India, finally is beginning to get attention from Sandhill big wigs. A few months after Norwest VP took the first step and invested in Yatra Online, an online travel site, there is word that Kleiner Perkins and Google backer Ram Shriram of Sherpalo Investors are investing about $3 million in Cleartrip.com, an online travel portal.
Cleartrip is not the only investment KP/Sherpalo are maing in India. They are also investing in Infoedge, which owns some of the bigger Indian properties, such as Naukri.com, 99acres and matrimonial site, Jeevan Sathi. The company did about $10 million in sales and $1.8 million in profits last year. They are in India spreading their wisdom, along with Ray Lane and Ajit Nazre. (Guys get a meal at Bukhara @ Maurya Sheraton in Delhi. Change your perspective on food, forever!)
Okay, lets take the news and analyze it step by step. First of all, one could laud these A-list VCs moving to India as a big step. Still, for an overall economic growth perspective, their impact is smaller versus efforts of other private equity groups, and corporations. I am going to give props to Intel, Cisco and others who saw the strategic opportunity before the VCs did. Their money is going to be better for the overall development of the Indian technology ecosystem. Oak Investment Partners which is rumored to have a fund that is going to invest in Indian retail is likely to create more local jobs than any dot.com.
Regardless, it is nice to see these folks go to India (and China). I remember very-important VCs at some of the top VC funds used to say, “If we can’t drive there, we are not investing there.” That was I guess when making money in the backyard was easy. Fact of the matter is that many US investors can have their companies listed on Bombay Stock Exchange sooner than on Nasdaq. Of course LSE and Australian Stock Exchanges are a way to go as well. The demand for tech-scrips is hot in India and nothing like quick exits.
But on a more deeper level, I wonder if three online travel sites, are one too many for a country where Internet penetration is still pretty small – about 38.5 million. (Details @ Broadband Wiki) The broadband proliferation is proving to be slower than expected, though still growing pretty well. (Westbridge Capital had invested in Travel guru, a company that got about $10 million in early stage funding.) Unless there is a mobile strategy, there is little or no chance that these sites are going to pan out. In India or any other emerging economy, “mobile” is a must-have strategy. From that perspective, Yatra which has backing of #2 telecom operator, Reliance so they are in pretty good shape.
Bonus link: An excellent comparison of India and China.
Bonus link #2: Meanwhile, Vinod Khosla, is busy finding investments in clear energy technologies. Ironic?
The Sheratons in Mumbai and Hydrebad also have a similar restuarant – and there is a restaurant in NYC with same name and almost similar menu… I am glad I do NOT get to these cities too often or I would be twice my already large size…
inteersting they are investing in consumer plays rather than software plays…Ray is more of a software guy…
But I think the original Bukhara is Still the best. I think lack of good _ good software deals might be behind consumer internet plays. Still they are picking good horses.
If Infoedge is profitable, wondering what is the valuation they are getting from KP/Ram? Any info on that Om?
-Bala
IMHO, Bukhara is over priced and over hyped. It has become the typical guide-book destination where most people end up going just because their guide book recommended it. But that is just my opinion 🙂
Its interesting that 4 out of 5 comments so far are about Bukhara and not about the actual content of this post 🙂
Hey Om, I think you need to write and popularize some of the problems of Broadband India like my own
http://thinkabdul.com/2006/01/11/pacenet-sucks-broadband-problems-in-india/
About listing of companies on BSE and NSE, look at the way IPOs are oversubscribed in India. And the irony is the retail quota meant for small investors is exploited by rich individuals like this http://inhome.rediff.com/money/2006/feb/02demat.htm
InfoEdge got a ~Rs. 100 crore ($22 million) valuation back in 2000 from ICICI ventures.
That was for Naukri.com (before 99acres and Jeevan Sathi).
Lot of this investments are happening in an overcrowded space of Job markets & Travel Portals. That way I like DFJ which is taking a bet on various spaces, they made investments(including seed) in Vegayan, Seventymm etc.
Rajan
I THINK VC IS HAPPENEING ALL AROUND THE WORLD. I AM ALSO PLANNING TO SET UP A ONLINE BUSINESS – LET’S SEE FROM WHERE I GET A VC
The co-founder of arguably India’s best travel website Cleartrip.com, Hrush Bhatt was born in Anand, Gujarat.An avid reader, loyal Mac user and someone who would rather spend his time with friends than watch television, Hrush Bhatt lets us know a little more about himself right here at Los Creador.
Read more about him at http://www.loscreador.com/2007/06/12/clear-and-simple-an-interview-with-hrush-bhatt