- 18 INVESTORS INVESTED IN THREE OR MORE INDIAN UNICORNS
- SEQUOIA CAPITAL TOPS THE LIST BY INVESTING IN 9 INDIAN UNICORNS
- NEXT LEADING INVESTORS, SOFTBANK AND STEADVIEW CAPITAL INVESTED IN 7 INDIAN UNICORNS EACH
- RATAN TATA’S RNT ASSOCIATES AMONGST THE TOP SEVEN INVESTORS IN INDIAN UNICORNS
The Hurun Research Institute today released the Hurun India Top Unicorn Investors List 2020. The release sequels the launch of Hurun India Unicorn List 2020 on the 2nd week of August. In order to identify the investors, we used regulatory filings and feedback from the VC funds. The list is a compilation of all the investment firms that have invested into three or more India-based unicorns as of 20th August 2020. This list is Hurun’s very first attempt in showcasing the success stories of investors who have endorsed their trust in unicorns from India.
Hurun Report India MD and Chief Researcher Anas Rahman Junaid said: “These investors play a significant role in accelerating the creation of new wealth in India. The success of these investors goes on to show that Indian HNIs should actively start allocating part of their portfolio towards start-ups.”
Top 5 Unicorn Investors
The top five unicorn investors are those who have invested in at least five unicorns in India. The Indian arm of American investment firm Sequoia Capital tops the list since it has invested in 9 Indian unicorns. The second position is shared by Japan’s SoftBank and UK’s Steadview Capital. They have invested in 7 Indian unicorns, each. While the subsequent positions are held by one and two investors, respectively. Given below are the top 5 unicorn investor rankings:
Table 1: Top 6 Hurun India Unicorn Investors 2020
| Rank | Investor | No. of Unicorn Investments | HQ Country | Unicorn Investments |
| 1 | Sequoia | 9 | USA | Byju's, OYO Rooms, Ola Cabs, Paytm Mall, Zomato, Unacademy, Druva, Freshworks, BigBasket |
| 2 | SoftBank | 7 | Japan | Paytm, OYO Rooms, Ola Cabs, Delhivery, FirstCry, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar |
| 2 | Steadview Capital | 7 | UK | Ola Cabs, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar, Unacademy, Dream11, Nykaa, Freshworks |
| 4 | SAIF Partners | 6 | India | Paytm, Paytm Mall, Swiggy, FirstCry, Rivigo, Unacademy |
| 5 | Matrix Partners | 5 | India | Ola Cabs, Zomato, Ola Electric, Freshworks, BigBasket |
| 5 | Nexus Venture Partners | 5 | USA | Zomato, Delhivery, Unacademy, Druva, Postman |
Source: Hurun Research Institute
Sequoia. American venture capital firm Sequoia Capital made its debut in India in 2006. Till date, Sequoia has closed seven funds in India. In July 2020, it announced its intentions to invest US$1.35 billion through a venture fund of US$525 million and a growth fund of US$825 million. Geographically, both these funds will be focussed on making investments in India and South East Asia.
SoftBank. Japan’s SoftBank has invested to some of the leading unicorns in India. The fund’s leader, Masayoshi Son is known for his expertise and vision in placing smart bets on the global unicorns. In 2018, the investment giant gained 60% returns on its US$2.5 billion investment in Indian e-commerce company Flipkart. It is considered to be one of the biggest achievements of SoftBank in Indian market, that too in a single year’s period.
Steadview Capital. In 2014, UK-based Steadview Capital made its first investment in Urban Ladder, an Indian online furniture company. A recent disclosure to a news reporting agency by the firm’s founder, Ravi Mehta said that the fund has invested a sum of US$2 billion in India. Indian origin Mehta founded the investment firm in 2009. The firm focusses on making investments into ventures that are primarily based in Asia.
SAIF Partners. SAIF Partners is on the fourth position of the Hurun India Unicorn Investor List 2020. While having worth US$3 billion in total assets under management, the investment firm largely focuses on investing in early-stage start-ups. In 2019, the company invested in 15 investments in India. The company has already announced its plans to repeat this feat in 2020 as well.
Matrix Partners. Since its establishment in India in 2006, Matrix Partners has invested more than US$1 billion in the Indian market. The firm is a subsidiary of USA’s Matrix Partners and participates as an early-stage investor in the market. In its third and latest fund, Matrix Partners India raised US$300 million.
Nexus Ventures. The fifth position is shared by Nexus Venture Partners. Nexus is an investment firm that primarily focusses on making investments in the USA and India. The fund follows an investment pattern of investing early on in the companies. It commenced its operations in 2006, after it was found by Naren Gupta, Sandip Singhal and Suvir Sujan. In May 2019, Nexus raised an estimated sum of more than US$300 million for its fifth investment fund.
Investors investing in 3 or more Indian Unicorns
Given below are the investment firms who have invested in at least 3 India-based unicorns. The investments made by the investment companies/funds and their respective investment vehicles have been clubbed together for better understanding.
Table 2: Hurun India Top Unicorn Investors List 2020
| Rank | Investor | No. of Unicorn Investments | HQ Country | Unicorn Investments |
| 1 | Sequoia | 9 | USA | Byju's, OYO Rooms, Ola Cabs, Paytm Mall, Zomato, Unacademy, Druva, Freshworks, BigBasket |
| 2 | SoftBank | 7 | Japan | Paytm, OYO Rooms, Ola Cabs, Delhivery, FirstCry, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar |
| 2 | Steadview Capital | 7 | UK | Ola Cabs, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar, Unacademy, Dream11, Nykaa, Freshworks |
| 4 | SAIF Partners | 6 | India | Paytm, Paytm Mall, Swiggy, FirstCry, Rivigo, Unacademy |
| 5 | Matrix Partners | 5 | India | Ola Cabs, Zomato, Ola Electric, Freshworks, BigBasket |
| 5 | Nexus Venture Partners | 5 | USA | Zomato, Delhivery, Unacademy, Druva, Postman |
| 7 | ABG Capital | 4 | USA | Ola Cabs, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar, Unacademy |
| 7 | Alibaba Group | 4 | Singapore | Paytm, Paytm Mall, Zomato, BigBasket |
| 7 | RNT Associates | 4 | India | Ola Cabs, Zomato, Lenskart, FirstCry |
| 7 | Tiger Global Management | 4 | USA | Ola Cabs, PolicyBazaar, Delhivery, Freshworks |
| 12 | Accel | 3 | USA | Ola Cabs, Swiggy, Freshworks |
| 13 | Bennett Coleman and Company | 3 | India | Byju's, BigBasket, Delhivery |
| 14 | Bessemer India Capital Holdings | 3 | USA | Ola Cabs, Swiggy, BigBasket |
| 15 | Chiratae Ventures | 3 | India | Lenskart, FirstCry, PolicyBazaar |
| 16 | General Atlantic Singapore | 3 | Singapore | Byju's, BillDesk, Unacademy |
| 17 | International Finance Corporation | 3 | USA | Byju's, Lenskart, BigBasket |
| 18 | LTR Focus Fund | 3 | Mauritius | Ola Cabs, Lenskart, PolicyBazaar |
| 19 | Tencent Holdings | 3 | China | Byju's, Swiggy, Dream11 |
Source: Hurun Research Institute
Methodology
The Hurun India Unicorn Investor List 2020 is compiled by the Hurun Research Institute by studying the regulatory filings of the unicorns. Wherever possible, the data collected has been cross-checked from the investors ranked in the list. The cut-off date used for studying the investment structures of unicorns is 20 August 2020. This list pertains to current unicorns only. For instance, investment into Flipkart has not been considered for the report as Flipkart is no longer a unicorn.
The Unicorn Investor List follows the release of Hurun India Unicorn List 2020. The former list is an attempt to present the investor information related to the latter. For the full version of Hurun India Unicorn Index 2020 and Hurun Global Unicorn Index 2020, refer www.hurunindia.net.