Bloomberg News reports that Indian online education stalwart and provider Byju’s’s is offering to acquire 2U Inc. in a cash deal that has valued the listed edtech company in the US at more than $1 billion, as revealed by an individual familiar with the proceedings.
More About the Offer
An offer of approximately $15 per share was offered by Byju’s to the board of 2U in the past week as an individual requesting anonymity as the bid has not yet been made public. As per the offer, a 61% premium to 2U’s closing cost of $9.30 on Tuesday on NASDAQ assesses the Maryland-based Lanham Company a value of approximately $2 billion.
Byju’s is one of the world’s most valuable startups and is backed by Tiger Global Management and the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative of Mark Zuckerberg., which is fostering expansion across the globe by employing acquisitions. Bloomberg reported way back in May that it is likely Byju’s would bid for Chegg Inc. or 2U. However, with California-based Santa Clara Company Chegg, there has been no progress with the talks.
With 2U, the talks still have chances of falling apart, and it may not be possible for the deal to materialize if the board rejects the offer. 2U has a market value of $717 million and $1 billion in liabilities and debt. A 2U representative did not agree to comment.
Byju’s has secured more than $2.4 billion for whichever deal it can pursue its growth and expansion across the globe, as stated by an individual. The shares of 2U dropped by more than 80% since the peak in 2021, when it was $55.55.
In the meantime, payments are being pushed back by Byju’s’s for about $1 billion acquisition of test-preparation-provider Aakash Educational Services that was struck last year, as per people who know the matter. Byju’s has asked to defer the payments till the latter part of August because the acquisition has yet to be cleared by the regulators, as an individual stated that the delay has no connection with a cash shortage. Shareholders of Aakash have agreed to the extension of the payment.
Byju’s, with a valuation of $22 billion, is the most valuable startup in India, per CB Insights Think & Learn Pvt. It’s an online learning platform that 7 million students using it. Its backer includes Mary Meeker’s Bond Capital, Naspers Ltd, and Silver Lake Management.
