Info Edge: The Anatomy of an Indian Internet Behemoth

One of the few profitable pure-play internet companies in the country, Info Edge India, has been under investors' radar for quite some time now.

Info Edge, one of the oldest internet companies in India, has been going heavy on start-up investments over the past few years.

The firm, which runs platforms such as Naukri.com, 99 acres.com, shiksha.com, and Jeevansathi.com, among others, also invested in two popular start-ups turned unicorns - food delivery player Zomato and insurance platform PolicyBazaar.

The company was the first institutional investor to back food delivery start-up Zomato which recently got listed on the stock exchanges.

On the other hand, PolicyBazaar has filed its initial public offering (IPO) papers with market regulator. Info Edge has invested Rs 5.8 bn in PolicyBazaar as of 31 March 2021.

From recruitment solutions to education-related portals, Info Edge has played a vital role in the development of Indian start-up ecosystem.

Let's have a quick look at some of the companies or start-ups in which Info Edge has made some investments.

#1 Ixigo

Info Edge invested in another IPO-bound company Ixigo in July.

Launched in 2007, Ixigo is a technology company focused on Indian travellers to plan, book and manage their trips across rail, air, buses, and hotels.

It assists travellers in making travel decisions by leveraging artificial intelligence, machine learning, and data science led innovations on their over-the-air (OTA) platforms, comprising websites and mobile applications.

Recently, Ixigo filed its IPO papers with market regulator to raise Rs 16 bn.

#2 Adda247

Info Edge invested Rs 70.6 m in Adda247, a test preparation platform for government and public-sector exams.

Adda247, which was set up in 2010, claims to have over 40 million users. The platform offers products such as video courses, live classes, and mock examinations. It also runs various websites including Bankers Adda, SSC Adda, and CTET Adda.

#3 ShopKirana

ShopKirana is a B2B company which works with a network of millions of retailers. It aims to be the biggest and quickest go-to-market channel for products and services.

Back in 2019, Info Edge entered into an agreement to invest, through its wholly owned subsidiary, about Rs 470 m in ShopKirana e-trading.

Full-stack technology platform gramophone aims to make farming intelligent with the help of agri-knowledge and technology. It works with farmers from the pre-sowing stage to selling produce.

#4 Shipsy

Shipsy is a software platform which helps companies manage their shipments. It's a SaaS (software as a service) based firm which helps shippers and logistics companies to digitise and automate their operations.

Last year, Shipsy raised Rs 443 m in a funding round, co-led by Sequoia Capital India's Surge, and existing investor, Info Edge.

The platform helps shippers reduce freight costs by automating and digitising freight negotiations, reducing incidental charges, significantly improving shipping turnaround time.

This helps minimise working capital loss for shippers through advanced machine learning models.

The company has customers across Dubai, Saudi Arabia, North Africa, Singapore and Malaysia.

#5 Shiprocket

InfoEdge had earlier this year invested in logistics aggregator Shiprocket. The startup said that more than 1 lakh online sellers in India use its platform.

Shiprocket has raised Rs 3.1 bn in series D1 funding from a host of investors co-led by PayPal, Info Edge Venture, and Temasek Holdings.

Funds will be used for product expansion and research and development (R&D), talent acquisition, as well as adjacent product development.

Shiprocket's offerings include using machine learning algorithms to accurately predict delivery dates, helping merchants seamlessly choose across various courier partners, printing labels, and proactively share tracking updates with buyers, among others.

#6 DotPe

DotPe is an offline-to-online (O2O) platform which enables small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and merchants digitise their business. It offers multiple solutions, ranging from online ordering, payments, and delivery.

As of 31 March 2021, Gurugram based e-commerce start-up DotPe has secured about Rs 2 bn in series A funding from existing investors PayU, Info Edge Ventures, and Google.

DotPe has made plans to use the fresh funds to accelerate product development, market expansion, and scaling up its technology.

In a very short time, DotPe has acquired a promising merchant base with its product experience and innovation.

Apart from these start-ups, here's a list of other companies where Info edge has invested in the last one year.

Company	What does it do?
1K Kirana Bazaar	Hyperlocal omnichannel grocery chain
Zingbus	Intercity mobility
Airblack	Online makeup and beauty learning platform
Truemeds	Online pharmacy that helps customers save cost by recommending alternative medicines
Yojak	Online marketplace for building materials
Skylark Drones	Enterprise drone solution provider

Data Source: Company Reports

Investments in most of these companies were carried out by Info Edge's investment arm Info Edge Ventures, which was founded in 2008. Info Edge owns 67% stake in Info Edge Ventures Fund.

The firm holds net assets worth Rs 2.4 bn as of 31 March 2021.

Info Edge Ventures is a US$100 m fund, for which Info Edge has committed US$50 m and the balance is committed by Temasek Holdings Private Limited.

Stock performance

Info Edge shares have more than doubled in the past one year, giving a return of 31% in the last three months alone.

Yesterday, shares of Info Edge opened the day at Rs 6,422 on the BSE and Rs 6,445 on the NSE. It closed at Rs 6,430 (down 0.1%) on the BSE and Rs 6,428.7 (down 0.1%) on the NSE.

At its current price, it is trading at a P/E of 46.5.

The share touched its 52-week high of Rs 6,985 and 52-week low of Rs 3,362.1 on 16 September 2021 and 22 October 2020, respectively.

Over the last 30 days, the share price is up 15%. Over the last one year, the company's share price is up 107%.

About Info Edge

Info Edge is India's premier online classifieds company with a portfolio of brands.

The company acts as an investor and has invested in many start-ups in the online space and is actively growing its investment portfolio.

The company runs an online job portal Naukri.com, a matrimony website Jeevansathi.com, a real estate classifieds platform 99 acres.com, and an educational website Shiksha.com.

Info Edge has widened the scope of its business by investing as a financial investor in brands that have been conceptualised and developed by separate enterprises.

The company launched its first scheme of trust, Info Edge Venture Fund with the objective to generate financial results for the contributors by investing in tech and tech-enabled entities that provide technology that benefit customers at large.

For more details about the company, you can have a look at Info Edge' factsheet and quarterly results on our website.

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