logo
IPO-bound BlueStone geared for unicorn tag

IPO-bound BlueStone geared for unicorn tag

Time of India18-06-2025
The private wealth management arms of 360 One and Centrum Wealth are in discussions to facilitate secondary deals amounting to Rs 300–350 crore in the jewellery retailer
BlueStone
, said people in the know. Both platforms will sell the stakes to their clients ahead of the Bengaluru-based company's public market debut, they said.
The transaction will value BlueStone at Rs 10,500 crore ($1.2 billion), about 30% higher than its Rs 8,100 crore valuation from the last funding round in August 2024.
According to one of the people in the know, Singapore-based RB Investments will fully exit BlueStone through the deals. RB Investments, which holds a 2–3% stake in the company, is set to make a 10–12x return on its investment. It backed BlueStone across various stages between 2016 and 2019, investing around Rs 28–30 crore. The Singapore-based family office has also backed Indian companies such as Swiggy, Giva and Rebel Foods.
'The round took place because there was interest from certain investor classes to pick a stake prior to the IPO,' one of the persons said. 'BlueStone is soon expected to finalise the pricing for the IPO.' A secondary deal is between existing and incoming investors, and the cash doesn't go into the company.
Wealth managers pool investment deals for their clients, which typically include the likes of domestic family offices and high networth individuals (HNIs). These investors are usually added to the capitalisation table prior to a public issue.
Private wealth management firms have earlier facilitated pre-IPO deals in companies such as food and grocery delivery firm Swiggy, hospitality platform Oyo, logistics startup Shadowfax and business-to-business (B2B) meat company Captain Fresh.
Discover the stories of your interest
Blockchain
5 Stories
Cyber-safety
7 Stories
Fintech
9 Stories
E-comm
9 Stories
ML
8 Stories
Edtech
6 Stories
BlueStone filed its draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) in December, gaining approval in April. Its IPO includes a fresh capital raise of Rs 1,000 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) component of nearly 24 million shares, which will see investors including
Accel
, Saama Capital, IvyCap Ventures and Kalaari Capital selling their stakes.
Queries sent to BlueStone founder and CEO Gaurav Singh Kushwaha went unanswered. In response to an emailed query, Centrum Wealth said, 'There may be a few HNI clients who seek exposure, to whom we may facilitate through a market intermediary.'
A spokesperson for 360 One said, 'We have no comments on the query.'
RB Investments also did not respond.
BlueStone had
closed a Rs 900-crore funding round
—a combination of primary and secondary transactions—in August 2024, which saw the participation of investors such as Peak XV Partners, Prosus, Steadview Capital, Think Investments and Infosys cofounder Kris Gopalakrishnan's family investment office Pratithi Investments.
In May this year, BlueStone raised Rs 40 crore in debt from alternative debt platform BlackSoil and Caspian Impact Investments.
Over the last few years, investors have turned bullish on the jewellery business. This trend picked up steam after the
Tata Group's full acquisition of CaratLane
at a valuation of Rs 17,000 crore. The conglomerate had first invested in the startup in 2016, when it was valued at Rs 563 crore.
Omnichannel jewellery startup Giva, which specialises in silver products, is also in talks to
pick up Rs 450 crore
($53 million) in a financing round led by Creaegis in addition to participation by Premji Invest, Epiq Capital and others.
BlueStone
closed fiscal 2024
with Rs 1,266 crore in revenue, a 64% jump from the year ago. Its loss during the year contracted to Rs 142 crore in FY24 from Rs 167 crore in fiscal 2023. For the first three months of fiscal 2025, BlueStone reported operating revenue of Rs 348 crore and net loss of Rs 59 crore.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

US tariff, discount demands threaten Indian exporters' profit margins
US tariff, discount demands threaten Indian exporters' profit margins

Business Standard

time4 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

US tariff, discount demands threaten Indian exporters' profit margins

Textile exporters from hubs like Tiruppur have indicated that buyers in the US are making a pitch for high discounts, urging Indian manufacturers to shoulder part of the financial strain of tariffs Shine Jacob Chennai Listen to This Article The profit margins of Indian companies are in danger of being hit by the 25 per cent tariff on exports to the United States (US) and possible discounts to boot. Textile exporters from hubs like Tiruppur have indicated that buyers in the US are making a pitch for high discounts, urging Indian manufacturers to shoulder part of the financial strain of tariffs. This is considering the fact that the average margin Indian exporters have for volume products is as low as 5 per cent, while that of fashion products is around 20 per cent. Major US brands that source from

IPV launches $110 mn angel fund in GIFT City to tap global startup capital
IPV launches $110 mn angel fund in GIFT City to tap global startup capital

Business Standard

time4 minutes ago

  • Business Standard

IPV launches $110 mn angel fund in GIFT City to tap global startup capital

Angel investment platform Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) on Thursday announced the launch of a $110 million Category I Angel Fund—IPV International—under the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) framework at GIFT City. The fund will lead or participate in early-stage to pre-Series A funding rounds, with investment ticket sizes ranging from $100,000 to $1 million. The fund recorded its first close in April. First investment in Singapore's Cellivate Technologies IPV International has already made its maiden investment in Singapore-based deeptech startup Cellivate Technologies. The company is developing an ethical and scalable alternative to fetal bovine serum using magnetic stimulation, targeting applications across biotech, pharma, and adjacent sectors. 'A presence in GIFT City enables us to scale beyond national borders, engage with global startup ecosystems, and remain aligned with the rapidly shifting dynamics of the venture capital and private equity markets,' said Vinay Bansal, Founder and CEO of IPV. Bansal added that the fund has attracted significant interest not just from Indians and NRIs but also from non-Indian investors looking to enter India's booming startup ecosystem, with the GIFT City framework providing a favourable gateway. Backed by 50 successful exits, IPV aims to scale globally 'With a proven track record including 50 successful exits from a portfolio of over 220 startups, IPV is now set to leverage this experience and scale its platform to reach both national and international investors through IPV International,' said Mitesh Shah, Co-founder of IPV. In addition to IPV International, the firm has launched a $50 million Category II venture capital fund—Physis Capital—to back Pre-Series A to Series B growth-stage startups. The fund has so far invested in six startups, with several other deals in advanced stages. 'By leveraging the global access provided by the GIFT City platform, we're now well-positioned to invest in innovative ventures across international markets, enhancing both portfolio diversification and investor value,' said Ankur Mittal, Co-founder of IPV.

India buying Russian oil ‘point of irritation', but not the only one: Trump aide
India buying Russian oil ‘point of irritation', but not the only one: Trump aide

India Today

time4 minutes ago

  • India Today

India buying Russian oil ‘point of irritation', but not the only one: Trump aide

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that India's purchases of Russian oil are helping to sustain Moscow's war efforts in Ukraine and it is "most certainly a point of irritation" in New Delhi's relationship with Washington, although not the only point of irritation. In an interview with Fox Radio, Rubio claimed that the US President is frustrated with the fact that India continues to buy oil from Russia despite having so many other oil vendors available and helping to fund Russia's war effort against Ukraine. advertisement'India has huge energy needs and that includes the ability to buy oil and coal and gas and things that it needs to power its economy like every country does, and it buys it from Russia, because Russian oil is sanctioned and cheap. In many cases, they're selling it under the global price because of the sanctions,' said Rubio. "Unfortunately, that is helping to sustain the Russian war effort. So it is most certainly a point of irritation in our relationship with India – not the only point of irritation. We also have many other points of cooperation with them," the US Secretary of State added. One of the biggest points of contradiction that has stopped India and the US from signing a trade deal is India's firm resistance to opening up its agriculture and dairy sectors, while the US is pushing for greater access to India's agricultural market, particularly for GM crops, dairy, and products like corn, soybeans, apples, almonds, and ethanol. They have been insisting on tariff reductions in these sensitive sectors. New Delhi argues that allowing cheaper, subsidised US farm goods into the country would harm the income of millions of small has told the US that reducing tariffs on dairy, rice, wheat, and genetically modified (GM) crops like corn and soybeans is not possible right now. According to officials, such a step could hurt over 700 million rural people, including around 80 million small dairy farmers. The US is also pushing for better access to the Indian market across a wide range of products other than agricultural and dairy products. These include ethanol, apples, almonds, autos, medical devices, pharmaceuticals and even alcoholic drinks. It also wants India to cut down its non-tariff barriers, simplify customs rules, and relax laws on data storage, patents and digital trade.- EndsWith inputs from PTI Must Watch

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store