Shiprocket to raise $185 mn in a round led by Zomato, Temasek, Lightrock India

Leading e-commerce shipping platform, Shiprocket, has signed a definitive agreement to raise $185 million (Rs 1,380 crore) in a Series E funding round. This round is being co-led by Zomato Ltd, Temasek and Lightrock India. New investors, Moore Strategic Ventures and 9unicorns, are also participating in this round, along with existing investors InfoEdge Ventures and March Capital. This transaction marks Shiprocket’s third round of funding in 2021, which would bring the total fund raised to $280 million.
 
Other notable investors in this round include some of India’s leading entrepreneurs namely, Brijesh Agrawal (IndiaMART), Peyush Bansal (Lenskart), Sanil Sachar (Huddle Ventures), Varun Alagh (Mamaearth), Sameer Mehta & Aman Gupta (Boat Electronics) and Ashish Gupta (Helion Ventures).
 
Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to Shiprocket on this transaction.
 
Launched in 2017, Shiprocket claims to be the  fastest company to become profitable in 24 months while also doubling its annual revenue run (ARR) over the last 6 months. Shiprocket’s technology powers shipping and fulfillment for SMEs, D2C retailers, and social commerce sellers in India, across multiple categories including BPC, apparel, footwear, electronics and healthcare, among others, as per an official handout.
 
Shiprocket said that it will accelerate its mission to democratise e-commerce fulfillment for the fast-growing universe of D2C retailers by utilising the latest fundraise. Shiprocket will deploy the freshly infused capital towards aggressive core product expansion, research & development, talent acquisition, and development of a comprehensive suite of products that will help retailers deliver seamless, high-quality, post-order customer experience in line with that of large e-commerce platforms.
 
A portion of the funds will also be directed towards the platform’s new strategic initiatives, including (i) hyperlocal delivery services offering deliveries with low turnaround times (TATs), on the back of its extensive courier partnerships and growing fulfillment network and (ii) global expansion, starting with the Middle East. Shiprocket will also actively look for inorganic expansion opportunities via M&A to further expand its stack in its endeavour to be a one-stop solution.
 
“We are excited about the vast, untapped opportunity that lies in post-purchase technology enablement in the D2C e-commerce space. Thrilled to welcome all our new partners as we gear up for our next phase of growth. This fundraise is a validation of the hard work put in by the entire Shiprocket team over the last 4 years," Saahil Goel, CEO and Co-founder, Shiprocket said.
 
He further added, “As the market leader in aggregated shipments for the SME and D2C market selling online, we aim to set the benchmark for the post purchase experience, while delivering significant value to all our stakeholders. We are on track to launch hyperlocal delivery options which will guarantee low TAT and best in class SLAs, further cementing our position as the preferred shipping and enablement partner. With the launch of our services in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in November 2021, we have also taken the first step towards expanding our footprint in new geographies.”
 
The logistics startup currently has more than 17+ courier partners on board, enabling pan-India as well as international shipping deliveries. Its shipping solutions are available across 29,000+ pin codes within India and 220 countries across the world. 
Deepinder Goyal, CEO and Co-founder, Zomato Ltd said, “Shiprocket plugs a big hole in the e-commerce space by offering customers of direct-to-consumer brands a seamless post checkout experience, including delivery.”
 
Vaidhehi Ravindran, Partner, Lightrock said, “We are thrilled to partner with the team at Shiprocket as they build the logistics and fulfillment operating system that will power the growth of the e-commerce and D2C markets. We believe this to be the critical piece for the transformation of the largest, youngest, fast-growing and most diverse consumer market in the world.”

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