Led · Series C · Sep 2021

ZestMoney offers buy now, pay later financing to consumers through partnerships with large merchants and a network of banks and NBFCs. The company uses AI and alternative data points to assess creditworthiness for users who lack traditional credit histories. It serves over 11 million users and works with 25 banking and non-banking financial partners, and merchants including Amazon, Flipkart, Google Pay, Apple and Xiaomi. ZestMoney has presence across more than 75,000 physical stores and 10,000+ online sites. Ticket sizes on the platform range from ₹50 to $6,777, with repayment periods of one month to two years. Management says BNPL applications on its platform rose 5x over the past year. ZestMoney offers point-of-sale financing by using AI and alternative data to build credit profiles for Indians who lack traditional credit scores. The company partners with more than 3,000 merchants — up from about 800 in April — including Flipkart, Amazon and Paytm, and integrates with major payments processors. It has amassed more than 6 million users who can access credit lines of $140 to $3,000, and many merchant offers include interest-free repayment options. ZestMoney has raised equity (an extended Series B) and an unspecified amount of debt to finance customer loans. It recently announced a strategic partnership with Credit Saison to deploy $100 million toward expanding digital lending. Management aims to disburse $1 billion in credit in 18 months and ultimately reach 300 million users. ZestMoney helps consumers with limited or no credit history obtain loans to buy online and build a credit profile. It partners with over 800 merchants, including Flipkart and Amazon, and handles most transactions online while pursuing an in-store financing push supported by Xiaomi. The company originates small loans that grow as customers repay, targeting medium-to-large ticket items such as electronics, education and vacations. ZestMoney says it will invest new capital in technology, including AI for credit assessment, plus voice-based communication and facial-recognition tools to reach customers less comfortable with English and digital services. The startup has opened an office in Singapore to assess Southeast Asia expansion but will keep its primary focus on India and does not expect immediate multi‑market rollout. Founded in 2015, ZestMoney has raised $42M to date following the latest round. ZestMoney is a consumer lending fintech that provides microloans and point-of-sale financing for single-purchase items such as electronics, education and vacations. The company funnels high volumes of small loans to partner banks and merchants, processing about 200,000 applications per month. Founded in 2015 by Lizzie Chapman with Ashish Anantharaman and Priya Sharma, ZestMoney works with e-commerce companies to subsidize costs and often offer attractive, interest-free rates to consumers. The startup has raised $22 million to date; the latest capital is an extension to its Series A. ZestMoney previously collaborated with Xiaomi to develop Mi Finance in India. Management says it will ramp up technology investment—focusing on AI and facial/voice recognition—to expand beyond tier-one cities and is eyeing a larger round soon.

Participated · Equity · Aug 2021

Fresh Equities is a Melbourne-based investment technology startup founded in 2017 by Ben Williamson and Rhys Davis. The company combines proprietary technology and strategies used by large investment houses to help retail investors access opportunities from ASX100 and ASX300 firms as well as small-cap and micro-cap listed stocks. Fresh has enabled over 1,000 transactions and provided companies access to a combined total of $450 million, with its volume increasing 15× in two years. The company plans to use new funding to expand its technological capabilities, introduce features that help small-cap company leaders understand and interact with investors directly, and to establish an underwriting business to underwrite transactions for emerging and growth companies. Following the round, Wisr CEO Anthony Nantes will join Fresh as an adviser to the CEO. Archangel Ventures’ backers described Fresh as bringing "order and ethics to the chaos of listed fundraising in Australia using smart technology."