Standard Chartered Private Equity to acquire Naspers' stake in TBO Group

This is one of the first exits by the South Africa-based Naspers in India, who has backed firms like Flipkart, Ibibo

Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE), Standard Chartered Bank’s private equity arm, has agreed to acquire Naspers’ stake in India-headquartered TBO Group (Travel Boutique Online), a leading online B2B travel distribution company in India, for an undisclosed sum. 

Naspers first invested in TBO Group (also known as TBO) in 2012. This is one of the first exits by the South Africa-based Naspers in India, which has backed several companies like Flipkart, payments firm PayU, travel portal Ibibo.

TBO was founded in 2006 and has expanded its operations to more than 90 countries since then. TBO leverages its proprietary online technology platform to distribute airline and hotel inventory to its customer travel agents.

SCPE is committed to backing best-in-class management teams, and continues to actively seek opportunities in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, the investor said in a statement.

Udai Dhawan, Managing Director at SCPE India, said: “We are extremely excited to partner with Ankush and Gaurav, both first class entrepreneurs, who have built a profitable and scalable business with a strong market position. We look forward to supporting the company by leveraging our experience and network to drive the company’s growth strategy.”

Ankush Nijhawan, Co-founder of TBO Group, said: "We are very happy to have SCPE as our partner as we embark on the next stage of TBO’s growth. Through leveraging SCPE 's extensive network and business planning expertise, we would be able to strengthen our position as a leading B2B travel distribution player in the global landscape.”

Gaurav Bhatnagar, Co-founder of TBO Group, said, “The overall B2B travel distribution landscape is ripe for consolidation and we believe that in partnership with SCPE, we can leverage our strengths in technology and scale to drive this consolidation."

“Naspers first invested in TBO Group six years ago and it’s rewarding to see how the business has grown and advanced in that time,” said Oliver Rippel, CEO B2C e-commerce, Naspers. “We wish Ankush, Gaurav and the team at TBO Group continued success.”