Captain Fresh Bags INR 250 Cr In A Pre-IPO Funding Round

Bengaluru-based B2B seafood startup Captain Fresh has secured INR 250 Cr ($28.8 Mn) as part of its ongoing pre-IPO funding round led by existing investors Prosus Ventures, Accel and Tiger Global.

The round also saw participation from leading domestic family offices, including Swiggy cofounder Sriharsha Majety’s family office; Sid Khanna, chairman of India Equity Partners; Sona Comstar chairman Sunjay Kapur and apparel maker Shivalik Prints among others.

“Current funding enables us to exceed $1 Bn revenue in the next 12 months, which puts us among the top 25 seafood players in the world,” said Utham Gowda, founder and group chief executive of Captain Fresh.

Gowda also said that the fresh capital will strengthen the startup’s balance sheet and serve as a strong foundation for its upcoming IPO.

Founded in 2019 by Gowda, Captain Fresh is a farm-to-retail platform specialising in seafood. The startup sources produce from farmers and agents. The company claims to also have operations in Chicago, West Palm Beach, Paris, Madrid, Amsterdam, Oslo, Gdynia, and Dubai. 

The company, currently valued at $500 Mn, is also looking to raise up to $100 Mn in a pre-IPO funding round amid increasing interest from domestic and overseas investors.

It has so far mopped up nearly $46 Mn from a clutch of investors for this pre-IPO round.

The startup last raised INR 100 Cr (about $12 Mn) in a funding round led by Motilal Oswal Wealth Limited, only a month ago. 

To note, Captain Fresh was eyeing an IPO at a valuation of $1.3 Bn to $1.5 Bn, as per reports. It was also said to have picked Axis Capital and Bank of America as the bankers for its public issue.

The startup said in a statement that it is actively preparing to file for its IPO by the end of this year, while also scaling up its operations and bolstering its market position.

Updated at 04:30 PM