Ending Soon! Save 33% on All Access

Blacksoil Capital Invests INR 12 Cr In Freightwalla, UpMoney And Rapidbox The firm has successfully concluded over 50 debt transactions to VC-backed growth companies/startups by deploying more than INR 500 crore in the past 4.5 years

By Prabhjeet Bhatla

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Blacksoil Capital

Sector-agnostic alternative credit platform Blacksoil Capital announced on Tuesday that it has invested over INR 12 crore in digital freight forwarding startup Freightwalla, UpMoney NBFC, and D2C affordable fashion player Rapidbox.

The firm has successfully concluded over 50 debt transactions to VC-backed growth companies/startups by deploying more than INR 500 crore in the past 4.5 years.

"We have provided debt funds tailored for these companies to provide cash to meet the growth and working capital needs which are crucial for the fast-paced growth these companies are witnessing. We hope to build upon these relationships to be their long-term partners as they scale manifold in a sustainable manner. Blacksoil is excited with the vast opportunity available for these companies to tap and grow exponentially in a coming couple of years," said Ankur Bansal, co-founder, and director, BlackSoil.

Founded in 2016 by Sanjay Bhatia, Punit Java, and Bharat Thanvi, Freightwalla operates a tech-enabled freight forwarding and logistics portal that offers planning, booking, tracking, and automated documentation services for international freight shipments. The company has achieved fourfold growth in revenue since its Series A funding despite the pandemic last year. Volumes have doubled from pre-COVID highs from major trade routes including Middle East, Africa, Europe, and Far East.

Whereas, Up Money is an NBFC that provides small ticket size business loans both secured and unsecured to MSMEs and two-wheeler financing solutions through a traditional branch model. It has disbursed over INR 700 crore to date and has over 92,000 active customers as of date. Despite the pandemic and the ensuing lockdown, the company has raised over INR 125 crore in debt from both repeat and new lenders in FY21.

Lastly, Rapidbox is an online direct from the factory to consumer fashion brand under the affordable segment that operates in categories like footwear, apparel, and accessories. With in-house design and manufacturing, the company is able to provide good quality made-in-India products with the latest trends at an extremely reasonable average price of around INR 400 through its android app and has started pan-India operations recently and are currently delivering over 40,000 orders a month.

BlackSoil Capital has also raised INR 125 crore in the first close for its maiden secured BlackSoil India Credit Fund, recently and its portfolio includes OYO, Spinny, Purplle, Zetwerks, Vogo, LetsTransport, EarlySalary, and iNurture, among others.

Prabhjeet Bhatla

Former Staff

Business News

Apple iPhone 7 Users May Be Owed a Slice of a $35 Million Settlement — Here's How to Claim Your Share

Previous (and current, no judgment) iPhone 7 users may be entitled to up to $349. The deadline to file a claim is June 3.

Science & Technology

Bad Data: The $3 Trillion-Per-Year Problem That's Actually Solvable

How the right tech can help entrepreneurs make data more accessible and accurate, avoiding massive losses in the process.

Business News

Here Are the Cheapest Online MBAs You Can Do From Your Couch, According to a New Report

No in-person interaction is necessary and most cost less than $10,000.

Leadership

Clinton Sparks Podcast: Global BMX Star Shares His Entrepreneurial Journey

This podcast is a fun, entertaining and informative show that will teach you how to succeed and achieve your goals with practical advice and actionable steps given through compelling stories and conversations with Clinton and his guests.

News and Trends

79% of Indian Marketers Embrace AI Amid Challenges: Salesforce Report

In the highly competitive world of marketing, Indian marketers are adopting various tools and techniques to stay in the market. In 2022, 68 per cent of marketers had a defined AI strategy, and today, 75 per cent of marketers are already experimenting with their AI plans