WeWork Raises INR 550 Cr From Prvate Investors
WeWork India, a flexible workspace provider, has raised ₹550 crore, or around $66.5 million, from BPEA Credit, a private credit platform, for fueling its growth plans.
The firm, which started its operations in India in 2017, has a presence in 41 locations across six major cities in India that include Bengaluru, Mumbai, Gurugram, Noida, Hyderabad, and Pune. WeWork India is a joint venture between commercial realty major Embassy Group, which owns majority stake in the firm, and WeWork International.“We are laser-focused on fuelling growth opportunities and fortifying our position as the leading flexible workspace brand with customizable and innovative solutions for all businesses," Karan Virwani, chief executive, WeWork India, said in a statement.The capital raise comes amid the company’s “bullish" outlook on expansion in the coming year. The company has benefited from an industry-wide shift towards flexible workspaces in the aftermath of the pandemic.
“With India Inc. transitioning towards a hybrid work model, there has been a growing demand for flexibility," WeWork India said, adding that it remains “prudent" about its overall business strategy.
The firm reported a revenue of ₹1,300 crore in calendar year 2022, compared with ₹760 crore previous year. It reported a positive EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) during the year at ₹175 crore, compared to a loss of ₹175 crore in the year before.
Avendus Capital was financial advisor to WeWork India on the transaction.
“This fund raise by WeWork India strongly underscores the increasing confidence of the investment community in the growth prospects of India’s flex workspace sector. This would be one of the largest transactions in this sector and we are confident that it will open up many such investment opportunities," said Prateek Jhawar, Executive Director and Head, Infrastructure & Real Assets Investment Banking, Avendus Capital.