Starting a business off ground has never been easy even for the unicorn companies. Steve Jobs had to sell off his Volkswagen to create a million-dollar company like Apple. Planify Capital Private Limited is a fintech company that thinks funding should never be a hurdle in a startup's path. With many funding options available in the market, it is often difficult to find the ones who know the worth of your business. Planify helps entrepreneurs by providing funding through accredited investors who are quite adept at risk assessment. Analytic Insight has engaged in an exclusive interview with Rajesh Singla, CEO, of Planify.

1. Kindly brief us about the company, its specialization, and the services that your company offers.

Planify Capital Private Limited is a fintech start-up with the goal of creating India's largest private equity marketplace. It is a financially self-sufficient corporation that is self-funded and bootstrapped. It supports start-ups and entrepreneurs in funding through accredited investors. It provides pre-IPO, upcoming IPO, and private equity shares of firms that are going public or plan to go public in the near future, as investors do not get allotment in shares prior to the IPO.

The firm also offers ESOP liquidation services to employees and has previously provided massive liquidity for Paytm, OYO, Delhivery, Boat, and six other companies. It also offers to sell the company and business to assist entrepreneurs in exiting the firm and passing the baton to new founders.                                                                                                                                                           

2. With what mission and objectives, the company was set up? In short, tell us about your journey since the inception of the company? 

The curation of Planify emerged in 2019 from the need to bring cutting-edge tech to the $42 Billion fundraising market and $77 Billion private equity which is completely unorganized.

The company wanted to help investors get detailed information about companies in the private space and hence started providing detailed research reports and selling shares of companies with upcoming IPOs. The company has already sold shares in the private market worth more than 100 crores. Till now it has 10,000+ investors and looking to increase this no. to 50,000.

In FY22, the company entered the fund-raising market and began aiding businesses with various degrees of cash raising. Last year, Planify raised financing for two start-ups, Bazaar India and Madbow, for a total of Rs. 40 crores. The company is seeking to add more to the list this year.

Planify promoted around 9 major firms on its platform, including Paytm, OYO, Delivery, and Boat, and provided significant liquidity of over 45 crores to employees through its ESOP services.

This young firm wants to capture the maximum market through a solution like never before in India. The vision is to be the go-to place for the entrepreneurship and start-up wave in India.

3. Mention some of the awards, achievements, recognitions, and clients' feedback that you feel are notable and valuable for the company.

In FY22, the company saw a 10x increase in revenue and a 33X increase in profit and has crossed the turnover of Rs.150 crore with a 192.5 % return on equity. It is a debt-free corporation with a 10,000+ person investor base and 270+ enterprises dealing with it.

4. Kindly mention some of the major challenges the company has faced till now.

• Due to a lack of information accessible in the market for private firms, it is difficult to give precise information to investors; nevertheless, Planify stands apart by attempting to dig deeper to obtain all of the information.
• Competitors attempt to acquire market share by reducing margins, posing a growing challenge for the corporation.

5. How do you see the company and the industry in the future ahead?    

Planify seeks to build an integrating platform that allows investors and VCs to acquire all of the information they need about start-ups. It is also focusing on launching start-ups on its platform with the goal of raising funds.

The firm aspires to become the largest private equity company marketplace and to build a massive database for investors to get precise information on private companies, making it a safer decision for them.

6. What are your growth plans for the next 12 months?       

Planify is trying to establish a large database for investors, by adding more and more research papers to its platform. It is attempting to increase its investment base by 5X; it now has 10,000 investors but expects to reach 50,000 in the coming year.

In addition, the company is partnering with an increasing number of start-ups to raise funds, and it is attempting to carve out a niche in the market by providing valuations, pitch decks, and equity restructuring services to these businesses.

Planify expects to expand its revenue to Rs.273 crore in the current year, up from Rs.150 crore in FY22, and its profit to Rs.21 crore, up from Rs.10 crore in FY22.

7. Where do you see growth coming in for the sector?

Every day, India's young population comes up with fresh start-up ideas, and the government is supporting the Start-up India Program, which creates a demand for new entrants and fledgling entrepreneurs to raise funds, resulting in massive development for this industry.

Also, new investors are entering the stock market, which has had a beneficial influence on this market. This opens the door to opportunities in this category, which is currently unorganized, allowing Planify to stand out in the market.

8. what is your biggest USP that differentiates the company from competitors?

• Strong Network Distribution
• Same Day Delivery of PreIPO Stock
• First to Market Aim at seizing the first-mover advantage
• Comprehensive marketplace for fundraising and sale of secondary shares
• Detailed research reports with a complete analysis of companies in the private equity market