Table of Contents
Key Points
- The company has invested heavily in platforms like PayU and Meesho, aiming to create India’s next $100 billion tech giant.
- CEO Fabricio Bloisi says India today mirrors early-2000s China, citing digital infrastructure, youth-led innovation, and government support.
- Prosus expects five Indian IPOs in 2025, hoping to strengthen local capital markets and build durable, listed tech companies.
When South African billionaire Koos Bekker led Naspers to buy nearly half of a then-little-known Chinese tech firm called Tencent for just $34 million in 2001, few imagined what that deal would become. Two decades later, even with the stake diluted to 24.3 percent, it’s still worth over $140 billion. That single move reshaped Naspers from a Johannesburg newspaper publisher into a global tech investor.
It’s often called one of the smartest bets in corporate history. And now, the company Bekker transformed is aiming to do something just as ambitious. At the center of that effort is Fabricio Bloisi, a Brazilian entrepreneur who now leads both Naspers and its international investment arm, Prosus.
His eyes are set on India. “We believe it’s going to be, not a $20 billion company, but a $100 billion company, maybe half a trillion-dollar company in India,” Bloisi said in a recent CNBC interview. “So we are not investing there to sell next month.”
Prosus targets scalable platforms in India
That vision speaks volumes. Prosus is not just looking for fast returns, it is making long-term commitments in a market that feels, to Bloisi, a lot like China did when Naspers first found Tencent. So far, Prosus has poured about $10 billion into Indian startups like PayU and Meesho, betting that the country’s digital economy is just getting started.
But it’s not just about rising smartphone use or a growing middle class. It’s about timing. Like China in the early 2000s, India is seeing a wave of young entrepreneurs, expanding digital infrastructure, and growing government support for local tech. That combination, Bloisi believes, creates the right conditions to build something lasting.
What he’s chasing isn’t just growth, it’s scale with depth. Prosus is hoping to help create companies that don’t just solve one problem, but become platforms. “They’re not just one product,” Bloisi explained. “They have one product that connects to many others, where the same technology can be used across the board. That’s what we are doing.”
Building durable tech ecosystem in India
That idea is already shaping Prosus’ investments. Recently, the company acquired Despegar, Latin America’s largest online travel agency, in a deal that signals a push to expand into lifestyle and experience-based platforms. Food delivery and digital payments are the base, with travel, shopping, and other services layered on top.
Still, success won’t just come from adding users. It also depends on building confidence in the market itself. That’s why Bloisi is pushing for more Indian tech IPOs. He expects five Prosus-backed companies to go public this year, a move he says could unlock more local capital and deepen India’s tech economy.
“This was critical for the U.S., this was critical for China,” he said. “If India can build strong local capital markets, it could change everything.” That shift, from startup funding to building listed, long-lasting companies, shows how Prosus’ strategy is evolving. It’s no longer about a single lucky bet. It’s about building a network of businesses that can grow together over time.
Prosus expands beyond Tencent legacy
Of course, Tencent still casts a long shadow. Even after years of selling off portions, Naspers’ 4.3 percent stake in Tencent, through Prosus, remains its biggest asset. The rest of the portfolio includes more than 160 companies in over 100 countries, plus homegrown players like South Africa’s Takealot and PayU.
But Bloisi doesn’t want Prosus to be defined by one investment. His goal isn’t to repeat the Tencent story, it’s to build on it. Where Bekker made a single, high-stakes move that changed everything, Bloisi is laying out a broader plan, one that leans into emerging markets, builds connections across industries, and helps shape entire ecosystems.
“India today is where China was when we started investing,” Bloisi said. That’s more than a comparison, it’s a declaration. With deep pockets and a long view, Prosus is betting that the next global internet giant won’t come from California or Beijing. It might rise from Mumbai, Bangalore, or Delhi, powered by Indian ambition and backed, once again, by a South African investor willing to think long-term.
