Startup founders raise personal stakes before going public

Indian startup founders have stepped up efforts to raise their stakes in their companies ahead of planned IPOs this year. This trend appears across several late-stage startups, as founders show more confidence and seek tighter control before heading to the public markets.

Perhaps most notable is Lenskart, where cofounder Peyush Bansal bought back a 2.5% stake for Rs 222 crore from existing investors including SoftBank and Chiratae. Significantly, Bansal bought these shares at a…