Investment firm PremjiInvest has bought about Rs 2bn ($30m) of stock in India-based eyewear seller Lenskart, in a deal that will give a partial exit to IDG Ventures India, the Economic Times reported yesterday.
IDG Ventures India, a venture capital affiliate of media and events firm International Data Group, sold $20.4m of shares to Premjinvest, which invested the rest in newly issues shares at a $270m valuation through its PI Opportunities Fund-II vehicle.
Founded in 2010 and formerly known as Valyoo Technologies, Lenskart is the sole survivor from Valyoo’s original e-commerce business model, which also included specialist outlets for fashion goods and accessories such as bags and watches.
Lenskart maintains around 200 Indian outlets which enable customers to order eyewear that can then be collected from the store or delivered to them at home. It had raised about $95m in capital prior to the PremjiInvest funding.
IDG Ventures India initially invested $4m in Valyoo’s 2011 series A round, which valued the startup at $10m, before teaming with Unilazer Ventures for a $10m series B two years later.
Lenskart emerged from Valyoo in January 2015, raising $21.3m from IDG Ventures India, TPG Growth and TR Capital.
The company subsequently closed a $60m series D round in May this year featuring IDG Ventures, International Finance Corporation, TPG, Adveq Management and individual investors Ratan Tata and Kris Gopalakrishnan that valued it at between $240m and $255m.
Peyush Bansal, founder of Lenskart, said: “The reason why we raised capital from PremjiInvest even after closing our round in May is that they are very seasoned retail investors.
“PremjiInvest can continue to be an investor even when we go public in the next three to four years.”