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Exclusive: Urban Company converts into public company

Entrackr · 14d

Urban Company is preparing for a definitive initial public offering (IPO) this year. The company has taken its first significant step toward going public by converting into a public entity. The board of OfBusiness has approved a resolution to change its status to a public company and rename it from "Urbancalp Technologies India Private Limited" to "Urbanclap Technologies India Limited," according to its regulatory filing. Urban Company reportedly aims to raise Rs 3,000 crore (approximately $350 million) through its IPO and has hired Kotak Mahindra Bank, Goldman Sachs, and Morgan Stanley as its lead managers. It is likely to file draft IPO papers by the end of March. Ahead of the IPO, Prosus is planning to increase its investment in the company. Prosus is reportedly looking to invest $30 million (Rs 250 crore) in a secondary deal, allowing Bessemer Venture Partners to make a partial exit. The Abhiraj Bhal-led company concluded its last ESOP liquidity program in December 2021 at a valuation of $2.8 billion. Last year, it also completed a new buyback at a valuation of approximately $2.2 billion to $2.5 billion. According to startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Urban Company has raised Rs 3,457.16 crore (more than $450 million) from investors including Tiger Global, Accel, Elevation Capital, and Dharana, among others. Urban Company operates in more than 60 cities across India, the UAE, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia. The company has a partner network of over 55,000 hand-picked service professionals. For the fiscal year ending in March 2024, Urban Company's revenue from operations grew 30% year-on-year to Rs 827 crore from Rs 637 crore in FY23. The Gurugram-based startup also reported a 70% decline in losses to Rs 93 crore in the last fiscal year.