Ratan Tata Buys Stake in Chinese Phone Maker Xiaomi

 

Ratan Tata, chairman emeritus of the holding company of the Tata conglomerate, has acquired a stake in Xiaomi Technology, a deal that is likely to bolster the Chinese phone maker's presence in the world's third-largest smartphone market.

Ratan Tata (Middle) with Xiaomis India head, Manu Kumar Jain (Right) and Hugo Barra (Left), Vice President of International for Xiaomi.

Financial details of the unspecified stake bought by Tata in Xiaomi, the first by an Indian, were not disclosed in the statement issued by the Chinese company on Sunday April 26,2015
Xiaomi, the No. 3 global smartphone maker, was valued at $45 billion after a December 2014 funding round.

Mr Tata, a respected business leader who was the chairman of salt-to-software Tata Sons for more than two decades, has previously invested in Indian start-ups, including online retailer Snapdeal.

Tata'a investment in Xiaomi comes against the backdrop of an aggressive push by Xiaomi in India after entering the market, which has huge growth potential with just one in 10 people using smartphones, in July 2014.

On Thursday, Xiaomi hosted its first global launch outside of China in the Indian capital New Delhi, unveiling its feature-heavy Mi 4i model that supports six Indian languages at 12,999 rupees.