A wealthy New Delhi based Indian family office has turned a years old bet into an extraordinary windfall. The family watched its investment in Elon Musk's SpaceX multiply 100 times over right after the IPO launched. By the time the stock hit the market, the company's valuation had climbed to $1.54 trillion, taking the family's stake up a hundredfold along with it.
The family had first put money in back in 2017. They picked up a position by buying employee stock options (ESOP) in the secondary market, and the entire deal was routed through their international investment arm, which is headquartered in Dubai. It was the launch of SpaceX stock (NASDAQ: SPCX) that finally turned that long held investment into a 100x gain.
TrendKia was first to report on these earnings on Friday, when it emerged that the Indian family office had booked 100x gains on the SpaceX stock launch. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the founder of the family office said, “We had invested in a handful of US tech secondaries by purchasing employee stock options (ESOP) in the secondary market through our international investment arm in Dubai. We invested a modest sum, not multi-millions.”
Early Backers Take Home the Biggest Rewards
The investors who get in early on a company almost always reap the most, and this case is a clear illustration of that. Even if that “modest sum” had been $500,000, a 100x gain from there works out to a straight $50 million in profits. This is only an assumption, meant to show just how high the numbers can run once 100x returns come into play.
The family office admitted that when they placed the bet in 2017, they never imagined the valuation could ever climb into the trillions. At the time of its launch, SpaceX stock's market cap stood on par with that of Apple, Microsoft and Amazon.
The founder added, “We made SpaceX-like technology bets with a view on the future and their market leadership position. Of course, we had not factored in the ‘Elon Musk effect’ and never even looked at the current valuation as a possible realistic scenario.”
SpaceX Is Only a Small Slice of the Portfolio
This wealthy Indian family office also invests in real estate for long term growth opportunities. SpaceX stock makes up only a small part of their holdings, and their investment vehicle is far larger. In other words, even a payoff this big is just one piece of their overall portfolio.
