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Entrepreneur
19-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Techfino Raises INR 65 Cr from Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital
The fresh funds will be used to expand its secured lending business focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in tier II and tier III cities across India. You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Bengaluru-based non-banking financial company (NBFC) Techfino has raised INR 65 crore in fresh funding from Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital. The fresh funds will be used to expand its secured lending business focused on micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), particularly in tier II and tier III cities across India. The startup plans to deploy the capital to grow its branch network, enhance its technology platform, and scale its Loan Against Property (LAP) offerings for underserved micro-businesses. With this strategic move, Techfino aims to deepen its presence in underpenetrated markets and address the significant credit gap in the MSME sector. Rajesh Panda, Co-founder of Techfino, said, "Out of the 640 million registered MSMEs in India, 390 million are not part of the formal credit economy. This segment, especially in rural and semi-urban markets, generates an estimated quarterly demand of INR 200,000 crore. With limited presence of banks and large NBFCs in this space, we are leveraging our underwriting expertise and tech-enabled collections infrastructure to bridge this gap." Founded in 2019 by banking veterans Rajesh Panda (ex-Standard Chartered), Jayaprakash Patra (ex-ICICI Bank and ING), and Ratikant Satapathy (ex-Bajaj Finance), Techfino offers secured loans (LAP) to MSMEs and also education loans through a B2B2C model in partnership with education service providers. The company currently operates across Karnataka, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh, and has maintained profitability since inception. Highlighting the role of technology, Co-founder Ratikant Satapathy said, "Our internally developed tech platform integrates multiple APIs to verify underwriting data, resulting in faster loan processing, better risk assessment, and improved operational efficiency." Ritesh Banglani, Partner, Stellaris Venture Partners, said, "Techfino has shown that it is possible to build a profitable lending business in a high-risk segment through strong underwriting and full tech enablement. We are excited to support them in their mission to empower millions of MSMEs." To date, Techfino has disbursed over 1 lakh loans and crossed INR 200 crore in Assets Under Management (AUM). With this funding, the company plans to double its branch network, scale loan disbursements, and build a significant footprint in secured MSME lending over the next 3–5 years.
Economic Times
18-06-2025
- Business
- Economic Times
Secured lending NBFC Techfino secures Rs 65 crore funding
Bengaluru-based non-banking finance company Techfino has raised Rs 65 crore in an equity funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital, which is the venture arm of Japanese consumer finance major Credit Saison. Founded in 2019, Techfino had raised around Rs 18 crore till now from DCB Bank and others. Techfino was started by three senior bankers, Rajesh Panda, Ratikanta Satpathy and Jayaprakash Patra, who worked with the likes of Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finance. Techfino started with funding fees for coaching classes and school fees, higher education and upskilling courses. The company has recently started offering loans against property to small business establishments as its second line of product. The plan is to scale up this second line of business in the coming months, tapping into the growing demand for small business company has a book of Rs 225 crore, which it wants to scale up to Rs 350 crore, with Rs 200 crore AUM being built in the LAP portfolio. For the secured loan business, Techfino leverages a branch-led model in states across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It has 30 branches currently, which the company wants to double by FY26.'We will offer loans in the range of Rs 8 to 12 lakh, typically looking for self-occupied property, catering to the needs of small shopkeepers, traders,' said Ratikanta Satpathy, cofounder, Techfino. From the current base of around 400 employees, Techfino wants to scale up its branch presence and also increase its headcount to around 600 by the end of this year. The firm closed FY25 with a total revenue of Rs 34 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 1.5 crore.
Time of India
18-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Secured lending NBFC Techfino secures Rs 65 crore funding
Bengaluru-based non-banking finance company Techfino has raised Rs 65 crore in an equity funding round led by Stellaris Venture Partners and Saison Capital , which is the venture arm of Japanese consumer finance major Credit Saison. Founded in 2019, Techfino had raised around Rs 18 crore till now from DCB Bank and others. Techfino was started by three senior bankers, Rajesh Panda, Ratikanta Satpathy and Jayaprakash Patra, who worked with the likes of Standard Chartered Bank, HDFC Bank, ICICI Bank and Bajaj Finance. Techfino started with funding fees for coaching classes and school fees, higher education and upskilling courses. The company has recently started offering loans against property to small business establishments as its second line of product. The plan is to scale up this second line of business in the coming months, tapping into the growing demand for small business loans. The company has a book of Rs 225 crore, which it wants to scale up to Rs 350 crore, with Rs 200 crore AUM being built in the LAP portfolio. For the secured loan business, Techfino leverages a branch-led model in states across Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. It has 30 branches currently, which the company wants to double by FY26. 'We will offer loans in the range of Rs 8 to 12 lakh, typically looking for self-occupied property, catering to the needs of small shopkeepers, traders,' said Ratikanta Satpathy, cofounder, Techfino. From the current base of around 400 employees, Techfino wants to scale up its branch presence and also increase its headcount to around 600 by the end of this year. The firm closed FY25 with a total revenue of Rs 34 crore and a profit before tax of Rs 1.5 crore. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories
