Category: Investment
Indian Logistics Unicorn Delhivery receives US$115 million investment from CPPIB
Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) said on Monday that it has made an investment worth US$115 million in SoftBank and Carlyle-backed Indian logistics unicorn Delhivery Pvt. Ltd.
This is the second investment made by CPPIB through its Fundamental Equities Asia Group which focuses on emerging markets in the Indian startup ecosystem. Its first investment was made in Byju’s last year in December.
Alain Carrier, the senior managing director and head of International CPPIB commented on the deal, saying that they have found in Delhivery a highly reputable partner who fits well with their focus on supporting high-growth businesses.
With this investment, Delhivery’s valuation is placed at US$1.5 billion and following the deal, CPPIB will also have a seat on the Delhivery board.
Delhivery’s Founder and CEO Sahil Barua said, “We are delighted to welcome CPPIB as a new partner for our next phase of growth alongside our existing partners. The last year has been particularly exciting for us at Delhivery — we have crossed 17 500 pin codes across India, launched 3 new businesses, and created over 10 000 new jobs”
Founded in 2011 by Sahil Baru, Bhavesh Manglani, Suraj Saharan, Kapil Bharti, and Mohit Tandon, Delhivery initially operated as SSN Logistics Pvt. Ltd to provide local on-demand service before it aims to become the operating system for commerce in the country.
Since its inception, Delhivery has become a full-fledged logistics player providing transportation, warehousing, freight services, and overall fulfillment services to various customers in more than 2,000 cities across India.
The startup has also received the coveted ET Startup of the Year award 2019, earning high praise for touching remote corners of the country and creating impact by being a full-stack logistic platform.
Its investment portfolio includes several PE investors such as Multiples Private Equity, Tiger Global Management, and Nexus Ventures. Earlier in March this year, the startup has raised US$413 million (Rs 2890 crore) in a funding round led by SoftBank Vision Fund, alongside Carlyle and China’s Fosun International.
With this newly raised funding capital, the startup plans to further broaden its exposure in the country’s logistics sector and this will be a challenge as it faces fierce competition.
The Logistics Industry in India
Aside from Delhivery, there are many other logistics startups in India such as E-com Express, Blue Dart, Xpressbees, Blackbuck, Rivigo, and Shadowfax among others.
As a matter of fact, Inc42’s State of the Indian Startup Ecosystem 2018 Report has noted over 900 logistics startups as of November 2018.
According to data released by Tracxn Labs in December last year, the startups playing in the digitally-driven logistics and supply chain space in India attracted investments worth US$1.89 billion till then in 2018.
This year is expected to continue the momentum. In May, BlackBuck announced that it had raised US$150 million in a Series D equity funding round led by Goldman Sachs Investment Partners and Silicon Valley-based Accel.
Meanwhile, another major player operating in the space, Rivigo, raised a funding of $65 million in its ongoing Series E round, led by existing investors Warburg Pincus and SAIF Partners.
Indeed, India’s tech-based logistics startups will see heated competition as the startups ramp up to offer their solutions to the existing challenges in the supply chain network. Delhivery will need to play its cards right in order to continue to be in the lead.
A win-win cooperation for Airbnb and Oyo?
Just days after announcing its acquisition of travel app HotelTonight for more than US$400 million, home sharing giant Airbnb has revealed another major investment in Indian hotel management startup Oyo.
The deal is reportedly worth US$100 to US$200 million in exchange for a significant stake in the startup and was said to be part of the Indian startup’s Series E funding round.
A spokeswoman from Oyo told local media that their company has been working closely with a range of global distribution partners including Airbnb, and other regional and global players.
However, none of these relationships were exclusive in nature.
AirBnb: China and India Markets in Sights
One of the main reasons for Airbnb’s investment in Oyo was due to its presence in India and China, two markets where the US company has traditionally faced obstacles and challenges.
A report by Business Today notes that Airbnb’s China listings only made up about 5 percent while its listings in India is less than 1 percent.
Truth is, Airbnb has created Aibiying a few years back in order to expand their operations into China, however it has still lagged behind local businesses like Xiaozhu and Tujia.
Nathan Blecharczyk, the Co-founder and Chief Strategy Officer of Airbnb had mentioned in late 2017, that China’s notorious technology restrictions, which block access to sites like Google and Facebook, has made it difficult for online businesses like Airbnb to grow.
“Emerging markets like India and China are some of Airbnb’s fastest-growing with our growth increasingly powered by tourism to and from these markets,” said Airbnb’s president of homes, Greg Greeley. “In many of these markets, Oyo is empowering local hospitality entrepreneurs to provide more options to more travelers.”
Oyo also claims to be one of China’s top five hotel chains, having expanded into the country since November 2017.
The startup currently has 180,000 rooms and more than 4,000 hotels in major cities including Xian, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, Nanjing, Shenzhen, Chengdu, Kunming, and Xiamen under franchise, manchise, and lease agreements.
Meanwhile, by room count, Oyo is reportedly the largest hotel company in India and Blecharczyk refers to India as an important business opportunity for targeting business travelers.
“Currently, we have about 6,500 companies in India who have signed with Airbnb for business travel. So there is a lot of traction here,” he said.
Both companies are currently exploring ways to collaborate, one way being listing Oyo accommodations on Airbnb.
Moving Beyond Home Rentals, Airbnb Gets Ready for IPO in 2020
In any case, it is evident that Airbnb is beefing up its portfolio in preparation for an initial public offering next year.
This goes to explain the aggressive moves lately in expanding its lodging offerings beyond home rentals for tourists, for which the company is famous.
Its recent investment in hotel booking startup HotelTonight as well as its stakes in Indian hotel unicorn Oyo seems to be cases in point, to tap into business travelers who are willing to spend more on traveling.
Besides, in December, Airbnb had also acquired a small French property management startup called Lucky Homes and a small stake in The Wing, a startup focused on co-working spaces and social clubs for women, again points to its expansion beyond tourists and backpackers.
“For Airbnb to grow, it has to be present across segments.” Chandramouli, the Chief Executive Officer of TRA Research said. “Airbnb cannot remain just a platform. By investing, it is like an expansion for Airbnb as they move into hotel rooms too.”
And that’s where Oyo fits in neatly with its presence in India and China, as well as its footprint spans across more than 500 cities across China, Malaysia, Nepal, the United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, the Philippines, and most recently Japan.
Oyo: A Strong Global Network via AirBnb
Founded in 2013, Oyo calls itself India’s largest hospitality company which helps manage budget hotels in India. It aggregates hotels onto booking websites like TripAdvisor and Booking.com that helps them improve efficiency.
The startup currently evaluated at US$5 billion by existing investors, has raised nearly US$1.5 billion to date from SoftBank, Sequoia Capital, and Grab, among others.
“Airbnb’s strong global footprints and access to local communities will open up new chances for Oyo,” said Maninder Gulati, the Indian company’s global chief strategy officer.
The Oyo-Airbnb deal will immediately allow Oyo’s 10,000 villas and homes in India, Dubai, and other markets to be listed on Airbnb.
Currently, the startup claims to be the world’s seventh largest hotel group, with 515,000 rooms under management.
Just as Airbnb faces some challenges in the Indian and Chinese market, Oyo faces them in Airbnb’s home market – the United States.
Having just recently launched its business in the United States, with an initial debut in Texas with its Townhouse brand name, Oyo is going up against American economy lodging brands like Super 8 and Travelodge.
Besides, Airbnb has amassed a large audience of users both to its websites and its mobile app, and now that it’s featuring hotel product more and more — in addition to buying a hotel booking platform — that could work to Oyo’s benefit, too
Oyo might find that actively marketing its product on Airbnb could cost less than using other online travel agencies or even Google’s own price-comparison search tool, and because the Oyo brand is relatively still new in the U.S., Airbnb’s platform could facilitate an introduction to the U.S. market in a seamless way.
“A listing partnership where Oyo supply is available on Airbnb could be mutually beneficial for both companies. Oyo could potentially get access to more western inbound travelers to India, China, and Southeast Asia, its key markets, that are comfortable booking through Airbnb but would otherwise be unfamiliar or uncomfortable with Oyo,” Seth Borko, a researcher for Skift said.
The Indian unicorn is also branching out into new services such as rental housing, a business it took global last week in Tokyo.
The Bigger Picture in Travel: Synergies in Product and Ambition
Though previously, Oyo and Airbnb have been rivals of sorts, the two shared grand ambitions to dominate travel and accommodations.
Moving forward, Oyo’s Founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal believes that Oyo will overtake top-ranked Marriott International, which manages 1.29 million rooms, by 2023.
On the other hand, Airbnb is looking to break from its home sharing platform and become a “superbrand of travel”.
Southeast Asia seen as best investment destination this year
A poll at the Asian Financial Forum revealed that 39 percent believe Southeast Asia to be the best investment prospect in 2019, favored over other choices like China (35 percent) and the United States (16 percent).
This vote took place during the 12th Asian Financial Forum held on January 14 and 15 in Hong Kong and respondents of the poll view Southeast Asia to have the best potential investment returns, as businesses are shifting production out of China to countries in the region.
At the same time, another poll for Chief Executives at Asia-Pacific companies by PwC identified Vietnam as the hotspot among Southeast Asian countries.
“We surveyed CEOs across the region where they wanted to put their money in the next 12 months. For two years in a row, Vietnam has come out on top,” said Raymond Chao, the Chairman for PwC in the Asia Pacific and Greater China.
He added that this has much to do with what is happening around the world, and some CEOs are making adjustments to their supply chain in response to the ongoing trade war between the United States and China.
Victor Fung Kwok-king, Chairman of the Fung Group and moderator of the event panel, said his companies are seeking to find a new base for manufacturing outside China.
“We really need to think twice before finishing your products in China and attaching the ‘Made in China’ label, which will have tremendous duty problem in the US,” explained Fung.
However, he also pointed out that the manufacturing sector in Vietnam has capacity constraints which may cause some manufacturers to max out their production capabilities.
“Then the question becomes, which country is the one you would pick after Vietnam. Eventually, this could be countries within the ‘Belt and Road’ region,” said Fung. Southeast Asia is included in this extension.
Other factors also play a role in driving investor interest in the region, which includes an emerging middle class and economic growth.
Thanks to smartphones, increasing internet users has pushed the forecast for Southeast Asia’s digital economy to reach US$240 billion by 2025.
This leaves plenty of opportunities for tech and online businesses, and by extension investment and venture capitalists. In fact, investors have already taken action.
A look at the report by Cento Ventures on 2018 Southeast Asia tech investment revealed that there is a sustainable growth momentum for technology funding in the country, with last year record crossing US$11 billion.
Source: Cento Research
This amount almost doubles the US$5.8 billion investment in 2017 and suggests a healthy and growing interest in the investment and innovation space for Southeast Asia. For 2019, Cento Ventures predicts that that internet technology-related startups like Grab, Go-Jek, Tokopedia, and Traveloka will continue to attract capital this year.
In fact, it is these five companies which accounted for 70 percent of that total – Grab (US$3 billion), Lazada (US$2 billion), Go-Jek (US$1.5 billion), Tokopedia (US$1.1 billion), and the SEA Group (formerly known as Garena) which raised a US$575 million convertible note offering.
Unicorn asides, late-stage companies in the region are also raising larger rounds and inching towards a billion dollar valuation, with some of the notable deals being:
- PropertyGuru US$145 million Series D funding round in 2018 which placed its valuation at more than US$368 million
- Ninja Van’s US$85 million funding backed by DPDgroup
- Carousell US$85 million Series C funding co-led by Rakuten Ventures and EDBI
Besides, follow-on Series B funding round is also gradually growing as various startups move into a more mature ecosystem.
Surprisingly, looking at last year accounts — Indonesia takes up more than 70% of the capital invested in Southeast Asia.
“Jakarta becomes Southeast Asia’s startup capital surpassing Singapore in terms of the number of deals and investment amount,” Wilson Cuaca from East Ventures told TechCrunch.
The early stage investor further predicts that as Indonesia’s startup scene heats up, regional seed and series A funds will move away from Indonesia and target Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
In 2018, the distribution of deals had illustrated activity across the region. By deal count, allocations to Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and Vietnam appear to be consistent with the past few years. whereas the Philippines has been cooling off in both investment amount and number of deals since 2016.
Looking ahead, Southeast Asia in 2019 remains a very attractive region for investors, as it will continue to gain the attention of institutional investors looking for growth markets outside of China and India.
With high-quality startups exits in the plan, it is likely that the year ahead will bring more successful exit stories that will help inspire more founders to start companies and attract investors in Southeast Asia.
Navis to raise up to US$2 billion in eighth fund
Southeast Asia’s leading PE firm Navis Capital Partners is set to launch its eighth fund in 2018. The vehicle will be significantly larger than the firm’s current fund Navis VII worth US$1.5 billion.
According to Navis, its seventh fund is currently in its third and final year at 70 percent drawn – a stage where most PE players have started to actively plan their new successor fund.
But so far no plans have been finalized for the size or timing of a successor fund, though the firm is said to be looking to raise up to US$2 billion for its next fund.
As an investor with a large presence in Southeast Asia and Australia, Navis focuses on building a portfolio related to food processing, restaurant dining, manufacturing, fast-moving consumer goods, outdoor advertising, auto rentals, consultancy, healthcare, and professional business services.
The Kuala Lumpur-based firm has invested in Chinese restaurant chain Imperial Treasure, Indonesian medical equipment distributor Tawada Healthcare, Vietnam’s Hanoi French Hospital and furniture and lifestyle brand Christian Liaigre, among some.
With Navis VIII, the PE firm plans for smaller investments below US$50 million to further extend its investments into the region. These investments in the range of US$10 million to US$50 million, which Venture Capital firms often find too big and Private Equity players find too small, can work to fill the requirements for certain players.
The firm’s exits for this year include the divestment of its controlling stake in retail apparel South Africa’s The Foschini Group to Australia’s Retail Apparel Group (RAG) in a deal worth US$225 million. The firm also sold its interest in Guardian Early Learning Group, a child care business operating a network of 71 child care centers across Australia, to funds managed and advised by Partners Group.
Navis Partners Capital currently manages several private and public equity funds totaling to US$5 billion in equity capital and has made more than 70 controlling investments since its inception.
It has one of the largest private equity professional teams in Asia, consisting over 60 individuals and supported by over 30 administrative staff in eight offices across the region.
Katrina enters JV with Ajisen China to expand So Pho brand in China, Hong Kong
Singapore’s food and beverage company Katrina Group announced today that it has entered into a subscription and shareholder’s agreement with Big Benefit Group, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ajisen (China) Holdings.
The deal will see Katrina holding a 30 percent stake in the joint-venture company which manages and operates snack bars, cafes, restaurants and other food services serving Vietnamese-style dishes under the brand – So Pho in Hong Kong and China.
Alan Goh, the Founder, CEO and Executive Chairman of Katrina said, “We are excited to partner Ajisen China, which is one of the largest and most successful restaurant chains in China. This collaboration will extend our geographical reach in China and help us enter the Hong Kong market.”
“It is a bold step in the right direction in further strengthening Katrina as a regional F&B group. We look forward to a long-lasting partnership with Ajisen China and further opportunities to come,” he added.
HKEX-listed Ajisen China is one of the leading restaurant chain operators with a retail network of close to 700 restaurants in 120 cities and 30 provinces in China and Hong Kong.
Meanwhile, Katrina Group is a food and beverage business specializing in multi-cuisine concepts and restaurant operations. It owns and operates 33 restaurants in Singapore under nine different brands including Bali Thai and Streats.
In terms of funding, Katrina and Ajisen China will provide a working capital for So Pho International of up to US$450,000 and US$1.05 million respectively, through interest-free shareholder’s loan.
Katrina will also trademark So Pho International as a sole and exclusive right to use, sub-license and franchise the trade name of “So Pho” and associated logos, designs and trade names in mainland China.
Wai Poon, the Founder, Chairman and CEO of Ajisen China said, “We are glad that this collaboration has come to fruition. With our strong track record and Katrina’s brand development capabilities, we look forward to growing the “So Pho” brand in China and Hong Kong to build mutual success for both Ajisen China and Katrina.”