In what is seen as the biggest acquisition in the online real-estate segment, classifieds portal Quikr is set to buy property portal Commonfloor.com for $200 million.
The deal is expected to be a mix of cash and equity.
According to sources at Commonfloor, the deal is close to being signed and a formal announcement will come soon. While the founders of Commonfloor will get 20 per cent in cash, existing investors, including Google Capital and Accel Partners, are likely to get a 10 per cent stake in Quikr.
Commonfloor will be merged with the recently launched QuikrHomes, a platform for customer engagement and management tools for builders and brokers. It provides information about schools, malls, hospitals, parks and walking areas.
After the deal, the merged entity is expected to become the largest player in the country’s online realty segment, which includes Magicbricks.com, 99acres and the SoftBank-led Housing.com.
Commonfloor, founded by Sumit Jain, Lalit Mangal and Vikas Malpani in 2007, has raised $63 million since its inception, with Tiger Global being a common investor in both companies. Tiger Global was also the common investor in Flipkart and Myntra, which merged in 2013.
Sources at Commonfloor said that there is a two-year lock-in during which the founders of the Bengaluru-based company would continue to work with Quikr.
Commonfloor has also been given a representation on the board of Quikr, founded by Pranay Chulet in 2008. The firm, which shifted its base from Mumbai to Bengaluru this year, has raised around $350 million to date, including a $150-million round in April from Tiger Global Management, Swedish VC fund Investment AB Kinnevik and Hong Kong-based Steadview Capital.
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