Urban Company IPO: A Strong Start to Public Offering
Urban Company, India's leading tech-enabled home services marketplace, has achieved a significant milestone as its initial public offering (IPO) worth ₹1,900 crore was fully subscribed on the first day of bidding, September 10, 2025. This overwhelming response from investors reflects strong confidence in the company’s growth prospects and its position in the rapidly expanding home and beauty services market.
The IPO consists of a fresh issue of 45.8 million shares valued at ₹472 crore and an offer for sale (OFS) of 138.6 million shares aggregating ₹1,428 crore by existing shareholders. The price band for the issue was set between ₹98 and ₹103 per share, with each investor required to bid for a minimum lot size of 145 shares, translating to a minimum investment of ₹14,935.
Financial Trajectory and Market Position
Urban Company has demonstrated a remarkable financial turnaround leading up to its IPO. For the fiscal year 2025, the company reported a profit after tax (PAT) of ₹240 crore, a striking improvement from a loss of ₹93 crore in FY24. Its revenues grew impressively from ₹637 crore in FY23 to ₹1,144 crore in FY25, accompanied by a positive EBITDA of ₹11 crore in the most recent fiscal year. Urban Company’s valuation at the upper price band was approximately ₹15,000 crore ($1.7 billion), further underscoring its strong market positioning.
Investor Interest and Anchor Book Support
Ahead of the IPO launch, Urban Company successfully raised ₹854 crore from anchor investors, including marquee domestic and international funds such as Government Pension Fund Global, Nippon India Small Cap Fund, Aditya Birla Sun Life, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, SBI Life Insurance, Nomura India Equity Fund, Fidelity, Amundi, and others. This robust anchor book indicates strong institutional faith in the company's future.
The demand trajectory continued strongly on the first day, with the retail portion seeing 70% subscription, non-institutional investors (NIIs) 35%, and employee quota 55%. However, the qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) segment had not registered bids as of the early close of Day 1.
Grey Market Premium and Listing Outlook
The grey market premium (GMP) surged ahead of the IPO, reaching ₹35 per share at the start of bidding, signaling an expected premium listing gain of approximately 35% over the issue price. This upswing in GMP is an indicator of the bullish investor sentiment towards Urban Company shares.
The IPO subscription window is open until September 12, 2025, and allotment results are expected by September 15. Urban Company’s shares are scheduled to debut on the BSE and NSE around September 17.
Use of Proceeds and Strategic Outlook
The net proceeds from the fresh issue are earmarked for new technology development, cloud infrastructure upgrades, office lease payments, marketing efforts, and general corporate purposes. Urban Company’s focus on advancing its technology platform and expanding its service footprint across Indian cities and international locations such as the UAE and Singapore underpin its growth strategy.
Analyst and Market Sentiment
Industry experts have mixed views: While some analysts highlight the relatively high valuation of 12.4x trailing twelve months EV/Sales compared to peers, many remain optimistic about Urban Company’s market leadership and potential to capitalize on growing consumer spending on home services. Some advisory reports have assigned a "Subscribe" rating to the IPO citing strong market positioning and scalable business model.
Conclusion
Urban Company’s IPO debut marks a significant moment in India’s tech-enabled services sector. The strong subscription on Day 1 and the building grey market excitement reflect the market’s recognition of the company’s growth potential. As investors await the closing of the subscription window and allotment outcomes, the company’s highly anticipated listing next week will be closely watched as a benchmark for the evolving home services marketplace.
Sources: Economic Times, Financial Express, ABP Live, The New Indian Express, Outlook Money, Business Today, Moneycontrol:
