Prosus Expects More IPOs From Its India Portfolio

Prosus, one of the most active investors in the Indian startup ecosystem, said today (October 21) that its early investment in India is paying off. 

In a letter on the website, the PE firm’s CEO Fabricio Bloisi said that the investor remains excited about the prospects in the country. 

“…We are excited to see the potential for Swiggy’s value to be clearly highlighted in the public domain,” Bloisi said, adding “I expect we will see more of our investments in India IPO in the coming twelve to eighteen months.”

He also announced that Prosus is now valued around $100 Bn, commenting that he is “focused on how we (the company) can create another $100 Bn of value in the Prosus ecosystem.”

Notably, earlier this month, it was reported that the firm is investing $30 Mn (around INR 252 Cr) into the hyperlocal services startup Urban Company in a secondary deal, giving a partial exit to Bessemer Venture Partners.

Prosus has invested more than $7 Bn in Indian startups so far, according to Inc42 and Tracxn data– mostly via large ticket sizes and investments in companies like Swiggy, Meesho, PharmEasy, The Good Glamm Group, Urban Company, among others.

Further, ride hailing unicorn Rapido was also reported to be raising $60 Mn from Prosus in a mix of primary and secondary share sales– as a part of its ongoing $200 Mn funding round. 

In August, Prosus participated in omnichannel jewellery brand Bluestone’s INR 900 Cr pre-IPO round and invested INR 350 Cr in the company. 

The investor is also expecting a windfall from foodtech major Swiggy’s IPO, where it plans to sell 11.8 Cr shares as part of the OFS component.

Meanwhile, the firm also wrote off its entire investment in BYJU’s earlier this year. The held about 10% stake in the company. 

Since 2018, Prosus has invested about $536 Mn in edtech– which would’ve been worth around $2.2 Bn at BYJU’s peak valuation of $22 Bn.