Girnar Software Pvt. Ltd, which
runs online auto classifieds portal CarDekho, has acquired roadside assistance
firm Help on Wheels Pvt. Ltd, for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition comes
two weeks after Girnar Software raised an undisclosed amount of funding from
Google Capital.
The used car market in India is
currently as big as the new car market. The report adds that first time buyers
in India are increasingly opting for pre-owned cars. Companies operating in the
used car space have been raising funds to compete in one of the fastest growing
business verticals. Girnar acquisition will help the company compete against
its rival Cartrade.com which raised INR 950 crore in funding led by Singapore
based investment firm Temasek and March Capital.
The company had raised $30 Million
in 2014 from a group of investors that included Tiger Global, Warburg and
Canaan Partners. Help on Wheels was founded in 2014 and has a client base of
50,000. All the employees of Help on Wheels will be absorbed by CarDekho.
Girnar Software, which operates other portals, including Zigwheels, Gaadi.com,
Pricedekho.com and Bikedekho.com, had raised $50 Million in January 2015 from
Hillhouse, Tybourne, and Sequoia Capital.
In the last two years, the company
has acquired four other companies – Drishya360, Gaadi.com, Zigwheels and
BuyingIQ. Other auto classifieds start-ups include Droom Technology Pvt. Ltd, which
raised $16 Million in a round led by Lightbox in July last year and Truebil which
raised $500,000 in its first funding round from KAE Capital in June last year.
