Looking to double down its bet on an increasingly loss-making WeWork, a fresh report from Reuters suggests that the Japanese conglomerate is looking to take up even more stake in US-based sharing office space provider. While exact numbers are not available, sources have told Reuters that this fresh capital influx could value WeWork at close to $40 Billion.
Sources spoke on condition of anonymity, due to the sensitive nature of the development.
For those of you who are new to hearing news about WeWork, the office space provider already has $4.4 Billion in the bank from Softbank. It raised this money last year via Softbank’s “Vision Fund”. However scepticism around WeWork’s similar to real-estate business model, do put a doubt on the “Vision” which Softbank’s massive $100 billion fund has for its investments.
An earlier Wall Street Journal report had pegged the fresh investment amount anywhere between $16-$20 Billion, making it one of the largest single-round investments in the modern entrepreneurial era.
On the financial front, SoftBank shares fell 5 percent in Tokyo afternoon trading on Wednesday, reports Reuters. Some traders said the news of the potential WeWork investment was negative for SoftBank, largely because of the conglomerate’s heavy inclination an investments in the not-doing-so-well technology sector.
What will also be a out-of-normalcy fact in this deal, is Softbank acquiring a majority stake in WeWork. In almost all of its mega billion-dollar deals that the Japanese behemoth has done, it has acquired minority stakes in late-stage companies despite the heavy investments.
Eight-year old WeWork’s business is growing rapidly, with second-quarter sales more than doubling from a year earlier. In September it surpassed JPMorgan, the biggest U.S. bank, as the largest tenant of Manhattan office space, highlighting growing demand for flexible leases. However, in its first ever release of financial results in August, WeWork said its second-quarter losses mounted.
WeWork declined to comment on the story.
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