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Prosus (PRX NA - US$76 billion) is an Amsterdam-listed investment holding company with a 25.2% stake in Chinese Internet company Tencent (700 HK - US$337 billion).
Its parent company, Naspers, began as a newspaper publisher in 1915 and then became a book publisher. In the 1980s, a young Naspers executive named Koos Bekker formed a pay-TV business that became a major success. In 1997, he began investing in Internet-related businesses, including the 2001 deal to acquire 33% of Tencent for just US$34 million.
Fast-forward 20 years, and Tencent has become one of the most successful growth stories ever. The value of that initial 33% stake (later upped to 50%) has gone up over 3,000x.
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