India’s first Unicorn IPO, Zomato, to get bigger

Zomato’s IPO roadshows have drawn the attention of multiple global investors, particularly following its move to invest in online grocery Grofers, prompting the online food delivery platform to consider a 20% increase in its capital raise.

The company, which filed for its public share offering about two months ago, is expected to file its red herring prospectus shortly and is awaiting the market regulator’s approval, said two sources directly briefed on the matter.

Zomato plans to increase the size of its primary share offering to about $1.2 billion (Rs 9,000 crore) from the $1 billion (Rs 7,500 crore) it had stated in its draft red herring prospectus in April, said this source.

“The response to the roadshows till now has been great and there is interest from a lot of investors who have not invested in India. These include hedge funds and crossover investors, but Zomato will look to pick long term shareholders,” said another source familiar with Zomato’s IPO process.

Based on the current plan, Zomato’s pre-money valuation will be in the range of $6.5-7.5 billion for the IPO, depending on the final price band, said this source. Zomato has started the process of inviting potential bids for anchor investors, this source said. 

Zomato’s IPO has a high dependence on institutional investors at 75%, as against 50% for most conventional public share offerings. Another 10% of its offering will be reserved for retail investors, and the remaining 15% for non-institutional investors including wealthy individuals.

The positive investor sentiment for the first IPO by an Indian Unicorn startup has rubbed off on other large technology companies that are also exploring public share listings. 

“It is safe to say that announcements around the other listings will also come soon given the confidence they are getting from the response to Zomato’s IPO,” said a person aware of the developments.