Oyo in talks to acquire Innov8 for Rs 200 crore

SoftBank backed budget hotel chain Oyo is in “very advanced” stages of acquiring co-working space company Innov8 for about `200 crore in an allcash deal, five people familiar with the development told a media outlet. Oyo, flush with funds, has been scouting for deals in the co-working segment for a while, at the behest of SoftBank, the people said. “It’s an all-cash deal pegged around Rs 200 crore. Oyo is looking at co-living and co-working opportunities. That has been the mandate from SoftBank. It sounds like a feasible arrangement for both, as Innov8 had also been looking at funding or similar buyout opportunities,” one person said. Oyo, founded by Ritesh Agarwal, has raised an estimated $1.16 billion across rounds and recently received $100 million from ride-hailing major Grab in the latest tranche of its ongoing $1-billion round. The Gurgaon-based hospitality chain has been expanding rapidly overseas, including in China, and in November, named seasoned aviation executive Aditya Ghosh as its first chief executive for India and South Asia.