India: Online brokerage RKSV Securities raises $4m from Kalaari Capital, others

Photo: Mint

By Ashna Ambre

February 14, 2016

Mumbai-based online stock brokerage company RKSV Securities India Pvt. Ltd on Friday said it has raised $4 million in Series A funding from Kalaari Capital with participation of GVK Davix Technologies Pvt. Ltd, a contract research firm and others.

The company founded in 2012 by Ravi Kumar, Raghu Kumar and Shrinivas Viswanath is looking to use the funds for growth, improving technology and adding products.

“Only 1.5% of the population participates in the capital markets due to high brokerage costs, cumbersome trading software, and poor customer support. Without investing in the equity markets, the average Indian is actually eroding their hard earned savings, through inflation and taxes. We want to change that. Investing can be truly engaging and rewarding, and should not be prohibitively expensive to get started,” said Raghu Kumar in a statement.

RKSV provides users with online investing and trading solutions. It launched its mobile app Upstox, with an aim to simplify investing and trading experience for both professional traders and beginners. The pricing model is such that it allows free trading on equities and a nominal fee of Rs.20 pay-per-order for professional traders.

“We believe consumer participation in the India equity markets will expand significantly over the next decade. India’s youth population is likely to see equity markets as a viable alternative to fixed deposits, gold and real estate. RKSV’s mobile first brokerage model is well positioned to benefit from this shift,” said Vani Kola, managing director, Kalaari Capital.

The company already accounts for close to Rs.6,000 crore of daily traded turnover across the NSE, BSE Ltd and MCX.

Also Read: Tencent, Felicis Ventures lead $10m Series A investment in AI startup Diffbot

India: JoulestoWatts raises pre-Series A from Saha Fund, Manipal Global Education

India: Inc42 raises pre-Series A funding from Unicorn, Aarin Capital, others

This article was first published on Livemint.com

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW

Singapore Reporter/s

In Singapore, we are looking to double our reporting team by this year-end to comprehensively cover the fast-moving world of funded startups and VC, PE & M&A deals. We want reporters who can tell our readers what is really happening in these sectors and why it matters to markets, companies and consumers. The ability to write precisely and urgently is crucial for these roles. Ideal candidates must have to ability to work in a collaborative, dynamic, and fast-changing environment. We want our new hires to be digitally savvy and ready to experiment with new forms of storytelling. Most importantly, we are looking for hard-hitting reporters who work well in a team. Collaboration and collegiality are a must.

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).

Following vacancies can be applied for (only in Singapore).   

  • A reporter to track companies/startups that have raised private capital, and have the potential to become unicorns. SEA currently has over 40 companies with a valuation of over $100 million and under $1 billion.
  • A reporter who can get behind the scenes and reveal how funding rounds are put together, or why they’ve failed to materialise. She/he in this role will largely focus on long-format stories. 
  • A journalist to track special situations funds, distressed debt and private credit (from the PE angle) across Asia.
APPLY NOW