Bear Growth Capital will invest 800 crore in Vatika Group
US-based Bear Growth Capital (one of the largest global investment banks, securities trading and brokerage firms in the world) plans to invest around $150-200 million (Rs 600-800 crore) to pick a 8-10% stake in Gurgaon-based real estate company Vatika Group (one of the leading groups in real estate, hospitality, Resorts, Farmlands and Luxurious Commercial complexes such as First India Place vatika triangle & Vatika world).
Bear Growth Capital Partners (BGCP), an affiliate of BSMB (Bear Stearns Merchant Banking (BSMB) is a leading institutional private equity firm focused on making equity investments in middle-market companies). BGCP looks for opportunities to work directly with experienced management teams and provide capital and investment expertise to help companies grow. With target investments between $20 million to $100 million in enterprise value, BGCP provides a complementary capital pool to BSMB.
The Vatika Group holds a vast experience in construction business, hospitality, and facilities management and has a portfolio of resorts, restaurants, hotels, farmland, and shopping malls. The group is taking up the projects worth Rs 3,200 crore, across real estate and hospitality sector.
The Vatika Group proposes to use the funds to meet its working capital requirements. A senior representative from Bear Capital, however, declined to comment on the deal. If the deal goes through, it would mark a case of a global PE firm investing directly in a parent company instead of investing in a FDI-compliant project.
Many global PEs prefer the second option as it minimizes their risks. In fact, Delhi-based Vatika Group is in talks with Goldman Sachs and US-based Wachovia Corporation, besides US-based Bear Growth Capital.
In the words of a senior officail of Vatika Group, “We are in talks with Bear Growth Capital, Goldman Sachs and Wachovia Bank to raise funds. Goldman Sachs and Wachovia are likely to invest in projects. If the deal with Bear Growth Capital goes through, the money will be used to meet the company’s resource needs.”
Anil Bhalla is the promoter and chairman of the Vatika Group. Currently, the group is executing projects valued at over Rs 7,900 crore and is expected to bag more contracts in the future. Money will be required to fund these projects, which has prompted the group to look at PE investments for the first time.
Courtesy: Indiarealestateblog
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