PE firm Multiples bets on AI-first tech services, pares legacy bets
Mint.The shift began last year, when the firm sold its majority stake in human resources tech and services player PeopleStrong to the private equity arm of investment banking giant Goldman Sachs. The Mumbai-based company had first invested in PeopleStrong in 2017 from its Fund II, which was sized at $555 million, according to private market data intelligence platform PitchBook.“We bought a services business and pretty much spent all the R&D dollars to really build the products business and make it successful,” said Gaur.The same year, the firm acquired a majority stake in digital engineering services QBurst in a $200 million deal, marking its first bet in the segment.
Over the last year, the PE fund has brought in new top-level management to help with its transformation into an AI-first company.Multiples is currently investing out of Fund IV, which achieved a first close of $640 million in 2023. In May last year, the PE fund closed its $430 million continuation fund to acquire interests in three companies from its second fund, alongside additional follow-on capital.Going forward, Multiples is looking for companies that are nimble in how they deliver their services and are actively using AI internally to reduce effort and man-hours taken for routine tasks like coding, design, and testing.QBurst's bet reflects a broader shift in India's enterprise tech landscape, where the opportunity is moving from services to product-led innovation.“…in India, we do have significant advantages in all tech-enabled businesses, and it was largely limited to services historically,” said Gaur.
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