Eyes over appetite: Peyush Bansal beats Eternal’s Deepinder Goyal in the wealth race despite a dismal listing

Lenskart Solutions closed its first day on the bourses on a mildly positive note, rising from a muted listing and a steep 10% decline in the early hours of trade. The share price stood at ₹404.55, up 2.42% from its opening price but only 0.63% above the issue price on the NSE.

The post-listing rally helped Peyush Bansal and family overtake Eternal’s Deepinder Goyal in terms of wealth by a mere difference of ₹48 crore. As mentioned in the exchange filing, Bansal’s (and his family’s) net worth stood at ₹11,188 crore, compared to Goyal’s ₹11,140 crore. Yet, the two entrepreneurs trail far behind Nykaa’s Falguni Nayar and family, whose net worth towers at ₹38,875 crore, placing them far ahead in the start-up valuation race.

What is interesting to note, however, is the contrast in shareholding patterns among these entrepreneurs. Though Goyal might be right behind Bansal, his stake in Eternal is a modest 3.2%, far lower than the Lenskart promoters’ holding of nearly 16%. Of the 15.99%, Bansal holds 10%, with the remaining belonging to his family.

Taking up the next two spots to complete the Top 5 are Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm, with a wealth of ₹7,706 crore (holding a 9.06% stake), and Bhavish Aggarwal and family of Ola Electric Mobility, with a net worth of ₹7,213 crore (holding a 36.78% stake).

In terms of company valuations, Eternal leads the startup race, standing at ₹2,90,862 crore, giving Goyal’s 3% stake a higher absolute value. Lenskart, on the other hand, is in fourth place at ₹69,967 crore, right behind One 97 Communications Ltd, Paytm’s parent company (₹85,056 crore), and FSN E-Commerce Ventures Ltd (₹74,588 crore).

Delhivery, which was listed in 2022, has a significant gap of ₹38,005 crore from Lenskart’s current valuation to secure the fifth spot. Ola’s direct competitor, Ather Energy, with a market capitalisation of ₹23,794 crore, sits comfortably above the Bhavish Aggarwal-led electric two-wheeler company, which stands at ₹19,611 crore. It is followed by Urban Company, another much-awaited listing of the year, closed the list with a valuation of ₹19,225 crore.

Today’s session will decide whether Peyush Bansal and family retain the runner-up position or if Eternal, which declined by 1.40% in today’s trade, rebounds to overtake and reclaim the spot.

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