INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Taxi hailing huge Ola is preparing to raise funds through the initial public deal routeRide-sharing huge Ola plans to raise as much as $1
billion through an initial public offering (IPO) and is settling banks to recommend on the fund-raise, 3 sources informed Reuters, becoming
the most recent start-up to join the capital markets boom.Ola, backed by Japan's Softbank Group, has trapped Citigroup, 2 individuals with
direct understanding of the matter stated
It has actually also brought Kotak Mahindra and Morgan Stanley on board, stated 2 other individuals acquainted with the plans.The company,
which competes with Uber Technologies, is likewise in talks with Bank of America and JP Morgan, one of the people said.Ola, JP Morgan and
Kotak Mahindra did not instantly respond to an ask for comment.Bank of America, Citi and Morgan Stanley decreased to comment.The successful
listing of food delivery service Zomato, backed by China's Ant Group, in July has made other innovation startups more bullish about
raising cash through capital markets, 2 of individuals said.Over half a lots start-ups consisting of payments business Paytm, e-pharmacy
PharmEasy and online insurance aggregator Policybazaar are preparing for IPOs, giving investors like Ant and Softbank an opportunity to
exit.Founded in 2010 by Bhavish Aggarwal, Ola has a majority share of India's ride-hailing market which took a struck in 2015 as lockdowns
kept people at home, forcing the business to cut its labor force and temporarily halt the bulk of its business.Ola also has a growing
existence in numerous international markets such as Australia and the United Kingdom.In July, private equity firms Temasek and Warburg
Pincus invested about $500 million in Ola ahead of its organized IPO.
