• Byju’s, an online learning platform, is reportedly in discussions with lenders, including Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase, to raise more than USD 1 billion to acquire an undisclosed EdTech firm. The terms of the deal and funding are yet to be finalized.

• The acquisition is expected to strengthen the company’s product offerings and expand its business. 

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: Byju’s global growth strategy has been expansion via targeted acquisitions. Over the past three years, the company has made a series of acquisitions in its domestic (India) and international markets, mainly in the US. These include 1) Osmo, the developer of an AI-based educational play system (acquired in 2019); 2) WhiteHat Jr., a coding platform for children that generates nearly half of its revenue from the US (acquired in 2020); 3) Epic, a Redwood City-based online reading platform provider (acquired in July 2021); and 4) Tynker, a US-based platform that specializes in teaching coding to kids (acquired in September 2021). In March 2022, the company raised USD 800 million in funding, valuing Byju’s at ~USD 22 billion.Unconfirmed reports revealed that the company was in advanced talks with Churchill Capital's special-purpose acquisition company (SPAC) to raise USD 4 billion at a valuation of USD 48 billion in an IPO in the US in mid-2022.</ul>