Catcha Group
| Private Investment Group | |
| Industry | Media, Internet, Online Classifieds and E-Commerce |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founders | Patrick Grove, Ken Tsurumaru and Luke Elliott |
Key people | Patrick Grove (Group CEO) and Luke Elliott |
| Total assets | USD 1 billion |
Number of employees | 1000+ (2013) |
| Website | http://www.catchagroup.com |
Catcha Group is an international investment group founded by entrepreneur Patrick Grove. The Group controls a number of publicly listed and private media, new media, online classifieds and e-commerce businesses, and is one of the largest investors in the digital sector in emerging markets, notably ASEAN.[1] Catcha Group and its related entities have completed over 30 investments and acquisitions since inception, and boast a portfolio of online assets worth well in excess of US$1 billion.[2]
Since inception, Catcha Group has completed a number of landmark transactions with a total of four IPOs in six years, including the 2007 listing of iProperty Group on the Australian Securities Exchange, REV Asia Berhad (previously Catcha Media Berhad) on Bursa Malaysia in 2011, and the subsequent IPOs of iCar Asia in 2012 and Ensogo (previously iBuy Group) in 2013, both on the Australian Securities Exchange.
Investors in Catcha Group companies include News Corporation, REA Group, Star Media Group (Malaysia), Intel Capital, Carsales.com Limited, Australian Foundation Investment Company, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse, and Fidelity Funds Management.
Portfolio
The company's portfolio of investments in which it is the major shareholder include:
- iProperty Group - owner and operator of Asia’s No.1 network of property websites,[3] in Singapore, Malaysia, Macau, Hong Kong, Indonesia, with investments in India and the Philippines. REA Group (subsidiary of News Corporation) is the company's second largest shareholder behind Catcha Group.[4] The company was listed on the Australian Stock Exchange in September 2007,[5] and added to the S&P/ASX 300 as one of the top 300 listed stocks on the Australian Securities Exchange in March 2014.[6] It crossed the MYR1 billion milestone in market capitalisation in October 2013.[7] With REA Group's US$100 million investment in July 2014, iProperty became the most highly valued publicly traded Internet company in ASEAN.[8] In February 2016, iProperty was acquired by REA Group in a transaction valuing iProperty at US$534 million.[9]
- REV Asia Berhad (previously Catcha Media Berhad) [10]- a publicly listed new media group with operations online and in magazine publishing. Key shareholders besides Catcha Group include Datuk Justin Leong (5.01%) and Star Publications (Malaysia) Berhad (4.9%).[11] The company was listed on the Malaysian Stock Exchange in July 2011. Following the completion of the merger between certain Catcha Media Berhad (Catcha Media) subsidiaries and Says Sdn Bhd on 8 October 2013, a new company, Rev Asia Holdings Sdn Bhd (Rev Asia) was formed.[12]
- iCar Asia Limited - ASEAN’s largest network of online automotive sites.[13] Among its brands are Autospinn.com and Thaicar.com in Thailand, Mobil123.com in Indonesia and Carlist.my, LiveLifeDrive.com[14] and Malaysian EVO magazine and its spin offs, in Malaysia. The company was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange on 11 September 2012.[15] In March 2013, Australia's leading online cars classifieds Carsales.com Limited acquired a 19.9% seat in the company.[16] In March 2014, Carsales.com.au announced it would increase its stake in iCar Asia by a further 3% to 22.9%.[17] The S&P Dow Jones Indices announced in iCar's inclusion to the All Ordinaries Index on 21 March 2014.[18]
- Ensogo Limited - Catcha Group's foray into e-commerce began in 2011 with Dealmates.com, a leading Malaysian based e-commerce site, co-funded by Intel Capital.[19] In 2012, Dealmates.com pivoted from a group buying to a flash sales model that focuses on selling products.[20] On 20 December 2013, iBuy Group was listed on the Australian Securities Exchange.[21] Incorporated in August 2013 and based in Singapore, iBuy is Southeast Asia's number one ranked e-commerce player.[22] Focused on flash sales, the company has operations in Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia, including sites Deal.com.sg, BeeCrazy.hk, Mydeal.com.my and Dealmates.com. In early 2014, iBuy Group acquired the Southeast Asia arm of LivingSocial spreading their reach to consumers in Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines through Livingsocial.co.id, Livingsocial.com/my, Ensogo.com and Ensogo.com.ph.[23]
- iflix - In March 2015, Catcha Group announced the launch of iflix,[24] a subscription Video-on-Demand platform based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. iflix is Southeast Asia's leading Internet TV service, boasting the largest library of top TV shows and movies from all over the world. In April 2015, iflix announced the completion of a $30 million round of funding, led by Catcha Group and Philippine Long Distance Telephone Company (PLDT).[25] In May 2015, the company launched its services in Malaysia and Philippines.[26] In November 2015, iflix announced its official launch in Thailand after drawing 200,000 subscribers during its 12-week trial phase.[27] In March 2016, it was announced that iflix had attracted a $45-million investment from European pay-TV giant Sky PLC.[28]
- Catcha Ventures - a venture fund focused on investing in early to mid stage internet companies in emerging markets globally, Catcha Group's venture arm has numerous private investments. In early 2013 it committed to invest USD$150 million in ASEAN-based online companies over the next five years.[29]
- Frontier Digital Ventures - Founded in May 2014[30] and headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, Frontier Digital Ventures is a digital investment firm with a focus in frontier markets. The company's primary expertise is in automotive portals, property portals and general classified websites.
Investment Strategy
Group CEO Patrick Grove has described Catcha Group as being akin to a venture equity firm rather than a traditional investment group. He describes it thus: "Not only do we start companies, we also invest in them and we drive them ... We call it venture equity."[31]
Focusing on investments within the online sector, Catcha Group's strategy is to look at what works in the West and bring it to the East.[32] In an interview with e27.co, Catcha Group's Group CEO Patrick Grove has said “We like to bet on ideas where the concept is already proven. Our only risk is execution risk, we don’t like to bet on idea risk.”[33]
Part of Catcha Group's investment strategy is to grow the Group and it's business through acquisition. Speaking in an interview with BRW, Patrick Grove was quoted as saying: “In an industry that moves so fast, the way to get market share fast is to acquire rather than start from scratch."[34] Targeting opportunities in emerging markets, Catcha Group is especially bullish on Southeast Asia.[35]
References
- ↑ , "Malaysian investment firm Catcha sets aside $150m for ASEAN startups"
- ↑ Catcha Group secures US$100m investment in portfolio company iProperty.com "Yahoo News", July 31, 2014
- ↑ Catcha Group secures US$100m investment in portfolio company iProperty.com], "Yahoo News, July 31, 2014
- ↑ Catcha’s iProperty secures US$100M investment from News Corp affiliate, "e27", July 31, 2014
- ↑ ,"Online property firm IPGA debuts on ASX"
- ↑ iProperty Shares Jump 13% as IPP Added to ASX 300 "Property Portal Watch"
- ↑ , "iProperty market cap crosses RM1bil mark"
- ↑ Group secures US$100m investment in portfolio company iProperty.com "Yahoo News" July 31, 2014
- ↑ "Rupert Murdoch’s REA Group completes acquisition of Malaysia’s iProperty". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ , "Change of name from Catcha Media Berhad to Rev Asia Berhad"
- ↑ ,"Star Publications to acquire 4.99% Stake in Catcha Media"
- ↑ , "Catcha Media completes subsidiaries merger with Says; forms Rev Asia"
- ↑ Catcha Group secures US$100m investment in portfolio company iProperty.com, "Business Insider", July 31, 2014
- ↑ , "iCar Asia buys Malaysian automotive website"
- ↑ , "Positive ASX start for iCar Asia"
- ↑ , "Carsales.com drives into Asia"
- ↑ , "Carsales moves to 22.9% of iCar Asia"
- ↑
- ↑ , Dealmates.com,
- ↑ , "Dealmates pivots its way into a stronger footing"
- ↑ , "iBuy shares close 4pc above listing price"
- ↑ iBuy Group Ranked Number One E-Commerce Player in Southeast Asia, "Bloomberg", June 23, 2014
- ↑ , "LivingSocial pulls out of Southeast Asia with sale of its remaining regional business units"
- ↑ "Catcha Group to Launch New Internet TV Platform in Southeast Asia - Business Insider". Business Insider. 2015-03-11. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ Cheok, Jacquelyn. "iflix launches in Malaysia, the Philippines". The Business Times. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ "Iflix Enters Crowded Thai Market - Media Business Asia". www.mediabusinessasia.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Shalini (2016-03-09). "Sky Invests $45 Million in Southeast Asian Streaming Service Iflix". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-04-28.
- ↑ , "Malaysian investment firm Catcha sets aside $150m for ASEAN startups"
- ↑ "Frontier Digital Ventures launched; acquires 30% stake in Zameen.com". e27. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
- ↑ , "Head to head: Catcha Group's Patrick Grove"
- ↑ , "Catcha Group's Patrick Grove: reinventing Asia online"
- ↑ , "We invest only in proven concepts: Patrick Grove, CEO, Catcha Group"
- ↑ , "Catcha Group's Patrick Grove: reinventing Asia online"
- ↑ , "SE Asia is ripe for Australian technology investment"