The Indian startup industry has seen a significant growth in the last decade since it first few startups were being built from ground up. And now 10 years later, we see startups mushrooming in every corner of the country. In these 28 days alone, startups have raised around $160.8 million. from investors already. And at this rate, we can expect a huge boom in this industry, similar to when you add gasoline to a fire. The startups that were laying their foundations in the last 5-7 years have now become the giants of this industry. And like all whales, they have already started eating the phytoplankton. The year 2015 witnessed 224 mergers and acquisitions worth a total of 14280 crores as provided by VCCedge. This figure is an indication of how well the startup culture is growing and that this industry is now ready for the next level. Here are 10 of the biggest acquisitions of 2015.
This was the biggest acquisition of the year 2015, where Snapdeal took over FreeCharge for a hefty sum. Freecharge was valued at a high $400 million dollars when the acquisition took place. This is a part of their "String of Pearls" strategy which was brought on by the new chief product officer. They want to create a group of apps and platforms that the user does not need to look elsewhere for any service he/she needs, and hence the acquisitions. Another motive behind this deal was to stand up to Alibaba and Paytm, that has been going really strong. We might see even more startups that will be taken under the wing of Snapdeal in this coming year.
This was another acquisition that left many jaws hanging. Ola acquired its competitor TaxiForSure which was valued at $200 million dollars. In the ongoing Ola Uber war, TaxiForSure's war-chest was rapidly decreasing and it wasn't able to keep up with these giants. Luckily, Ola acquired the startup, preventing it from completely dying out. The cabs from TaxiForSure have been integrated into Ola itself for now.
Zomato is one Indian startup that has really been flourishing. It has crossed the Indian borders and expanded overseas. Wanting to be the only big fish in the sea, it acquired US-based UrbanSpoon for around $55 million dollars. This wasn't the only acquisition, it overtook two other startups that one of which was based in Turkey. Zomato is proving that it is not just here to stay and it wants the biggest piece as well.
In its first ever Indian acquisition, Twitter acquired Zipdial for an undisclosed amount. Zipdial was a startup that was meant for Indian markets and understood the psyche of the Indian people. We use missed calls as a means of communication in our country, having previously discussed its meaning. This is what Zipdial was based on. It used this daily phenomenon in India and used it to attract brands to engage people. Twitter saw that it was like twitter in a nascent form and decided to pick it up.
Practo made a lot of acquisition last year, but its acquisition of Instahealth was one that made headlines. Practo acquired InstaHealth for a valuation of $12 million dollars. Other acquisitions by practo include Fitho, Genii, and Qikwell. Looking at this list, we can infer that Practo wants to be the go-to company when it comes to the heath care industry in India. It wants to be the facebook of networking, buying out any startup that might be a potential threat.
After a $45 million series C funding, Capillary Tech decided it was time to expand and they went on to acquire MartJack. This acquisition took place on the very same day the received their funding. With this acquisition, they aim to be the one and only platform for their customers. Also, this step will go a long way in representing Capillary Tech online.
Grofers made several acquisitions last year. The checklist comprises of TownRush, SpoonJoy, and MyGreenBox. Grofers made the acquisitions after a series D funding round of $120 million dollars. These acquisitions were made in an attempt to expand and grow in the grocery retail market and give some serious competitions to its rival PepperTap, which did some acquisitions of its own.
In this game of startup monopoly, a big player made an entrance last year with its acquisition of Babyoye. Mahindra group made this acquisition add to its existing offline chain of Mom & Me. With Babyoye being an online marketplace, this completes the circle for the Mahindra group.
Recent years have seen a lot of budding of startups to capture this untapped industry. The details of the acquisition have not been revealed, and all we know is that CarTrade bought out its rival in an all-cash deal. For now, both the platforms will be running independently. The plan is to have different brand images for both of them. They want CarWale to be a platform people come to buy new cars and CarTrade a platform for used cars. Between the two of them, they are pretty much the giant of this sector.
After being funded by SoftBank, infamous for its layoffs, Housing went to acquire quite a few startups in the real estate industry. It's like it went on a shopping well, in this case, acquisition spree and bought all the pretty toys. Starting with Indian Real Estate forum followed by RealtyBI it went on to acquire HomeBuy360, BigBHK, and Plat it. Housing it trying to get it hands on any possible threat and buying it off before it gives them real competition.
Snapdeal acquires FreeCharge
This was the biggest acquisition of the year 2015, where Snapdeal took over FreeCharge for a hefty sum. Freecharge was valued at a high $400 million dollars when the acquisition took place. This is a part of their "String of Pearls" strategy which was brought on by the new chief product officer. They want to create a group of apps and platforms that the user does not need to look elsewhere for any service he/she needs, and hence the acquisitions. Another motive behind this deal was to stand up to Alibaba and Paytm, that has been going really strong. We might see even more startups that will be taken under the wing of Snapdeal in this coming year.
Ola acquires TaxiForSure
This was another acquisition that left many jaws hanging. Ola acquired its competitor TaxiForSure which was valued at $200 million dollars. In the ongoing Ola Uber war, TaxiForSure's war-chest was rapidly decreasing and it wasn't able to keep up with these giants. Luckily, Ola acquired the startup, preventing it from completely dying out. The cabs from TaxiForSure have been integrated into Ola itself for now.
Zomato acquires Urbanspoon
Zomato is one Indian startup that has really been flourishing. It has crossed the Indian borders and expanded overseas. Wanting to be the only big fish in the sea, it acquired US-based UrbanSpoon for around $55 million dollars. This wasn't the only acquisition, it overtook two other startups that one of which was based in Turkey. Zomato is proving that it is not just here to stay and it wants the biggest piece as well.
Twitter acquires Zipdial
In its first ever Indian acquisition, Twitter acquired Zipdial for an undisclosed amount. Zipdial was a startup that was meant for Indian markets and understood the psyche of the Indian people. We use missed calls as a means of communication in our country, having previously discussed its meaning. This is what Zipdial was based on. It used this daily phenomenon in India and used it to attract brands to engage people. Twitter saw that it was like twitter in a nascent form and decided to pick it up.
Practo Acquires InstaHealth
Practo made a lot of acquisition last year, but its acquisition of Instahealth was one that made headlines. Practo acquired InstaHealth for a valuation of $12 million dollars. Other acquisitions by practo include Fitho, Genii, and Qikwell. Looking at this list, we can infer that Practo wants to be the go-to company when it comes to the heath care industry in India. It wants to be the facebook of networking, buying out any startup that might be a potential threat.
Capillary Tech acquires MartJack
After a $45 million series C funding, Capillary Tech decided it was time to expand and they went on to acquire MartJack. This acquisition took place on the very same day the received their funding. With this acquisition, they aim to be the one and only platform for their customers. Also, this step will go a long way in representing Capillary Tech online.
Grofer acquisitions
Grofers made several acquisitions last year. The checklist comprises of TownRush, SpoonJoy, and MyGreenBox. Grofers made the acquisitions after a series D funding round of $120 million dollars. These acquisitions were made in an attempt to expand and grow in the grocery retail market and give some serious competitions to its rival PepperTap, which did some acquisitions of its own.
Mahindra Group Acquires Babyoye
In this game of startup monopoly, a big player made an entrance last year with its acquisition of Babyoye. Mahindra group made this acquisition add to its existing offline chain of Mom & Me. With Babyoye being an online marketplace, this completes the circle for the Mahindra group.
CarTrade Acquires CarWale
Recent years have seen a lot of budding of startups to capture this untapped industry. The details of the acquisition have not been revealed, and all we know is that CarTrade bought out its rival in an all-cash deal. For now, both the platforms will be running independently. The plan is to have different brand images for both of them. They want CarWale to be a platform people come to buy new cars and CarTrade a platform for used cars. Between the two of them, they are pretty much the giant of this sector.
Housing Acquisitions
After being funded by SoftBank, infamous for its layoffs, Housing went to acquire quite a few startups in the real estate industry. It's like it went on a shopping well, in this case, acquisition spree and bought all the pretty toys. Starting with Indian Real Estate forum followed by RealtyBI it went on to acquire HomeBuy360, BigBHK, and Plat it. Housing it trying to get it hands on any possible threat and buying it off before it gives them real competition.
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