Tag: R. Narayan

IFC invests $10 m in Power2SME to lift SME sector

International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, has invested $10 million as equity in e-commerce platform Power2SME that helps small and medium companies buy raw materials at bulk prices. Power2SME is backed by venture capital firms such as Kalaari Capital, Accel Partne…

Start-ups lead the path in offering solutions to SMEs

Bengaluru: Whether it’s in the form of exchange programmes between SMEs of various economies, foreign investment into Indian SMEs through specific channels, or some of India’s start-ups innovating to help make SMEs more efficient, the landscape for the small business owner is turning promising. O…

Banks extend help to start-ups in need of credit

Mumbai: Private sector lenders HDFC Bank, Axis, IDFC, Kotak Mahindra and Yes Bank have started extending short term credit to meet working capital needs for Ola, Power2SME, Flipkart, OYO, Zinka, Capital Float, investment banker-turned-entrepreneur Fulguni Nayar-owned Nykaa and many others, throwi…

A good year for SMEs Cut in income tax in budget 2017 most welcome

A cut in income tax by 5% that would benefit 96% of Indian companies and presumptive tax reduction of two percentage point to 6% means the beleaguered SME sector that was hit hard by demonitisation has something to cheer. Announcing the Union Budget for 2017, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said MS…

A stronger ecosystem for SMEs increasing Digital India footprint

Increasing access to the Internet even in smaller towns and the rate of smartphone-led connectivity spreading across the country meant India was prime ground for a campaign like Digital India. But end-users getting savvier and going online to be connected to services or making purchases isn’t the…

B2B start-ups raise $98 mn across 30 deals so far this year

Earlier this year, three former executives from Flipkart Ltd, India’s most valuable e-commerce firm, launched Udaan, an online marketplace connecting manufacturers, wholesalers, traders and retailers. In November, Udaan.com raised $10 million in Series A funding from Lightspeed Venture Partners I…

Venture debt comes of age in India, at long last

In 2008, InnoVen Capital provided the first-ever venture debt of about ₹5 crore to Sequoia-backed Prizm Payments (now Hitachi Payment Services), and ever since, its popularity has been on the rise. Venture debt is slowly coming of age in India, with the country dispersing more than $40 million (₹…