-firms making a move to Nasadq, Make My Trip cofounder Deep Kalra said in a statement to ET that he believes that the firms are making the right decision as now is the right time to list since the Indian startup ecosystem is now maturing and pulling a high-value funding round under such conditions seems an extremely difficult task. While he believed that the time was right, but he also expressed concerns over whether the Indian internet firms were ready for a Nasdaq listing since the listing requires robust corporate governance and excellent processes.

[Image: Indeed.com]
Advertisements

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post
Like this content? Sign up for our daily newsletter to get latest updates.