Yahoo Finance Tiger Global is now the biggest investor in online fashion retail in India
One of the most active American hedge funds has become a key stakeholder in Indian online fashion.
New York-headquartered Tiger Global, founded by billionaire Charles “Chase” Coleman (paywall) and known for early investments in startups such as Facebook and Zynga, currently holds a greater number of investments in Indian online fashion retail companies than any other investor, according to data curator Tracxn. On July 26, Tiger Global’s position strengthened further after one of its portfolio companies, Myntra, acquired rival Jabong for $70 million to become an industry leader.
In addition to Myntra and Jabong, Tiger Global has invested in Indian online retailers Limeroad, Roposo, UrbanTouch and Zovi.com. Tiger Global also has stakes in Flipkart and Shopclues, which have presence in Indian online fashion.
Bets on fashion
Online fashion retail is among most sought after categories among Indian startups because of the ease of entry and high profits on sales of clothes, shoes, and accessories. Around 157 online fashion retailers in India have raised a total of over $398.2 million, according to data curation firm Xeler8.
Five of the most-funded startups in the segment are in Tiger Global’s portfolio, according to data curation company Xeler8:
Most-funded online fashion retailers in India |
|---|
Myntra |
Jabong |
FashionandYou |
Limeroad |
YepMe |
Zovi |
Voonik |
Roposo |
Wooplr |
Tiger Global has been among the most active startup investors in India over the last decade or so and has invested in several other sectors in India, including consumer internet, e-commerce, content creation, and news.
Amid a global funding crunch, Tiger Global’s pace of funding Indian startups has declined, so whether its affair with Indian fashion will continue remains uncertain. According to the Wall Street Journal (paywall), Tiger Global recorded a $1 billion paper loss on its investments during the first three months of 2016.
Tiger Global declined to comment.
“Taken in consideration that Tiger Global has not been as active as it was last year in India, we don’t see more investments coming from the giant any time soon,” Rishabh Lawania, founder of Xeler8 said.
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