
Bennett Coleman and Company
Times of India Building, 2nd Floor, Dr. D. N. Road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, 400001, India
Overview
Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd provides media publishing services. The company offers newspapers, magazines, internet, and electronic commerce information publication services. The company’s brands include The Economic Times, Times of India, Femina, Sandhya Times, Times FM, and Filmfare. The company also provides radio and television programs production and distribution, web portals operation, and mobile value added services. Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd was founded in 1892 and is based in Mumbai, India.
- Total investments
- 5
- Lead investments
- 1
- Investments · 12mo
- 1
- Active investors
- 7
Sector focus
- Publishing
Investment portfolio
- PharmEasy
Participated · Debt Financing · Sep 2025
Founded in 2019, PharmEasy runs a web and mobile marketplace for prescription drugs, diagnostic services, and tele-health consultations in India. The company grew rapidly through the 2021 acquisition of Thyrocare but has since grappled with heavy leverage, prompting multiple high-cost debt raises. For FY25, it reported flat revenue of Rs 5,872 crore while trimming its net loss 38 % to Rs 1,572 crore, reflecting modest operational improvement. Leadership has shifted as all co-founders have exited and Rahul Guha, previously MD & CEO of Thyrocare, now heads PharmEasy. A steep 90 % valuation cut to about $710 million in April 2024 underscored investor concerns after its $5.6 billion peak in 2021. The company continues to prioritize debt repayment, most recently raising fresh capital to retire an expensive Goldman Sachs loan. Its future plans appear focused on stabilizing the balance sheet while maintaining its core e-pharmacy and diagnostics offerings.
- Pure EV
Led · Equity · Feb 2024
Pure EV manufactures electric motorcycles and scooters and is headquartered in Hyderabad. The company has sold over 70,000 units. It recently raised USD 8 million from a consortium of investors led by Bennett Coleman and Company Ltd and Hindustan Times Media Ventures, alongside Ushodaya Enterprises, existing investors and high-net-worth individuals. Pure EV said it is in the final stage of concluding a USD 25 million Series A1 with participation from a foreign institutional investor. Concurrently, it is in discussions with potential investors from Dubai, Hong Kong, and Singapore on a Series A2 targeting USD 15 million. The company plans to expand its pan-India dealer network from 140 to 300 dealers within the next six months.
- Leverage Edu
Participated · Series B · Mar 2022
Founded in 2017 by Akshay Chaturvedi, Leverage Edu helps students secure overseas admissions and provides related services such as education financing, visa assistance, and test preparation. The startup has expanded its presence across major study-abroad destinations including the UK, the US, Canada, and Australia. In FY26 the company reported revenue of Rs 375 crore, a 112% year-on-year increase from Rs 173 crore, and said it had turned EBITDA-positive. Leverage Edu claims a global customer base of over 175,000 users. The company plans to use fresh capital to accelerate international expansion and to grow its financial services and AI-led counselling and admissions offerings. It has signalled ambitions for a future IPO targeting a Rs 2,000–3,000 crore public issue.
- Square Yards
Participated · Equity · Sep 2019
Square Yards operates an integrated real estate and mortgage platform with businesses across brokerage, a mortgage marketplace (Urban Money), rental and property management (Azuro), and a home interiors brand (Interior Company). The group has a presence across India, the UAE, Australia, and Canada and says Urban Money facilitated loan disbursals worth Rs 87,831 crore in FY26 through partnerships with more than 150 banks and NBFCs. Financially, the company reported FY26 operating revenue of Rs 2,086 crore, a 48% year-on-year increase, and EBITDA of Rs 176 crore, up 3.7 times year-on-year, with an EBITDA margin that expanded to 8% from 3% in FY25. Square Yards has been scaling its portfolio of businesses across the real estate value chain and recently raised capital at a valuation exceeding $1 billion as it prepares for a planned IPO. Management plans to use fresh funding to accelerate expansion and bolster technology and IPO readiness.
- Uber
Participated · Equity · Jul 2015
Uber’s Advanced Technologies Group (ATG) develops self-driving software, vehicle safety systems, mapping, and related hardware to enable automated ridesharing services. The group is focused on commercializing and mass-producing automated ridesharing vehicles, including planned pilot deployments of Toyota Sienna–based automated vehicles to Uber’s network in 2021. A newly formed ATG corporate entity was valued at $7.25 billion post‑money after a $1 billion strategic investment from Toyota, DENSO and the SoftBank Vision Fund. Toyota and DENSO together committed $667 million and SVF committed $333 million; Toyota previously invested $500 million in Uber in August 2018 and may contribute up to an additional $300 million over the next three years to cover related costs. The investment is intended to accelerate development and commercialization of automated ridesharing and deepen collaboration on next‑generation autonomous vehicle hardware. Uber says the ATG team is taking a holistic approach to bringing self-driving vehicles to market and notes the company has completed more than 10 billion trips to date; the transaction was expected to close in Q3 2019. Uber Technologies is a global transportation company operating a large ride‑sharing network. The company is collaborating with Toyota to develop and deploy autonomous ride‑sharing as a mobility service at scale. Technology from both companies will be integrated into purpose‑built Toyota vehicles based on the Sienna Minivan platform. Uber’s Autonomous Driving System and Toyota’s Guardian automated safety support system will both be integrated, and Toyota will utilize its Mobility Services Platform (MSPF) for connected‑vehicle infrastructure. The mass‑produced autonomous vehicles are expected to be owned and operated by mutually agreed third‑party autonomous fleet operators, with pilot deployments slated for 2021. Toyota has agreed to invest $500M in Uber to support the program; the investment and collaboration are subject to standard regulatory approvals. Uber operates a global ride-sharing platform connecting riders and drivers. The company says the SoftBank-led transaction strengthens governance as it doubles down on technology investments and expands services to more people and places worldwide. Uber confirmed SoftBank’s $1.2 billion primary direct investment has closed and that payments for secondary sales are being processed and distributed. Governance changes agreed as part of the deal are coming into effect, and SoftBank has become the company’s largest shareholder and secured new board positions. The deal values Uber at around $48 billion, a discount to its prior $69 billion valuation. Founder Travis Kalanick sold roughly 30% of his stake as part of the transaction and is now a billionaire. Uber is a ride‑hailing platform that provides on‑demand transportation services. The company recently sold a small, undisclosed stake to German media company Axel Springer. Axel Springer clarified to t3n.de that the investment was strictly financial rather than strategic. A Springer spokesperson told The Wall Street Journal the amount was "minimal," and the firm compared the deal to a similar minor stake it took in Airbnb in 2012. Axel Springer also noted it has made early‑stage investments in around 100 companies. The presence of a media owner among shareholders has drawn scrutiny, prompting Axel Springer to downplay the size of the stake. Uber operates a ridesharing platform that dominates the U.S. market and is pursuing global expansion. The company considers the Middle East a key area and has operated in Saudi Arabia since 2014. Uber also operates in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates and partners with government entities to hire and educate drivers. The company reported more than 395,000 active riders in the region and said about 80 percent of riders in Saudi Arabia are female. Uber said it can provide on-demand transportation solutions that align with Saudi Vision 2030 and support economic and social reforms. Financially, the company accepted a $3.5 billion investment from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, its largest investment to date, bringing total cash and debt to more than $11 billion while maintaining a $62.5 billion valuation.