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<ul><li>Oyo has received an undisclosed amount of funding from <keyword id="719382" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airbnb">Airbnb</keyword> in a series E round. </li><li>The strategic investment will see both Oyo and Airbnb collaborate on various projects. </li><li><keyword id="2550719" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO-Rooms">Oyo Rooms</keyword> had also announced its home rental service in Japan on Monday.</li></ul>US-based home renting startup AirBnB has reportedly picked up a stake in Oyo Rooms. In a series E funding whose details are undisclosed, AirBnB has invested in the Indian hospitality unicorn. According to earlier <a href="https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/airbnb-in-talks-to-invest-100-200-million-in-oyo-report/story/329283.html">reports</a>, AirBnB had been looking at investing anywhere between $100 million-$200 million in the Indian startup. “As the 6th largest hotel chain operator in the world, we at, OYO Hotels &amp; Homes, are committed to offering our guests and travelers around the world, great quality living spaces. We are happy to have Airbnb as our partner in this vision,” said Maninder Gulati, Global Chief Strategy Officer at OYO Hotels &amp; Homes. Gulati further said that Airbnb’s strong global footprints and access to local communities will open up new opportunities for OYO Hotels &amp; Homes to strengthen and grow while staying true to our core value proposition. According to sources, the funding development from Airbnb comes as a strategic <keyword id="7485728" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Investment-in-OYO">investment in Oyo</keyword>. Both Oyo and Airbnb are looking at opportunities to collaborate on a range of projects, including making OYO accommodations available on the Airbnb platform. “India has approximately 410 million millennials, that’s more than the entire population of the US. This group increasingly makes up for the dominant segment of consumers and is looking for new and authentic travel experiences. We are working towards achieving 1 billion Airbnb users in the next 10 years and India will play an important role in helping us achieve that goal,” Nathan Blecharczyk, co-founder of Airbnb had told Business Insider on March 13. Oyo Rooms has been growing at a fast rate, expanding its business territories beyond India. Having successfully expanded in China and several South East Asian markets, on Monday, Oyo also announced that it’s expanding in Japan with Oyo Life – an apartment rental service. An official statement from the company said that the company has already received over 11,000+ pre-registrations and has touched an occupancy of over 114% at the time of launch itself. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/exclusive-airbnb-may-defer-its-ipo-plan/articleshow/68392360.cms">'We have not decided if we will go public in 2019': Airbnb cofounder hints at IPO timing</a>

Airbnb picks up a stake in its Indian rival Oyo Rooms

Satya Nadella-run <keyword id="10387" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Microsoft">Microsoft</keyword> is in advanced talks to invest in Airbnb-backed Indian budget hotel chain <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> at a valuation of $9 billion, the media reported on Friday. According to a TechCrunch report citing sources, a deal may close soon but the "proposed size of the investment is unclear". Both Microsoft and OYO declined to comment on the reports. The Ritesh Agarwal-run hospitality chain has Airbnb, Chinese ride-hailing giant Didi Chuxing and ride-hailing firm Grab as strategic investors. The news comes after OYO announced earlier this month that it has raised $660 million from global institutional investors as <keyword id="4462417" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="tlb">TLB</keyword> (Term Loan B). A company statement had said that the offer was oversubscribed by 1.7 times and the company received commitments of close to $1 billion from leading institutional investors. "We are delighted by the response to OYO's maiden TLB capital raise that was oversubscribed by leading global institutional investors. We are thankful for the trust that they have placed in OYO's mission of creating value for owners and operators of hotels and homes across the globe," said Abhishek Gupta, Group Chief Financial Officer, OYO. The company said it will utilise these funds to retire its past debts, strengthen the balance sheet and other business purposes including investment in product technology, it said. OYO is the first Indian startup to be publicly rated by Moody's and <keyword id="82981" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Fitch">Fitch</keyword>, two of the leading international rating agencies. The Microsoft deal "may also involve OYO shifting to use its cloud services," the report mentioned. OYO has aggressively been expanding its operations to several markets including Southeast Asia, Europe and the US in recent years. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/stock-market/news/tech-mahindra-shares-price-jump-because-management-sees-a-10-plus-growth/articleshow/84882133.cms">Tech Mahindra shares surge as for the first time in over five years the management sees a 10% plus growth</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/cleartax-major-acquisitions-and-hiring-2021-funding-on-the-way/articleshow/84880048.cms">Clear(Tax) has planned major acquisitions and hiring for this year, in talks with investors to raise funds</a>

Microsoft is in advanced talks to invest in OYO at a valuation of $9 billion, say media reports

<ul><li>OYO, which already has 50 hotels in the US, has invested $300 million to expand its presence. </li><li>It will soon enter New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco.</li><li>Softbank founder Masayoshi Son, who is one of the biggest backers of the startup, has said that OYO will be able to achieve its aim of being the world’s largest hotel network.</li></ul>Indian hospitality unicorn OYO is investing as much as $300 million to expand its footprint in the United States. The $5 billion company is already the largest network of hotels and rooms in South Asia, and the second largest in China. Now, it is looking to enter big markets like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It already has 50 hotels across 15 states in the US, with 350 employees. It is currently present in cities like Dallas, Houston, Augusta, Atlanta and Miami. “We are convinced there is unlimited potential for rapid growth in our newest home market, the United States,” said <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword>, Founder &amp; CEO of OYO. With its expansion in the US, OYO claims it has already created 1000 jobs. The six-year old startup has been eyeing international growth for over two years. OYO expanded its business in China in 2017, and it has paid off. China is now one of its biggest markets. These aggressive growth plans support OYO’s ambition to become the world’s <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">biggest</a> hotel chain. It is <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/hospitality-unicorn-oyo-may-raise-1-bn-to-turn-decacorn/">reportedly</a> in talks to raise $1 billion to reach a valuation of $10 billion. And in this quest for global expansion, the company has the backing of big investors like the Japanese investment bank Softbank as well as Airbnb, which used to be a competitor in the hospitality until April 2019 when the Silicon Valley star decided to invest in OYO. Now, OYO is looking to spread its wings in the US which is one of the biggest markets for Airbnb. In a general shareholders meeting, SoftBank founder Masayoshi Son <a href="https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/oyo-may-become-largest-hotel-network-in-the-world-softbank-s-masayoshi-son-119062000123_1.html">said</a> that OYO will soon become the world’s largest hotel network. It was Softbank's investment that led OYO into the Indian unicorn club with a $5 billion valuation in September 2018, a huge jump from the $900 million valuation it had until then. In April 2019, it announced a partnership with Japan-based SoftBank Corp and the SoftBank Vision fund expansion in the country. It runs housing rental service called OYO Life in Japan currently. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/home-renting-giant-airbnb-invests-in-indian-unicorn-oyo-rooms/articleshow/68670636.cms">Airbnb picks up a stake in its Indian rival Oyo Rooms</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-rooms-eyeing-acquisition-of-freshmenu/articleshow/68112104.cms">Oyo wants a bite of foodtech, may acquire Freshmenu: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a>

OYO is making a march to the top US cities with $300 million and blessings from Softbank and Airbnb

<ul><li>After being valued at between $850-$900 million at the end of last year, <keyword id="2550719" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO-Rooms">OYO Rooms</keyword>, is now worth five times more than that courtesy a $1 billion funding round led by <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Softbank">Softbank</keyword>’s Vision Fund. </li><li>Infact, with its latest valuation of a little under $5 billion, the Gurugram-based company is now the most valuable hotel chain in South Asia. </li><li>OYO’s founder, 24-year old Ritesh Agarwal, will use the funds to continue the hotel operator’s overseas expansion as well as making further inroads in <keyword id="3658" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="India">India</keyword>. </li></ul>After being valued at between $850-$900 million at the end of last year, OYO Rooms, which was founded in May 2013 by 24-year old Ritesh Agarwal, is now worth five times more than that courtesy a $1 billion funding round led by Softbank’s Vision Fund. Infact, with its latest valuation of a little under $5 billion, the Gurugram-based company is now the most valuable hotel chain in South Asia, easily leapfrogging the Taj and Oberoi chains, which are valued at around $2 billion and $1.2 billion, respectively. It is also the country’s second-most valuable startup after Paytm. Flipkart has been ruled out of consideration following its acquisition by Walmart. Solid growth While it’s latest funding round could be an indication of the valuation bubble that India’s startup ecosystem finds itself in, the company has recorded a commendable level of growth since its founding. It currently offers nearly 211,000 rooms in 350 cities in five countries. It has about 8,500 hotels across 230 cities India with around 87,000 rooms in 171 cities in <keyword id="1334" type="LOCATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="China">China</keyword>. This marks an impressive turnaround for a company that was struggling with vacancies and complaints of poor customer service just a few years ago. This caused it to shift gears from the AirBnb model of connecting customers with hotel operators to a franchising model. Through its Townhouse brand, which was launched in early 2017, OYO Rooms focused on offering budget hotel experiences to customers in properties that were fully operated by the company employees. Hence, it got full control of its inventory of rooms in order to improve the customer experience. Under the latest funding round, OYO will receive around $800 million upfront with an additional commitment of $200 million. Softbank was joined by OYO’s existing investors Sequoia Capital and Lightspeed Ventures in the latest round. What will OYO use the money for? The investment will help OYO Rooms accelerate its overseas expansion. It has been expanding its operations outside India into China as well as Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia and also it has its sights set on Europe and West Asian markets like the UAE. Earlier this month, Agarwal told Reuters that he planned to invest $5 million to launch <a href="https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-hotels-oyo/indias-largest-hotel-chain-oyo-to-expand-into-britain-idUKKCN1LZ1FX">in 10 cities in the UK</a> by 2020. OYO plans to offer 5,000 hotel rooms by then, backed by a staff of 100 people. The company is set to open its first two properties in London next month. However, the bulk of OYO’s financial resources will be focused on its two main markets - India and China. Agarwal reportedly plans to invest an additional $600 million in gaining further ground in China, especially in Tier-4 and Tier-5 towns.

OYO Rooms is the most valuable “hotel chain” in South Asia after Softbank investment

<keyword id="6354742" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Flipkart">Flipkart</keyword>, the poster child of the Indian startup ecosystem, was devalued for the seventh time in January 2017, by <keyword id="4205639" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="fidelity-partners">Fidelity Partners</keyword>. At a $5.56 billion valuation, Flipkart’s shares were valued at $52.13 in November 2016, down by 36.1 percent from $81.55 per share as of August 2016. The domino effect hit the cab aggregator <keyword id="6354720" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola">Ola</keyword> next with the US-based investment firm <keyword id="4205636" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="vanguard-world-fund">Vanguard World Fund</keyword> marking down Ola by over 40 percent. 
 According to their regulatory filing with the <keyword id="108474" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="US-Securities-and-Exchange-Commission">US Securities and Exchange Commission</keyword>, the current valuation for Ola is now $3 billion, with its shares dropping from $311.27 per share in the previous quarter to $182.70 apiece. During their peak, Ola had raised $500 million at a valuation of $5 billion. 
 That’s not all. According to reports, e-commerce giant <keyword id="541988" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="SnapDeal">Snapdeal</keyword> is reportedly looking at raising funds at a lower valuation of $4 billion. At their last fundraising round, they raised $200 million at a valuation of $6.5 billion. 
 
Valuations are normally decided according to a company’s market share, its gross margins, and its rate of growth, among other factors, but is anyone talking about the elephant in the room? Does a number decide a company’s worth or does the mettle lie someplace else? 
 
What’s The Big Deal about Valuations? 
 
While Valuations and devaluations are part of the game, they are a mix of market environment, risk appetite, a fund manager’s biases, hot new trends, fear of missing out, the multiples comparable are commanding, and of course, expected cash flows and margins. 
In 2015, we lauded the entry of Flipkart, Ola and Snapdeal in the Unicorn club. The first quarter of 2015 saw over $1.7 billion funding in start-ups and all we hear now are downturns with reality hitting the magic creatures to the ground and forcing them to compete in a horse race for fund-raising. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/heres-how-uber-is-letting-you-earn-from-its-platform-uberdost/articleshow/57083396.cms">ALSO READ: Here's how Uber is letting you earn from its platform 'UberDost'</a> 
 
While there were muffled concerns of profitability and unit economics, the dynamics took a harder turn when in the middle of 2016 the world economic dynamics shifted. 
 
Suddenly, the pouring funding started slowing down, news of firing rounds, internal tiffs, and investor involvement began to cloud the startup skyline. 
 
Now the lauded valuations started to seem bloated and overhyped, and the cost-cutting started and it doesn’t seem to end. 
 
 
 
 
The secret is in the Business Model 
 <keyword id="824043" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Business-Insider">Business Insider</keyword>, while digging deeper into factors ailing the startup ecosystem in India, realized that business models had to be one of the core ingredients to a startup’s success or failure. So, we got in touch with key players, notable investors and successful companies that had a say in the functions of the industry. 
 
What clearly emerged was that there were mainly three business models that most start-ups and unicorns, followed in India- 
 
1) Cut prices to gain industry share and chase profit later 
2) Set up person-to-person exchanges 
3) On-Demand Model 
 
Now we break down the models to see why Indian start-ups think they’d work and why they haven’t succeeded yet. 
 
Investors’ Point of View 
 <keyword id="262067" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Mahesh-Murthy">Mahesh Murthy</keyword>, Co-Partner, Seedfund, one of India’s most vocal investors told us what’s wrong with the Indian startup ecosystem,”The problem is that we are idolizing businesses that are not ‘New’. There is nothing elusive or different about the companies we look up to, they are just copycats.’’ 
 Seedfund, which is an early stage VC firm has invested in companies like Redbus.in, Chumbak, Carwale, and Voonik. “Real businesses need little or no marketing. The cost of acquiring a customer shouldn’t be higher than your investment in your product which is what is happening right now’’<keyword id="20148" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="murthy">Murthy</keyword> comments on the viability of the business models of India’s best-known <keyword id="6362513" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Startups">startups</keyword>. 
 “Innovation for the sake of innovation is useless. Most consumers prefer the companies that are competitors to Flipkart, Snapdeal, and Ola and that speaks volumes. We are just looking for great service coupled with great value for money and <keyword id="18635" type="CITY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Amazon">Amazon</keyword> and Uber give us that while the other companies don’t hit the mark while getting celebrity endorsements with full-page ads.’’ 
 “Rule Number 1 of business: Never lose money. Rule Number 2: Don’t forget Rule Number 1,” said <keyword id="71133" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Warren-Buffet">Warren Buffet</keyword>, probably the most popular investor in the world. 
 <keyword id="542474" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Reid-Hoffman">Reid Hoffman</keyword> from <keyword id="28120" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Linkedin">LinkedIn</keyword> and now a VC says that as a VC, you should be able to put your money into a startup and walk away from your investment and at the most, you are best placed to understand a sector if you have built a business in it or at the very least, worked in it. For Indian start-ups, we see the opposite happening with Flipkart who recently appointed <keyword id="6379357" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Kalyan-Krishnamurthy">Kalyan Krishnamurthy</keyword> as CEO, who is an ex-employee at Flipkart’s key investor, Tiger Global. 
 
What is a business model? 
 
A business model explains which consumer pain a startup chooses to relieve, why your solution works better than competing ones and how big a wedge a company can drive between what customers are willing to pay and the costs. 
 
Breaking down the Business Models 
 
There are broadly the following business models at play when it comes to start-ups that hold the public eye in India: 
 
1. Cut prices to gain an industry share and chase profit later: Target a huge market and sell a product at the lowest price with fast delivery and great service. As the company grows, expand the product line, negotiate volume discounts with suppliers, invest in technology, customer response time and cut waste from the operations. Then deliver the lower costs to customers in the form of lower prices. 
 
This was Amazon’s model which is still one of the fastest growing companies in India and the world. Although it was founded back in 1994, Amazon didn’t actually make a profit until 2001. Amazon has some profitable projects, but the money made from them is typically used as investments to fund other Amazon businesses and ventures. The company invests its profits in new lines of businesses and uses them to expand. In short, Amazon seems to value growth over profits. 
 
 
 
​ <keyword id="8589" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="padmaja">Padmaja</keyword> <keyword id="980938" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ruparel">Ruparel</keyword>, President, Indian Angel Network doesn’t believe in this model simply because she thinks that Indian consumers are flighty, “There is a constant need to lure the consumer to stick with you which is tricky when you’re not the only player in the market. Your focus here is on how quickly you can grow the market and not on your business strategy.’’ Ruparel believes in investing in a much more stable business model, “We are old-fashioned for sure as our focus is on businesses building a top-line and a bottom-line. We ascertain a business by unit economics and even though the cycle might be slightly longer, B2B start-ups create a sustainable business.” 
 
“The consumer is surely attuned to buying online which was their aim, but only some players will remain in this market. Consolidation is inevitable as loss-making businesses can’t stay afloat for long, but only time will tell who will remain the top dogs here,’’says Padmaja when asked about the future for consumer-centric start-ups. 
 
India’s perspective: “E-commerce companies like Snapdeal and Flipkart are following a similar model to that of Amazon in India. The difference is that Amazon can afford to lose money in India as it is profitable in other markets. The former players are just playing in India where they’re losing money trying to compete with Amazon,” comments Mahesh Murthy. 
 
2. Set up person-to-person exchanges: A house owner in a town has a huge house that has idle rooms that aren’t occupied. The young professionals living in the city need accommodation in different towns to work flexibly but they don’t want to own a house or live in expensive hotels. It seems to be working for <keyword id="719382" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airbnb">Airbnb</keyword> which doesn’t own any inventory and millions of people have taken advantage of these services, and Airbnb now has a market value estimated at $30 billion—roughly the same size as the <keyword id="183920" type="CITY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Marriott-International">Marriott International</keyword> hotel chain. 
 
Vikram Gupta, CEO, IvyCap Ventures, “India is not a mature market where you can write off $100 million checks to companies that are spearheaded by college graduates or in some cases, dropouts. The entire ecosystem is disturbed as new companies were getting funding at overhyped valuations. The market has started to finally stabilize and we see investors going back to the revenue as a yardstick for company’s growth instead of the GMV. The businesses are coming back to realistic valuations and while they might have money left in the bank, they are looking to reduce their cash burn rate.” 
 
 
 
India’s perspective: Companies like <keyword id="2808667" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> are trying to work with small hotels and guesthouses and have even leased their own properties but the burn-rate is consistent. With simplifying its business model and focusing on one aspect; people sharing their homes with people and minimal revamping, Airbnb has revolutionized how the world sees hotel accommodation forever. 
 
3. On-Demand Model: Smartphones have driven transformational shifts in how we consume goods and services, and many consumers have become acclimated to purchasing at the press of a button. The on-demand model allows a startup to leverage new technology while utilizing existing infrastructures. Another benefit lies in the use of freelance labor with its obvious advantages in cost cutting. 
 
Uber is a great example of the sharing economy where they connect the supply to the demand of taxis without investing in their own fleet. 
 
India’s perspective: <keyword id="6362049" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ola-Cabs">Ola Cabs</keyword> is Uber’s biggest competitor in India and while both companies burn a lot of money trying to lure customers to get into a taxi, Uber is currently the world’s most valuable startup at $69 billion. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/online-cab-players-in-2016-completed-nearly-half-a-billion-rides-with-250-y-o-y-growth-in-india/articleshow/57273938.cms">ALSO READ: Online cab players in 2016 completed nearly half a billion rides with 250% y-o-y growth in India</a> 
 
Winner Speak 
 V. Krishnan, Co-founder, and Director of <keyword id="1675768" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Justdial-Ltd">JustDial Ltd</keyword> who likes to call his company an ‘18-year old startup’ says that for a successful business you don’t need an extraordinary idea, “The problem with start-ups today is that they don’t focus on profitability. To create a profitable business, you need extraordinary execution, not an idea. Giving money to people to use your services doesn’t make sense. The Indian customers are not loyal to brands, but to offers. Our goal was to create a world-class business and a world-class company.’’ 
 
For the first ten years of JustDial’s existence, the company didn’t raise any funding. The company ran on a shoe-string budget and used its own money to survive. In 2006, when internet penetration and broadband gained traction in India, the company was ready with its fully functional website to complement its telecom services. From 2-3% internet users to now 85% internet users, the company has grown to 200 Cr web searches annually, without any cashback or incentives. The company is probably one of the rarely profitable internet companies in the country today. 
 
<a href="http://www.businessinsider.in/65-of-start-ups-feel-indian-startup-eco-system-may-be-in-a-tech-bubble-report/articleshow/57205211.cms">ALSO READ: 65% of start-ups feel Indian startup eco-system may be in a tech bubble: Report</a> 
 
“The core business of start-ups isn’t ready but there is marketing happening. India is going to be giving you a lot of opportunities. Everyone wants to create a company, raise a great valuation and sell it off to do something bigger; the attitude is wrong," he signs off. 
​ 
Business Insider got in touch with Flipkart, Ola, Snapdeal, and Uber for this story but the companies chose to not comment on the same. 
 
​ 
 
Business Insider’s Take 
 
While popular Indian start-ups struggle to survive without additional funding coming in, we see some internet companies like JustDial and BookMyShow staying afloat, without investor-intervention. 
 
When it comes to businesses and business models, investors and successful companies agree that the tried and tested works; build a business with a strong product that you can alter as technology develops. The business of losing money can only take you so far if you don’t put it to good use. 
 
There’s a difference between investment into a product and burning money, and the start-ups better realize that before they get acquired or relinquished by the players who created the game that they’re set to lose. 
 
The market is big enough for companies that create value for customers not just for start-ups that create customers; the difference is everything. 
 
(Graphics: All figures in INR crores for the financial year 2015- 2016. Source: <a href="http://www.livemint.com/Companies/vtqiTC9VgJgnUfOAH2QdiL/Flipkart-still-Indias-top-startup.html">Mint Research</a>) 
 
**For Oyo, the result is from Apr-Dec 2015. 
*BookMyShow is the only company mentioned that has profits.

BI Investigation: Business models akin to Amazon and
Uber’s aren’t working for Indian startups

<ul><li><keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword>’s losses for the last financial year rose six fold of ₹2384.7 crores. </li><li>The company’s valuation has doubled between September 2018 and October 2019.</li><li>The boost in valuation largely came from the founder buying back shares at an increased price from existing investors.</li></ul>Indian hospitality unicorn OYO, backed by Japanese billionaire Masayoshi Son’s Softbank Vision Fund, is piling up losses. Yet, its valuation continues to soar. A valuation <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/softbanks-oyo-reveals-over-330-mln-annual-loss-revenue-surges-valuation-report/articleshow/72226878.cms">report</a> sourced on OYO’s financials show that the company has reported a loss of ₹2,384.7 crore, almost six times higher than its losses a year earlier. Meanwhile, its operating revenue grew three-fold to ₹6456.9 crore. Whereas the company’s valuation has doubled to $10 billion between September 2018 and now. The magical boost in valuation came from the $700 million invested by founder and CEO <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword> in October 2019. The money went into buying back shares from existing investors at a higher price, boosting the company’s value. As the iconic investor Warren Buffett famously said, “Price is what you pay, value is what you get.” Agarwal definitely got more value out of the transaction than what he paid for. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



















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 A year ago, OYO had raised over $1 billion, led by SoftBank through SoftBank Vision Fund, with participation from existing investors Lightspeed Venture Partners, Sequoia and Greenoaks Capital and supported by new strategic partners like Airbnb. The piling losses can be attributed to the company’s aggressive expansion to China, South-East Asia, Japan, and then the US. The numbers are alarming for OYO, which <a href="https://inc42.com/buzz/oyo-projects-profitability-by-2022-after-3-9x-higher-losses-in-fy19/">reportedly</a> wants to turn hit profitable by 2022. But the company has gone on the defensive. “These are not the final audited financials and the same will be issued later by the company along with the annual report that we issue every year and file with the RoC as well,” OYO spokesperson told Business Insider. Many <a href="https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/small-biz/startups/newsbuzz/after-wework-softbanks-startup-accounting-model-under-fire-oyo-raises-eyebrows/articleshow/72234413.cms">naysayers</a> even predicted a WeWork-like phenomena for SoftBank’s next big celebrated investment – OYO. What started as a hotel room aggregator, OYO has gone on to buy @Leisure Group, an Amsterdam-based vacation rental company, for an estimated $407 million, Hooters Casino in Las Vegas for $135 million, and an 80% stake in Japanese rental apartment operator MDI, along with SoftBank, <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Opinion/Oyo-s-business-model-is-looking-a-lot-like-WeWork-s">which reportedly cost over</a> $100 million. Even if the comparison with beleaguered WeWork ⁠— whose valuation had to be written down by $39 billion for Softbank after the founder’s misdeeds came to light ⁠— may seem a bit stretched at this point, investors will do well to remember this warning from Warren Buffet, who said, “ If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell things you need.” See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/oyo-zomato-amazon-and-flipkart-are-in-trouble/articleshow/72235917.cms">Oyo, Zomato, Amazon, and Flipkart are chasing growth but the very foundation is shaking</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/business/startups/news/saif-partners-investment-thesis-funding-in-unicorn-startups-swiggy-paytm/articleshow/71932586.cms">SAIF Partners invested in Swiggy when they just had a landing page – today they are going after more seed stage startups, here’s why</a>

Bizarre! The more losses Oyo makes, the more valuable it gets

<ul><li>The 6-year old hospitality unicorn has become China’s largest hotel chain. </li><li>Earlier in June, <keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> had also announced its expansion plan in the US. </li><li>The company is on a steady growth phase to become the world’s largest hotel chain.</li></ul>The Indian hospitality unicorn OYO has achieved the numero uno position in one of the world’s toughest markets – China. It has become the largest hospitality chain in China, within two years of its entry into the market. The company is the process of investing $100 million out of the $600 million it had earlier committed to China. It is present in over 337 cities and has 500,000 rooms in the country. OYO already hired 10,000 people and created for 200,000 jobs indirectly, in the market. The six-year-old startup has much higher ambitions in sight – to become the world’s largest hotel chain, as conveyed by its CEO Aditya Ghosh earlier this <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">year</a>. OYO has over 175,000 rooms in India. It is also adding 60,000 rooms every month, globally. Earlier this month, OYO said that it will invest $300 million to expand its footprint in the United States – into cities like New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco. It already has 50 hotels across 15 states in the US. It is currently present in cities like Dallas, Houston, Augusta, Atlanta and Miami. In April 2019, it partnered with SoftBank Corp and SoftBank Vision fund for expansion in Japan. It also runs a housing rental service called OYO Life in the country. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-airbnb-and-softbank-hotel-rooms-in-top-cities-like-new-york-los-angeles-and-san-francisco/articleshow/69873552.cms">OYO is making a march to the top US cities with $300 million and blessings from Softbank and Airbnb</a>

Indian unicorn OYO has conquered China and is now the country’s largest hotel chain

<ul><li><keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">OYO</keyword> has announced a Joint Venture with <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Softbank">Softbank</keyword> Corp and Softbank Vision fund to launch <keyword id="7496028" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Oyo-Hotels-Japan">Oyo Hotels Japan</keyword>. </li><li>Softbank has been an investor in OYO since 2018.</li><li>OYO had recently announced its funding from Airbnb as well.</li></ul>Indian hospitality <keyword id="152045" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="Unicorn">unicorn</keyword> OYO has announced its partnership with Japan-based SoftBank Corp and the SoftBank Vision fund to expand its business in Japan. The new venture called Oyo Hotels Japan will be led by Prasun Chaudhary, one of OYO's founding members. OYO had recently announced its housing rental service in Japan called Oyo Life. The company’s official statement said that their business in Japan would “empower small and independent asset owners in Japan with its rapid transformation capabilities and integrated hotel / ryokan management system powered by advanced AI technology.” Softbank has been a loyal supporter of OYO. The Japanese investment firm has been one of OYO's investors since 2015. It was Softbank's investment that led OYO into the Indian unicorn club with a $5 billion valuation in September 2018, a huge jump from the $900 million valuation it had until then. OYO which had expanded its business in China in 2017 had already made China one of its biggest markets. Now, with its entry into Japan it aims to get closer to its dream of being the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">world’s biggest hotel chain.</a> “OYO is already the most preferred brand in the budget to mid-segment hospitality space in several global markets, where our operational expertise in revenue management, and distribution, through both offline and online channels, has helped us gain significant momentum,” said <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword>, Group CEO &amp; Founder, OYO Hotels &amp; Homes. OYO had recently announced a strategic investment from global giant Airbnb. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/home-renting-giant-airbnb-invests-in-indian-unicorn-oyo-rooms/articleshow/68670636.cms">Airbnb picks up a stake in its Indian rival Oyo Rooms</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/oyo-rooms-eyeing-acquisition-of-freshmenu/articleshow/68112104.cms">Oyo wants a bite of foodtech, may acquire Freshmenu: Report</a> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/former-indigo-chief-is-aiming-to-make-the-6-year-old-oyo-the-worlds-largest-hotel-chain/articleshow/67536612.cms">A 6-year-old Indian startup wants to be world’s biggest hotel chain</a>

OYO partners with Softbank to create a joint venture for its Japan business

<keyword id="2808667" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="OYO">Oyo</keyword> Oyo CEO <keyword id="1670338" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Ritesh-Agarwal">Ritesh Agarwal</keyword>. <ul class="summary-list"><li>Indian hotel platform Oyo has confirmed that CEO and founder Ritesh Agarwal will raise his stake in his company as part of a $1.5 billion financing round. </li><li>Agarwal is to acquire shares from Oyo's existing investors Lightspeed and Sequoia to increase his stake.</li><li>The deal will see Agarwal inject $700 million in fresh capital into his company, with a further $800 million coming from existing backers. In total, Oyo will raise $1.5 billion in fresh capital.</li><li>The deal comes as Oyo faces intensifying media scrutiny over its budget hotel platform, and after the canned IPO of another SoftBank-backed property firm, WeWork.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.</a></li></ul>Ritesh Agarwal, chief executive and cofounder of budget hotel platform Oyo, is to raise his stake in the SoftBank-backed firm in a $2 billion <keyword id="6357455" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="Funding">funding</keyword> deal. The financing, announced on Monday, is an unusual move for a founder, and see the 25-year-old executive boosting his stake by buying shares from Oyo's existing backers Sequoia and Lightspeed. The two investors will remain shareholders and committed to the company. A spokesperson told Business Insider that Agarwal is financing the deal via support from "global institutionalized banks and his financial partners," without giving specific details. Along with the buyback, Agarwal and Oyo's backers will inject $1.5 billion of fresh capital into the business, with $700 million of that coming from Agarwal. The new funding values the firm at $10 billion. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-uber-oyo-what-like-living-on-softbank-companies-2019-7?r=US&amp;IR=T">I spent 24 hours living on SoftBank services like Uber, WeWork, and Oyo. It revealed some flaws in Masayoshi Son's grand $100 billion investment vision.</a> Oyo is a fast-growing platform for budget hotels and operates on a franchise basis. The company turns failing local hotels into Oyo franchises, provides some capital to redecorate and ensure there's functioning WiFi, then sells those rooms through its booking platform. The promise to hotel owners is a boost in occupancy rates and revenue. The company has expanded to more than 80 countries, including China. It has more than 500,000 rooms on its platform, and says it's seen a 3.8 times increase in revenue growth year-on-year. It employs some 20,000 staff. The firm has raised more than $2 billion in total, giving it a massive war chest to fund its expansion. It has also attracted growing scrutiny from critics <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-india-oyo-focus/as-softbanks-oyo-booms-some-indian-hotels-cry-foul-and-check-out-idUSKBN1WM075">and the press</a>, partly thanks to its apparent similarity to another <keyword id="163404" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Softbank">SoftBank</keyword> backed property business, WeWork. Scott Galloway, an NYU professor who has been heavily critical of WeWork, compared the two. "Just like WeWork, OYO is a REIT [real estate investment trust] with too much SoftBank capital," <a href="https://www.profgalloway.com/mdma">he wrote last week</a>. WeWork's CEO Adam Neumann announced <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wework-co-founder-adam-neumann-is-stepping-down-as-ceo-2019-9?r=US&amp;IR=T">at the end of September that he would step down</a> and the firm was forced to delay its IPO after an onslaught of negative press about the business model behind its core office sharing offering, its valuation, and unconventional company culture. Oyo's business has ballooned beyond budget hotel rooms <a href="https://www.oyorooms.com/officialoyoblog/2019/07/16/introducing-oyo-workspaces-a-better-way-to-work-for-everyone-in-india">to office-sharing</a>, student accommodation, high-end Airbnb-style "homes," upmarket business hotels, and <a href="https://www.oyorooms.com/officialoyoblog/2019/08/29/weddingz-in-launches-the-wedding-trunk-a-bi-annual-magazine-to-serve-as-the-perfect-wedding-guide">even magazine publishing</a>. <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-ps4-xbox-controllers-iphone-ios13-2019-9">How to use PS4 And Xbox controllers with the iPhone</a></h3> <pre style="display: none;">function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</pre>

Oyo to raise $1.5 billion of which $700 million will come from its founder Ritesh Agarwal

<ul><li>In an interview with Business Insider, <keyword id="1477766" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Hans-Tung">Hans Tung</keyword>, Managing Partner, <keyword id="685446" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="GGV-Capital">GGV Capital</keyword>, talks about why Indian <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="20" keywordseo="startups">startups</keyword> shouldn’t focus too much on conquering the Chinese market. </li><li>Tung, has over 14 <keyword id="2023017" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="20" keywordseo="unicorns">unicorns</keyword> in his portfolio, including the likes of <keyword id="719382" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Airbnb">Airbnb</keyword>, <keyword id="1815769" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="slack">Slack</keyword>, Bytedance, Xiaomi amongst others.</li><li>Tung invested personally in Flipkart and Snapdeal.</li></ul>When Hans Tung, Managing Partner, GGV Capital, was in India last month, it was not surprising to see the Chinese investor mobbed by Indian entrepreneurs waiting to have a few words with him. And why not? Tung, who was an early investor of <keyword id="302749" type="COMPANY" weightage="20" keywordseo="Alibaba">Alibaba</keyword>, was here looking for his next big investment. “In India, we are looking at opportunities in consumer internet space. Having been a small personal investor in Snapdeal and Flipkart, I have some experience in tracking the rising consumer internet companies. With Unified Payments Interface (UPI), there’s so much growth possible in the consumer internet space here,” Tung told Business Insider. GGV Capital, the fund which started in 2002 manages about $6.2 billion today, with investments in US and China. The fund has now turned to South East Asia, Latin America and of course, India. Tung explained that when the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of a company crosses $4,000 it brings in higher spending capacity. That’s when industries like e-commerce, live streaming and other forms of user generated content; take off. “India is just under $2000, so over the next 10 years it’s going to be very exciting – India is at the cusp of something big,” said Tung. Tung manages 14 unicorns in his portfolio at GGV Capital including Airbnb, Slack, Bytedance, Xiaomi amongst others. In India, he was an early personal investor in Flipkart and Snapdeal. China bound? Hold on Today, many Indian startups are heading to China. They want to accomplish bigger things in the faster and more developed market. OYO Hotels &amp; Homes, India’s hospitality unicorn, went to China in 2017. And today, the country is its biggest market, bigger than India which is their home turf. “What’s impressive to me is that many Indian companies know what their Chinese counterpart looks like. They have studied the business models in the Chinese internet space,” said Tung. But Tung has a word of caution for these adventurers – speed. “Speed is the biggest thing. When Bytedance came to India, they quickly made progress with their entities – TikTok. They are aggressive. When an Indian company goes to China if you compete in a pure internet space, it’s difficult. OYO has taken an offline hotel business which gives them some advantage. But if you want to go to China, you have to learn to be as fast as a Chinese company is,” said Tung. Tung advises Indian startups to forget China and go after South East Asia instead. “In the SaaS network and service side, I’m not bullish about Indian companies entering China. I encourage these Indian companies to enter South East Asia – it’s an easier market with a lot more advantages,” he said. The Alibaba Lesson Tung was named in the Midas List 2019 by Forbes, which lists venture capitalists with the golden touch for unicorns. But he has also learnt his lessons along the way. They were early investors in Alibaba in 2003, when it was valued at $180 million and they exited when it was worth $33 billion in 2012. Today, the company is worth over half-a-trillion Dollars! “It taught us a lesson. When you see companies that are transformational, the upside is always bigger than you imagine. Ours was a nine-year old investment, everyone was happy with how much it had grown and we thought back then – well how much bigger it can get? No one thought it would be worth half a trillion Dollars,” said Tung. Tung who is on the board of Xiaomi from its early days, and never imagined that it would become one of India’s top brands. “Lot of things have happened over the internet that you wouldn’t have thought was possible,” said Tung. See Also: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/facing-jio-paytm-founder-vijay-shekhar-sharma-plans-a-ticket-to-us/articleshow/69053166.cms">‘I want it all and I want it now’, says Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma as he plans a ticket to the US</a>

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Bizarre! The more losses Oyo makes, the more valuable it gets

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