China and India-based early-stage venture firm SAIF Partners was founded by Andrew Yan in 2001. It is a sector agnostic investment firm that focuses on seed stage startups across various domains.
SAIF Partners is one of the prominent investors in the Indian startup ecosystem. It has some of the biggest Indian startups in its vast portfolio. Amongst the invested sectors, include consumer, education, finance, healthcare, logistics, and internet.
Here is a list of top 10 SAIF Partners investments in India:
Contents
Paytm
India’s leading digital payments startup Paytm was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma in 2010 with its headquarter in Noida. It is undoubtedly one of SAIF Partners most notable investments in India, although the VC firm was a little late to add this gem to its portfolio.
Recently, Paytm parent company One97 Communications approved Berkshire Hathway’s $300 million investment, propelling the startup to over $10 billion in valuation.
In March 2017, SAIF Partners, along with Alibaba invested $200 million in Paytm.
Swiggy
Bengaluru-based Indian food delivery unicorn Swiggy was founded by Sriharsha Majety, Nandan Reddy, and Rahul Jaimini in 2014. SAIF Partners has been one of the early investors of the food delivery giant, helping it become a leader in its industry.
In April 2015, SAIF Partners and Accel Partners led a $2 million series A round, making it the former investment firms earliest investment in Swiggy.
BookMyShow
Mumbai-based online ticketing startup BookMyShow was founded by Ashish Hemrajani, Parikshit Dar, and Rajesh Balpande in 1999. BookMyShow sells more than 15 million tickets across more than 650 cities in India.
SAIF Partners found the growing startup early and led a $25 million series B round in June 2014.
MakeMyTrip
Gurugram-based online travel agency MakeMyTrip was founded by Deep Kalra, Keyur Joshi, and Rajesh Magow in 2000. MakeMyTrip has grown to become a leader in its industry and expanded its product offerings.
In May 2005, SAIF Partners helped MakeMyTrip raise $10 million in series A funding round. Although, the investment firm has now exited MakeMyTrip after helping it during the crucial stages of its growth.
Justdial.com
Mumbai-based local search and discovery platform Justdial.com was founded by V.S.S. Mani in 1997. Justdial has a presence across more than 250 cities in India, penetrating the tier 2 and tier 3 cities. It has expanded its platform to offer many other services to its users.
SAIF Partners has been a part of Justdial’s growth during the vital growth stages.
FirstCry
Pune-based online shopping platform for baby care products FirstCry was founded by Amitava Saha and Supam Maheshwari in 2010. It offers more than 2 lakh baby and kids products from more than 2,000 national and international brand to 2 million customers. It has established itself in the baby care market, providing quality products and service.
SAIF Partners has helped FirstCry in its journey since it invested $14 million in the startup, along with IDG Ventures India in February 2012.
Capital Float
Bengaluru-based fintech Capital Float was founded by Gaurav Hinduja and Sashank Rishyasringa in 2013. It offers collateral-free credit to SMEs and other individuals to expand their business. This credit lending startup aims to enable entrepreneurs with easy and hassle-free lending to grow their business.
SAIF Partners has been an early investor in the growing fintech startup. It first invested $13 million in Capital Float, along with Sequoia Capital India and Aspada in February 2015.
Bengaluru-based vernacular social networking platform ShareChat was founded by three IIT Kanpur alumni, Farid Ahsan, Bhanu Singh, and Ankush Sachdeva in 2015. It has grown to become one of the leading social networking platforms in the country, offering regional language content to Indian users.
Recently, ShareChat raised ₹720 crores in a funding round led by existing investor Shunwei Capital, along with new investors Morningside Ventures, and Jesmond Holdings, an affiliate of Russian billionaire Yuri Milner‘s DST Global. SAIF Partners also participated in the funding round.
SAIF Partners has been an early investor in the startup, investing $1.4 million, along with India Quotient in a seed funding round in July 2016.
Urban Ladder
Bengaluru-based online furniture startup Urban Ladder was founded by Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivatsa in 2012. It provides a platform for its customers to enhance their home decor by choosing from a wide range of curated furniture. Urban Ladder has been expanding offline, to further enhance the furniture buying experience for its customers.
Urban Ladder first raised funds from SAIF Partners in series A round in November 2013. SAIF Partners, along with Kalaari Capital helped the online furniture startup raise $5 million.
Rivigo
Gurugram-based technology-enabled logistics startup Rivigo was founded by Gazal Kalra and Deepak Garg in 2014. It provides a digital trucking marketplace to facilitate on-demand truck supply, thereby removing inefficiencies and reducing costs.
SAIF Partners first invested $30 million in Rivigo in its series B round in December 2015.
SAIF Partners is among one of the most active investment firms in the country. Along with the above investments, it has many more Indian startups in its portfolio. SAIF Partners ‘ experience in varied sectors will come in handy to drive the startups in its portfolio towards growth.
Your post is really nice.
Looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing
Your post is nice.
Looking forward to it.
Thanks for sharing
Such good article on sharechat thank you marathi mahiti
good informaton