In what is being regarded as a landmark deal for the direct-to-consumer (D2C) industry in India, home-grown Indian brand boAt has raised approximately $100 million from an affiliate of Warburg Pincus that is a global private equity fund focused on growth investing.
With a rapidly emerging presence in adjacent consumer-focused, lifestyle electronics categories, the company claims that boAt is the number one brand in personal audio in India (headphones, earphones, sound-related accessories). Its product portfolio offers well-designed, distinctive products at attractive price points. boAt continues to achieve more than 100 percent rapid revenue growth and exhibits a strong profitability profile.
Welcoming Warburg Pincus as a new investor into the company, Aman Gupta, Co-Founder, boAt said, “This is a vote of confidence for our business model and growth prospects. The investment is great news for not only the company but for the entire D2C sector. The investment has come at the right time as we make efforts to ramp up our manufacturing and global supply chain.”
Furthermore, boAt claims that it has also emerged as the 5th largest wearable brand globally, according to IDC data. The company also stated investment by Warburg Pincus will enable the company to further fortify its leading market position, widen its R&D capabilities and product portfolio, and build on boAt’s efforts to create and support a manufacturing ecosystem under the Make-in-India initiative, enabling the manufacture of products in India.
As boAt enters the next phase of growth and innovation, we look forward to benefitting from Warburg’s pedigree, collective experience and resources in helping us scale. Going forward, with the Government’s support, we will focus on building capabilities in domestic R&D and undertake vertical integration across both the hearable and wearable space to establish India as a global supplier.
“We see a compelling growth story in boAt and believe the company is well-poised to build upon the strong leadership position it has carved out within the industry and stands to benefit from the secular tailwinds of e-commerce growth in India. Warburg Pincus is excited to partner with the management team of boAt led by Aman & Sameer in this journey and we look forward to supporting them through the next phase of the company’s growth,” said Vishal Mahadevia, Managing Director and Head, Warburg Pincus India.
It must be noted that Avendus Capital acted as the exclusive financial advisor to boAt and its shareholders on the transaction.
For the latest gadget and tech news, and gadget reviews, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. For newest tech & gadget videos subscribe to our YouTube Channel. You can also stay up to date using the Gadget Bridge Android App.
