A round up of all Reliance Jio investments and what follows

Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio platform saw a lot of cash inflow into the company. Unlike its competitors, the telecom giant saw a surge of investors. It is venturing into own operating systems, music, OTT and digital payments. After Facebook's $5.7 bn, Silver Lake's $747 million and Vista's $1.5bn, General Atlantic has invested $870 million in Jio platforms. The total investment amounts to $8.85 bn.

Within a short span of fewer than 4 years, Jio has managed to double its valuation to $65bn. But, according to a report from Bloomberg, Saudi Wealth Fund may invest in Jio platform.

All funds in Reliance Jio

1. Facebook bought a 9.9% stake in Reliance Jio for $5.7 billion (Rs 43,574 crore) in a deal. This gives the social media giant a firm foothold in a fast-growing market. It helped the Indian oil-to-telecom conglomerate to significantly cut debt.

2. American private equity giant Silver Lake Partners bought 1% stake in Jio Platforms for $750 million (Rs 5,655.75 crore) in a deal that took Jio's enterprise value to Rs 5.15 lakh crore — a 12.5 premium to the value indicated by Facebook.

3. Vista Equity Partners, a US-based private equity firm that runs the world’s largest exclusively tech-focused fund, picked up a 2.32% stake in Jio Platforms for $1.5 bn (Rs 11,367 crore). This made it the third-largest investor in the Jio to underline its status as a next-generation software and platform company.

4. General Atlantic’s investment values Jio Platforms at $65 billion — the same valuation implied by the Silver Lake and Vista deals and a 12.5% premium over Facebook’s deal.

Prospective Saudi Wealth Fund

The Saudi sovereign wealth fund exploring investments in billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s digital business. The $320 billion Public Investment Fund is considering buying a minority stake in Reliance Industries Ltd.’s Jio Platforms.

According to the available limits, the investment will range between $4 to 5 billion; close to 4.5% of the stake.

What does Reliance Jio want for the future?

Some analysts believe that the increasing interest from foreign investors will help Jio cut debt. It will also gear up for a prospective IPO. Some of its recent investors have rich expertise in scaling up internet businesses and taking them public. As Asia’s richest man, Mukesh Ambani, seeks to expand his operations outside oil and petrochemicals, this expertise will be quite a help.

Reliance plans to make Jio a debt-free entity this year. The current debt amounts to $21 bn, which roughly equals to 20% of Jio's stake. So, it is looking to dilute about 20% stake in the company. And it has divested close to 15% in Jio already. Thus, the 5% stake dilution remains. Further, Jio Platform valuation will increase with new investments.

Facebook is a master at software development; from social media platforms to digital payments. Further, Silver Lake invests into high-tech platforms to build cutting edge technology. Additionally, Vista has a penchant for investing in software, data and tech-enabled companies. And General Atlantic has a creative tech niche. This variety of investors bring Jio's ambitions to take over the OTT and IoT sector can be materialized.

On this note, Sanchit Vir Gogia, founder and CEO of Greyhound Research said:

Jio is a data, technology, and ecosystem opportunity. Since, connectivity is the lubricant for the engines of community, content, commerce, currency, and capital. The intent is to leverage tech to capitalise on assets across RIL portfolio companies.

The torch of Atma Nirbhar Bharat Abhiyan

Remember when Donald Trump visited India? Among some dignitaries, Mukesh Ambani was one. Trump asked him if he was planning to invest in 5G. Interestingly, Mukesh Ambani did oblige. He confirmed that his company had plans to invest in the 5G network and added an interesting piece of detail. Reliance Jio is the only company that does not have a single Chinese product. Also, after PM Modi lit the AtmaNirbhar Bharat torch, Reliance Jio comes out as a local product and its demand is set to increase.

So, we can expect an expanded network, better services, and the likelihood of new and more interesting offerings from the Jio. It will also utilize this box of pandora to scale up operations and make the digital experience more seamless for people living anywhere in the country.