South African based technology internet and entertainment group, Naspers, has invested EUR 387 million into online food ordering and delivery marketplace, Delivery Hero.
This investment, which in in the form of newly issued shares, will help fuel Delivery Hero’s growth plans.
Delivery Hero is one of Rocket Internet’s companies. It was founded in May 2011 by CEO Niklas Östberg and Kolja Hebenstreit, Markus Fuhrmann, Lukasz Gadowski.
With the share issue, this means Rocket’s stake will be diluted to 33 percent from just under 38 percent. Naspers will also be represented with one member on Delivery Hero‘s Supervisory Board.
Niklas Östberg, CEO of Delivery Hero, said:
“We are delighted to welcome such a renowned and strong investor with a proven track record in building successful platforms around the world. Naspers’ capital and knowhow will support our growth momentum as we continue to focus on creating an amazing takeaway experience.”
Bob van Dijk, CEO of Naspers:
“Food ordering and delivery presents an attractive opportunity for us. It is a large, underpenetrated, and growing market with potential for success across a broad range of geographies that Naspers knows well. Delivery Hero has already achieved significant traction in some markets, but we believe that the vast majority of high-growth markets are at the beginning of the opportunity cycle. Naspers’ deep expertise in building leading marketplace businesses in high-growth markets, which includes the leading food delivery business in Latin America, combined with the strength of Delivery Hero’s platform, positions us well to build a leading, global food ordering and delivery platform.”
Berlin-based Delivery Hero, now operating across more than 40 countries, had said last month it could consider an initial public offering (IPO) to raise capital to bulk up and face competition from the likes of Uber.
