With the nine month investment tally touching USD 13 billion across 504 transactions, Private Equity (PE) investments in India for 2015 are poised to cross the historical highs of 2007 which had witnessed USD 14.7 billion being invested across 535 transactions, shows data from Venture Intelligence, a research service focused on private company financials, transactions and their valuations.
PE firms invested a record USD 5,893 million (across 177 deals) during the quarter ended September 2015, up 125% over that invested in the same period last year (USD 2,621 million across 126 transactions) and 38% higher than the immediate previous quarter (which had witnessed USD 4,272 million being invested across 151 transactions).
The nine month PE investment tally for 2015 is 82% more than the USD 7,131 million across 387 transactions in the first six months of 2014, the Venture Intelligence data showed.
There were as many as 16 PE investments worth USD 100 million or more (with seven over USD 200 million) during Q3'15 compared to three such transactions in the same period last year and 11 during the immediate previous quarter, the Venture Intelligence analysis showed.
Apart from the Internet ''Unicorns'' of Flipkart, Snapdeal and Ola, which raised USD 700 million, USD 500 million, USD 245 million respectively. Others large PE investments in Q3'15 included the USD 500 million investment by TA Associates and India Value Fund in ACT Broadband, Blackstone's USD 383 million repurchase of BPO firm Intelenet (from UK's Serco) and Bain Capital's USD 200 million infusion in publicly listed non banking financial services firm L&T Finance.
The mega deals in the Internet sector along with the Blackstone buyout of Intelenet ensured that IT & ITES companies grabbed 57% of the PE investment by value (attracting USD 3,358 million across 107 deals) during Q3'15.
Despite the Bain Capital - L&T Finance deal, PE investments in listed companies (PIPEs)- at 8 investments worth USD 341 million - accounted for just 6% of the investment pie (by value) during Q3'15.
