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Tiger Global Management

New York investment firm and historical financial backer of Takealot, involved in the Take2 acquisition and subsequent funding.

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Tiger Global Management is a New York investment firm with public- and private-market investment activities. Its South African business connection here is its historical backing of Takealot. An investment firm and its investment vehicles are not assumed to be the same legal shareholder. [5][3]

History

The firm dates its establishment to 2001 and its expansion into private investing to 2003. Takealot’s official timeline records Tiger Global’s involvement with Kim Reid in the 2010 Take2 acquisition. The Takealot.com launch followed in 2011. [5][1]

Takealot records a further US$100 million investment from Tiger Global in 2014. The following year’s merger announcement described a reduction in Tiger Global’s holding to give the two principal investors equal interests. This was a description of the planned combination, not a current ownership disclosure. [1][2]

The legal vehicle and the historical stake

The 2017 Tribunal decision identifies a Tiger Global investment vehicle as holding 47.08% of Takealot before the transaction. A Naspers subsidiary held the same percentage and minority shareholders held 5.84%. The decision therefore supports equal principal holdings, not two investors owning every share. [3]

This page does not assign that investment vehicle’s shares directly to the investment manager or claim a current Takealot percentage. The 2018 Naspers report records subsequent changes in effective ownership. Those later changes require their own reporting dates. [3][4]

Frequently asked questions

Did Tiger Global provide Takealot funding?

Yes. Takealot records its participation in the 2010 acquisition and a further US$100 million investment in 2014. [1]

Is its historical Takealot stake a current ownership claim?

No. The 47.08% figure concerns an investment vehicle before the 2017 transaction. [3]

Key milestones

  1. Investment firm established. [5]

  2. Expanded into private investments. [5]

  3. Participated with Kim Reid in the Take2 acquisition. [1]

  4. Further US$100 million Takealot investment recorded. [1]

  5. Tribunal recorded a 47.08% pre-transaction holding through an investment vehicle. [3]

Related articles

Related institutions

  • Takealot — South African e-commerce business launched in 2011 after the Take2 acquisition, later combined with Kalahari and brought under Naspers control.
  • Take2 — Historical e-commerce business acquired by Kim Reid and Tiger Global in 2010, before the formal Takealot.com launch in 2011.
  • Kalahari.com — Historical online retailer combined with Takealot in 2015, in a transaction that also changed the principal shareholders’ interests.
  • MIH Ecommerce Holdings — Naspers subsidiary identified as Takealot’s acquiring shareholder in the 2017 Tribunal decision, with distinct equity and control rights.

Sources

  1. Takealot Group, Our Journey: Take2 acquisition, launch, investment and Kalahari merger. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  2. Competition Commission South Africa, Statement on merger decisions, 6 January 2015: Takealot and Kalahari, page 1, 2015-01-06. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  3. Competition Tribunal South Africa, LM038May17: MIH Ecommerce Holdings and Takealot, reasons paragraphs 3–16, 2017-08-25. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  4. Naspers, Integrated Annual Report 2018: etail page 39 and acquisition disclosures page 105. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩
  5. Tiger Global Management, Our Story: establishment, New York headquarters and public/private investing. Original source. Accessed 2026-10-18. ↩