Ajit Balakrishnan on keeping an eye on democratising finance in India.
Tata Sons' unlisted ventures, including Air India, Tata Digital, and Tata Electronics, reported combined net losses of approximately 25,568.8 crore in FY25, a 58.3 per cent increase from the previous year, despite Tata Sons itself remaining profitable for over a decade.
The venture capital/private equity industry needs to be encouraged as such investments create jobs and help establish companies in new sectors. There is also a strong case for incentives for investors in these funds, says Saurabh Srivastava, chairman of the Indian Venture Capital and Private Equity Association.
India's venture capital (VC) landscape saw a strategic shift during the first half (H1) of the calendar year (CY) 2024, with a notable increase in larger-sized investments. This was evident from a 45.3 per cent rise in disclosed funding value year-on-year, despite a 2.1 per cent drop in deal volume, according to GlobalData, a data analytics and consulting company.
The first quarter of the calendar year 2007 is already over. There is no sign of the VC story slowing down. This is a good sign for all the entrepreneurs out there with an idea!
Fitch Ratings has warned that India's oil marketing companies (OMCs) could face significant credit pressure if crude oil prices remain elevated, leading to eroded earnings and increased working capital needs due to delayed fuel price pass-through.
Banks are allowed to invest up to 10 per cent of the paid-up or unit capital in Category-I or Category-II Alternative Investment Funds
Fintech and venture capital firms such as Recur Club, Razorpay and Trifecta Capital have come to the aid of homegrown start-ups caught in the crossfire of the Silicon Valley Bank fiasco. Alternative funding platform Recur Club said it was allocating $15 million to all Indian founders affected by the crisis. It will not charge any platform fee for the same.
The IndiaAI Mission, under MeitY, has selected 10 Indian AI startups for its Global Acceleration Programme, aimed at fostering international growth and innovation.
The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) has implemented a fast-track mechanism for Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), allowing scheme launches after 30 days of filing, aiming to reduce timelines and accelerate capital deployment.
'We are targeting a 2.5x to 3x increase in valuation by FY31.'
A crucial Tata Trusts board meeting was unexpectedly postponed, highlighting internal conflicts over veto power, Tata Sons listing, and trustee eligibility, raising concerns about the stability of the $180 billion conglomerate.
India's share of total global venture capital (VC) funding fell to 2.9 per cent in calendar year 2023 (CY23) - the lowest since CY19 - reaching $7.3 billion as most startups struggled to raise money without compromising on their earlier valuations. Based on global data by CB Insights on VC funding, funding to Indian startups fell by nearly a third compared to CY22 when it hit $20.6 billion and accounted for 4.8 per cent of the global figure. While the data shows that the world had 71 new unicorns (21 in Asia), India contributed only two of them, as compared with CY22 when it had 22.
'We are staying away from making forward-looking statements on when we will reach 1 trillion, etc. But growth will be rapid; it's only a matter of time.'
Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) annual dividend payout declined to a four-year low of approximately 39,820 crore in FY26, marking its steepest decline in a decade and potentially adversely affecting Tata Sons' finances, which heavily rely on TCS's dividend income.
'Large firms and their interests can dominate the narrative, even as smaller stakeholders and retail investors struggle to be heard.' 'Regulators therefore require deep subject-matter expertise to assess representations, recognise underlying incentives, incorporate the perspectives of less-visible stakeholders, and guard against bias or capture,' notes Ananth Narayan.
Venture funding in India slowed in the third quarter (Q3) of 2025 amid geopolitical uncertainty, though exit activity surged to a seven-year high, according to Venture Pulse from KPMG Private Enterprise, a quarterly report tracking investment trends globally across major regions around the world.
When it comes to raising funds, women entrepreneurs receive a disproportionately small share.
Country's startups are carving a unique path by prioritising local, application-led innovation over the global pursuit of scale.
The past few years have seen the first cycle of mergers and acquisitions, exits, and track-records being created.
Reliance Industries Limited (RIL) faced a challenging fourth quarter, with its energy business experiencing significant headwinds, leading to overall muted results and prompting analysts to adjust their outlook, even as consumer segments like Jio and retail demonstrated robust growth.
Accel and Google's AI Futures Fund have announced the five startups selected for the 2026 Atoms AI Cohort, focusing on enterprise, voice, and industrial AI solutions, with each startup receiving significant investment and resources.
NCP's Parth Pawar flew in an aircraft belonging to VSR Aviation, a company targeted by his family after a plane crash killed his father, leading to controversy and clarification.
Infosys co-founder Kris Gopalakrishnan urges Indian startups to focus on deep technology and advanced manufacturing to ensure strategic autonomy.
Mixed-use real estate projects, integrating residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality segments, are gaining significant traction in India as developers seek to maximise returns, optimise land use, and diversify cash flows, with experts predicting 35-40% of urban real estate supply will be mixed-use by 2030.
'We want to become India's topmost integrated studio, working in different languages.'
Apple CEO Tim Cook's strategic pivot, from initial rejections to local partnerships and leveraging government policies like PLI, transformed India into a major iPhone manufacturing and export hub, now accounting for one in every four iPhones assembled globally.
Sunil Bharti Mittal, 68, will retire as chairman of Airtel Africa in July after the conclusion of this year's annual general meeting (AGM), the board of the African arm of India's second-largest telecom service provider Bharti Airtel said in a statement to the exchanges on Wednesday.
The government on Thusday said it is examining a proposal for setting up a venture capital fund to promote drug discovery in India.
Naukri.com-parent Info Edge, whose long-term bets on Indian startups ranging from Zomato to Policybazaar yielded blockbuster returns, has been named the country's most successful venture investor, cementing its reputation as a standout player in India's startup ecosystem. The firm, helmed by Sanjeev Bikhchandani - often referred to as India's Warren Buffett- invested a total capital of Rs 3,959.16 crore across platforms over the last one and a half decades.
CAE Simulation Training has launched a new pilot training facility in Mumbai, its fourth in India, to address the increasing demand for skilled pilots in the rapidly growing domestic aviation market.
The government on Tuesday said it is considering forming a venture capital fund of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion) to promote research and development (R&D) in the pharmaceutical sector.
'It's a changing world and the opening up doesn't mean that concerns with regards to security have gone away.'
Godrej Industries Group announces Pirojsha Godrej as the new chairperson, succeeding Nadir Godrej in August, marking a significant leadership transition within the conglomerate.
A consortium led by Kal Somani, a tech entrepreneur, has acquired Rajasthan Royals for $1.63 billion, marking a significant milestone in IPL's history.
The first thing you notice about Bhutan is not the mountains, but the silence.
'In a volatile global market, India is pursuing a low-risk, low-return policy, akin to a SIP -- slow, steady investment.' 'Pakistan is following a high-risk, high-return policy.'
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