Jio, the telecom operator which has revolutionized India by commoditizing data, has stepped-up its engagement with start-ups through outright acquisitions, partnerships, or equity stake purchases. Over the last few months, the company has invested in or bought out start-ups in music streaming apps, media production, AI, and blockchain such as:
- Haptik. Jio Digital Services struck an approximately $98.42 million deal to acquire Haptik, one of the world’s largest conversational AI platforms which counts Samsung, Coca-Cola, Future Retail, KFC, Tata Group, Oyo Rooms and Mahindra Group among marquee clients. It underlines Jio’s strategy of providing Indian users conversational AI-enabled devices with multilingual capabilities
- Saavn. In March 2018, Jio announced integration of its digital music service, JioMusic, and OTT platform Saavn, which powers Amazon Alexa in India. The combined entity, valued at more than $1 billion, then introduced JioSaavn to compete with the likes of Amazon Music, Apple Music and Gaana.
- Radisys. June 2018 saw Jio buy open telecom solution provider Radisys for $74 million, in a deal focused mainly on enhancing Jio’s presence in 5G, IoT and open source architecture adoption.
According to MobileWorld Live, Jio has invested $37 billion so far in the four years since its birth and is still running strong. For comparison, the total capex incurred by the telecom industry in India from 2010 to 2016 was around $38.7 billion. And how does Jio’s acquisition strategy fit in?
Jio sees itself as pillar around these technology companies, functioning as a toll gate for the host of the services it’s bringing to the table through vertical and horizontal integration. Jio has set up film, music, television and sports streaming services; news and content aggregators; chat, cloud storage and payment services, all of which appear poised to strengthen the company’s new commerce and digital revolution drive. By integrating start-ups, Jio wants to shed the image of being a mere connectivity provider. It has built a highway in the form of its mobile network. Now, it is building its digital ecosystem of apps by embracing start-ups and technological companies into its fold.
Last updated: December 26th, 2025
