Bankers chase Byju’s for IPO, valuation pegged up to $50 billion

Most banks have given Byju’s a proposed valuation in the range of $40 billion to $45 billion, but some including Morgan Stanley have pitched a $50 billion valuation if the startup lists next year, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.
The startup, which has raised $1.5 billion since the beginning of the pandemic last year, was most recently valued at $16.5 billion.
The startup has received several inbound requests from investors to raise at a valuation of about $21.5 billion, the people said.

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Daily.

Airbnb to house 20,000 Afghan refugees for free worldwide, CEO says

Airbnb will start housing 20,000 Afghan refugees around the world in properties listed on its platform, CEO Brian Chesky said Tuesday.
Starting today, Airbnb will begin housing 20,000 Afghan refugees globally for free.
Airbnb started its emergency Open Homes program in 2012, where hosts on the short-term rental service could open their homes for free to people in times of need.

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Daily.

AppsForBharat, a product studio focused on building apps for spiritual and devotional needs of users in India, on Tuesday said it has raised $4 million in a seed round of funding co-led by Sequoia Capital India and BEENEXT. The funding round also saw participation from WEH Ventures, as per a statement, which added that the funds will primarily be used for product development and hiring tech talent.
Kirana247, a Delhi-based on-demand supply chain startup, on Tuesday said it has raised $1 million in its run-up to a bridge round of funding dubbed pre-Series A round and is expected late August.
Bengaluru-based enterprise technology provider startup Syook on Tuesday said it has raised $1 million from Inflection Point Ventures and ONGC in a Series A round of funding.

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Daily.