Edtech group Byju’s faces shrinking empire with creditors at the gates by Chloe Cornish 
Saturday, October 28, 2023, 04:24 PM
Online education company was once India’s most valuable start-up but now plans asset sales to settle debts...


Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/850a98a4-1361-4391-ace2-3edb58cb86cd

An educational technology empire rapidly assembled by Byju’s during a pandemic funding boom is now set to be dismantled, as what was once India’s most valuable start-up looks to asset disposals to settle its pressing debts.  

Byju’s had used loans and a war chest of more than $2bn, gathered from venture capital during the pandemic, to go on an acquisition spree, aiming to capitalise on the trend towards online learning and become a global edtech powerhouse.

But overexpansion and a post-pandemic contraction in its market have left it desperate for cash to pay off creditors. The principal ones hold notes for a $1.2bn dollar-denominated term loan it took out in 2021 and has defaulted on, embroiling it in lawsuits and countersuits across the US. 

In addition, it has borrowed $250mn this year from investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management, although two people with knowledge of the situation said under $100mn was disbursed before Byju’s defaulted on that loan too. 

A lawyer familiar with the situation said he expected “Byju’s to drive a lot of M&A in the coming months”. Its efforts to realise cash through disposals are set to begin with Epic, a California-based digital reading platform, which it acquired in 2021 for $500mn. One person familiar with the matter said term sheets had been drawn up for a deal and another said Moelis, the investment bank, was running the sales process. Moelis declined to comment.

Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, head of consumer and internet at Singapore-based Aletheia Capital, said “a battle for the spoils” was beginning, as “various parts of the business could be sold to people who are interested in buying an asset at a discount to its fair value”.


Please use the sharing tools found via the share button at the top or side of articles. Copying articles to share with others is a breach of FT.com T&Cs and Copyright Policy. Email licensing@ft.com to buy additional rights. Subscribers may share up to 10 or 20 articles per month using the gift article service. More information can be found at https://www.ft.com/tour.
https://www.ft.com/content/850a98a4-1361-4391-ace2-3edb58cb86cd

An educational technology empire rapidly assembled by Byju’s during a pandemic funding boom is now set to be dismantled, as what was once India’s most valuable start-up looks to asset disposals to settle its pressing debts.  

Byju’s had used loans and a war chest of more than $2bn, gathered from venture capital during the pandemic, to go on an acquisition spree, aiming to capitalise on the trend towards online learning and become a global edtech powerhouse.

But overexpansion and a post-pandemic contraction in its market have left it desperate for cash to pay off creditors. The principal ones hold notes for a $1.2bn dollar-denominated term loan it took out in 2021 and has defaulted on, embroiling it in lawsuits and countersuits across the US. 

In addition, it has borrowed $250mn this year from investment firm Davidson Kempner Capital Management, although two people with knowledge of the situation said under $100mn was disbursed before Byju’s defaulted on that loan too. 

A lawyer familiar with the situation said he expected “Byju’s to drive a lot of M&A in the coming months”. Its efforts to realise cash through disposals are set to begin with Epic, a California-based digital reading platform, which it acquired in 2021 for $500mn. One person familiar with the matter said term sheets had been drawn up for a deal and another said Moelis, the investment bank, was running the sales process. Moelis declined to comment.

Nirgunan Tiruchelvam, head of consumer and internet at Singapore-based Aletheia Capital, said “a battle for the spoils” was beginning, as “various parts of the business could be sold to people who are interested in buying an asset at a discount to its fair value”.



Comments

Add Comment
Fill out the form below to add your own comments.









Insert Special:
:o) :0l







Moderation is turned on for this blog. Your comment will require the administrators approval before it will be visible.