Pitch values Forbes at $800M with $285M in revenue

A pitch deck from India-based Sun Group is trying to lure tech billionaires and Hollywood types to join its bid for Forbes, which values the firm at $800 million, reports Sara Fischer of Axios.

Fischer reports, “In the deck described to Axios by sources pitched on the opportunity, the investor group argues that Forbes — which it values at roughly $800 million today — could one day be worth billions across three new business lines.

• Forbes Valley, a business segment based on the idea that the company will be able to make more money from Forbes’ digital audience through things like e-commerce and recommendations, could be worth $4 billion by 2028, it argues. Forbes currently owns 40% of a recommendations business called Forbes Marketplace that investors think will grow to nearly $400 million in revenue by 2027.
• Forbes Club, a venture investment platform that offers Forbes “communities” access to proprietary deal flow, could drive between $270 million to $290 million in cash flows by 2028, the plan says. Communities are described as Forbes’ lists of influential people, like its “30 Under 30” franchise.
• Forbes Education, a business built on leveraging Forbes’ Rolodex of influential people to create licensed educational content — like branded trainings and professional certificate programs — could drive revenues between $250 million and $270 million by 2028, according to the plan.”

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