M&A this quarter & why they matter

The Tech Panda takes a look at recent mergers and acquisitions.

InfoEdge Acquires 76% in Aisle for INR 91 Crores

Info Edge has acquired 76% in Aisle, the Indian high intent dating app, for INR 91 crore. With both Aisle and Jeevansathi, InfoEdge will look to strengthen its offering in the matchmaking segment.

Rohan Mathur, Executive Vice President and Business Head, Info Edge said, “We are happy to announce our acquisition of Aisle. The matchmaking ecosystem in India has been witnessing a shift in the last couple of years, and this partnership will help us redefine and grow the overall category and establish InfoEdge as a leader.”

Why it Matters

The funds will be used to further strengthen Aisle’s position in the high-intent dating market in India. Able Joseph, Founder and CEO of Aisle will continue to run Aisle with the support of Info Edge’s larger infrastructure and ecosystem.

Info Edge is among the largest tech public companies in India and operates pioneering internet platforms such as Naukri, Jeevansaathi, 99 acres, Shiksha. They were one of the early investors in Zomato and Policy Bazaar and continue to make investments in new-age startups both from their balance sheet and from their early-stage fund, Info Edge Ventures.

Ninjacart acquires Tecxprt a SaaS-based smart solutions provider

In March, Ninjacart, the Indian agtech platform, has acquired Tecxprt. Tecxprt has extensive experience integrating SaaS-based end-to-end solutions, enabling the creation of powerful networks.

In light of the acquisition, Thirukumaran Nagarajan, Co-Founder and CEO of Ninjacart said, ‘‘Ninjacart aims to build the largest agri platform. We are investing significantly and accelerating the technology-driven disruption in agri commerce space. Our acquisition of Tecxpert is a first step towards the same. Over the last five years, Tecxprt has demonstrated excellence in technology, customer understanding and relentless execution. We are thrilled to have the Tecxprt team onboard this journey and transform the lives of agri value participants together.”

He further added, “With this acquisition, we will further strengthen our position as a one-stop- solution for agri-players, retailers, and small businesses supplying agri commodities across the country. Our focus will remain on nurturing Ninjacart’s core value and in building an employee-focused organisation by prioritising employee well-being and giving prime importance to work-life balance.”

Why it Matters

With the acquisition of Tecxprt as well as their team under its umbrella, Ninjacart will expand the opportunities for participants to flourish both individually and collectively, thereby contributing towards the enhancement of the agri ecosystem.

As part of the acquisition, Ninjacart will obtain direct access to Tecxprt’s rich technology suite, which will accelerate the digitisation within the organisation’s ecosystem. With Tecxprt’s technology-focused solution, agri participants can digitize their operations and communicate more efficiently with their stakeholders. On the other hand, their social network software will facilitate real-time communication across the food supply chain, from farmers, resellers, retailers, consumers to supply chain participants.

Imarticus Learning acquires game-based learning platform StratOnboard

In February, continuing its streak of acquisitions, Imarticus Learning, an Indian professional education firm, acquired StratOnboard, a game-based learning platform. The acquisition has been executed via a combination of cash and equity for an undisclosed amount.

Nikhil Barshikar, Founder and CEO of Imarticus Learning, said, “We are pleased to onboard the StratOnboard team. StratOnboard will bolster our offerings and allow learners to hone their decision-making, problem-solving, and analytical skillsets, amongst others. This is a valuable move in our journey, and we look forward to working closely with the StratOnboard team to build a new pedagogical approach to learning.”

Why it Matters

Through the acquisition, Imarticus Learning will bring in unique differentiators in the form of epistemic games – the future of learning. As its second acquisition, StratOnboard is a strategic fit to Imarticus Learning’s overall ecosystem and aligns with its multiple business segments, including Enterprise, Academic, Retail, and Consumer. The firm has more such acquisitions planned with a set amount earmarked for the same this year.

The product offerings of StratOnboard  fall in line with Imarticus Learning’s international expansion plans that include the Middle East and North Africa, Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, the Americas, and Sri Lanka. With the concept of the Metaverse gaining rapid traction, the 3D game element could potentially enable Imarticus to pivot into the Metaverse learning.

The strategic deal will add significant value to Imarticus Learning’s existing clientele, academic partners and will be a game-changer for future learning. The deal will further augment Imarticus Learning’s existing offerings, allowing the platform to offer a wide variety of learning solutions, enabling evidence-based learnings and a world-class experience under a single umbrella.

UniFarm initiates merger with asset backed NFT Platform OpenDeFi

Realizing how NFTs are evolving by the day, global collaborative wealth creation platform ‘UniFarm’ with native token $UFARM announced end of March that it is going absorb asset-backed NFT platform ‘OpenDeFi’ with native token $ORO to access a wider audience catering to both NFT and crypto ecosystem.

Mohit Madan, CEO and Founder, UniFarm said, “Both UniFarm and OpenDeFi have a common objective of wealth creation but into different spheres. Reminiscing our journey and how far we have come from launching our first cohort in 2021 to successfully launching 36 cohorts across BSC, Polygon, ETH and AVAX with $100 Million + staked so far. Not just that, we have also come up with our own launchpad ‘UNIFARM Launch for the upcoming and most promising IDO launches.”

Why it Matters

Growing at 70% on a MoM basis, UniFarm, with this merger, aims at creating a wider ecosystem that caters to the strengths from both platforms all in one place. Since, both OpenDeFi and UniFarm have a common aim of wealth creation but in different directions, UniFarm with this merger, intends to revolutionize NFTs by  harnessing the power of collaboration with asset backed group NFTs.

UniFarm intends to harness the technology behind NFTs to enable holders exclusive access, and collaborative community building, with significantly improving the experience of buying, minting, and selling NFTs. Looking at UniFarm’s social posts, we learn that the NFTs are soon to launch and are on the lines of the Bored Ape Yacht Club trend.

With the merger, the utility token for both companies will also merge into one with $UFARM being the sole utility token. With the merger, $ORO holders will be able to claim $UFARM token at UniFarm’s site.

Post this merger, UniFarm is set to announce some new and exciting features as well product launches in the next quarter.