Byju’s in talks to go public via Spac deal
The online education provider Byju's, India's most valuable startup, is in advanced discussions to go public through a merger with one of Churchill Capital's special-purpose acquisition companies, according to people familiar with the matter.
The startup has held talks with several potential Spac partners and is farthest along in working out an agreement with Michael Klein's Churchill Capital, said the people, asking not to be named discussing private matters. Churchill Capital VII raised more than $1.3 billion in an offering in February and trades on the New York Stock Exchange.
Under the preliminary terms discussed, Byju's would raise a total of about $4 billion and seek a valuation of about $48 billion, the people said. The startup was valued at $21 billion, according to market research firm CB Insights.
While an announcement could come as soon as January, the negotiations
are not final. Byju's or Churchill could still opt out of such a deal, and Byju's could consider an IPO in India next year, the people said.
A Spac, or special purpose acquisition company, is a firm that has no commercial operations and is formed to raise capital through an IPO for acquiring or merging with an existing company.
Byju's declined to comment. Churchill didn't immediately respond to requests for comment.
The Bengaluru-headquartered company, founded and led by former teacher Byju Raveendran, provides K-12 lessons and video material to millions of Indians studying for the country's competitive engineering and medical entrance exams. It also provides one-to-one coding, math and reading classes and material to students in countries in North America, the Middle East and Latin America.
Byju's had been aiming to file preliminary documents for a traditional initial public offering as soon as the second quarter of 2022 and was also considering a Spac merger in September. That had been an acceleration of earlier plans to go public in 12-24 months. The startup and its bankers had discussed a valuation of $40 billion to $50 billion, although the final determination would depend on financial results and investor demand, people familiar with the matter said at the time.
India's technology sector has soared this year, with IPO fundraisings on track to reach record levels. Venture capital firms have also stepped up their investments in India.
Byju's, formally called Think & Learn Pvt Ltd, has prominent global investors, including Mark Zuckerberg's Chan-Zuckerberg Initiative, Naspers Ltd, Tiger Global Management and private equity giant Silver Lake Management.