Rakesh Jhunjhunwala's lofty bet has grown fourfold: What lies ahead
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala to launch a new airline. Jhunjhunwala made a risky bet and invested $35 million for a nearly 40 per cent stake in the airline under his wife’s name. Later, Jhunjhunwala is said to have increased stake with his family now holding around 46 per cent.
Many called Jhunjhunwala the Warren Buffett of India for his legendary success in equity markets. If Jhunjhunwala had heeded to an observation once made by Buffett, he wouldn't have put his money into an airline, especially in a new airline in India which is known as the graveyard of airlines for so many of them going bust in initial years. “The worst sort of business is one that grows rapidly, requires significant capital to engender growth, and then earns little or no money. Think airlines. Here a durable competitive advantage has proven elusive ever since the days of the Wright Brothers," Buffett had said in a letter to the shareholders of his company.
The risky bet of Jhunjhunwala, who died soon after the launch of the airline in August 2022, has now grown nearly fourfold in value, if a funding proposal is considered which values Akasa at over $350 million, more than four times the valuation at which the initial investment was made by the family of late Jhunjhunwala. ET has reported based on information from sources that a consortium of Premji Invest and Claypond Capital, the family offices of Wipro’s Azim Premji and the Manipal Group’s Ranjan Pai, respectively, are in talks to invest about $125 million for a significant minority stake in Akasa.
