# AstroTalk becomes unicorn at $1 Bn via ESOP buyback 2026-08-16T08:33:48+00:00 | Business & Economy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet AstroTalk has joined the unicorn club with a $1 Bn valuation, but it achieved the milestone without raising fresh funds. Inc42 reports that the valuation came from an ESOP buyback, where the company bought shares back from employees, creating wealth for them. Founder and CEO Puneet Gupta told Inc42 that the startup does not need to raise capital before its planned IPO, and would only consider a round if reputed investors wanted to join the cap table for credibility rather than money. The startup's operating revenue quadrupled from Rs 283 crore in FY23 to Rs 1,176 crore in FY25. However, profit after tax fell to about Rs 33 crore in FY25 from Rs 85.5 crore in FY24 as expenses rose. AstroTalk attributed the dip to exceptional employee costs linked to the buyback. International markets, entered in late 2024, contributed 37% of revenue in FY26, with the US alone accounting for 60% of that. The company's fastest-growing vertical is its store business, launched in November 2024, which already runs at an annual revenue run rate of over Rs 200 crore. As AstroTalk prepares for a public listing, the valuation has not been defended by any external investor. The company has not disclosed the exact size of the exceptional expenses or the IPO timeline. The details will become clear when it files its draft red herring prospectus. ## Coverage - inc42.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: AstroTalk, Inc42, Puneet Gupta Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/astrotalk-becomes-unicorn-at-1-bn-via-esop-buyback/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/astrotalk-becomes-unicorn-at-1-bn-via-esop-buyback/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/