By Entrackr
Hero MotoCorp has approved the purchase of an additional 2.2% stake in the electric scooter maker Ather Energy for about Rs 124 crore (approximately $15 million). This is the third investment from Hero MotoCorp in the Bengaluru-based company in the last nine months.
In December, Hero MotoCorp acquired 3% stake in Ather Energy for Rs 140 crore ($16.8 milion). With the latest investment, Hero MotoCorp now controls nearly 42% holding in the Tarun Mehta-led company.
The development comes shortly after Ather Energy’s $34.5 million debt and equity fundraise in which co-founders Mehta and Swapnil Jain also pumped in over $10 million collectively.
Ather was valued at $750 million during the Series E round in May 2022. However, it has not disclosed its valuation since then.
As per startup data intelligence platform TheKredible, Sachin Bansal is the second largest investor after Hero MotoCorp in Ather. Other notable external stakeholders include Caladium Investment and Tiger Global.
During FY23, Ather’s revenue from operations spiked 4.36X to Rs 1,784 crore while its losses grew 2.5X to Rs 864.5 crore in the same period. The company is yet to file its financial results for FY24.
Electric two-wheelers saw an uptick in sales in May after a 50% drop in overall sales in April. As per Vahan data, Ather Energy had a market share of 9.45% as it sold 6,024 units in the last month. Its competitor Ola Electric was at the top with the sale of 37,191 units followed by TVS and Bajaj with 11,737 units and 9,189 units, respectively.