And now, KKR investing $1.5 billion in Reliance Jio Platforms

KKR now joins fellow American investors Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista Equity Partners, and General Atlantic that have made similar bets on Jio Platforms.

Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) and Jio Platforms Limited on Friday announced that KKR will invest Rs11,367 crore into Jio Platforms, in a transaction that values Jio Platforms at an equity value of Rs4,91,000 crore and an enterprise value of Rs5,16,000 crore. 

This is KKR’s largest investment in Asia and will translate into a 2.32 per cent equity stake in Jio Platforms on a fully diluted basis, Reliance Industries stated in a release.

Beginning last month, leading technology investors, such as, Facebook, Silver Lake, Vista, General Atlantic and now KKR have announced aggregate investments of Rs78,562 crore into Jio Platforms.

Jio Platforms, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Industries, is a next-generation technology platform focused on providing high-quality and affordable digital services across India, with more than 388 million subscribers. 

Jio Platforms, which is powered by leading technologies spanning broadband connectivity, smart devices, cloud and edge computing, big data analytics, artificial intelligence, Internet of Things, augmented and mixed reality and blockchain, has made significant investments across its digital ecosystem. 

“Jio’s vision is to enable a Digital India for 1.3 billion people and businesses across the country, including small merchants, micro-businesses and farmers so that all of them can enjoy the fruits of inclusive growth,” the company stated in its release.

With overall investments of $30 billion, KKR, through its private equity and technology growth funds, is building a leading portfolio of global technology enterprises that now includes BMC Software, ByteDance and GoJek. 

Today, KKR’s technology portfolio has more than 20 companies across the Technology, Media and Telecom sectors. 

In addition, India has been a key strategic market for KKR with a history of investing in the country since 2006.

“I am delighted to welcome KKR, one of the world’s most respected financial investors, as a valued partner in our onward march to growing and transforming the Indian digital ecosystem for the benefit of all Indians,” Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, said. 

“KKR has a proven track record of being a valuable partner to industry-leading franchises and has been committed to India for many years. We are looking forward to leveraging KKR’s global platform, industry knowledge and operational expertise to further grow Jio,” he added.

“Few companies have the potential to transform a country’s digital ecosystem in the way that Jio Platforms is doing in India, and potentially worldwide. Jio Platforms is a true homegrown next generation technology leader in India that is unmatched in its ability to deliver technology solutions and services to a country that is experiencing a digital revolution. We are investing behind Jio Platforms’ impressive momentum, world-class innovation and strong leadership team, and we view this landmark investment as a strong indicator of KKR’s commitment to supporting leading technology companies in India and Asia Pacific,” Henry Kravis, co-founder and co-CEO of KKR, said. 

KKR is making the investment from its Asia private equity and growth technology funds and the transaction is subject to regulatory and other customary approvals, RIL stated in its release.

Morgan Stanley acted as financial advisor to Reliance Industries, and AZB & Partners and Davis Polk & Wardwell acted as legal counsel. Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu India LLP acted as financial advisor to KKR. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co. and Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP acted as legal counsel to KKR.