Ratan Tata’s magical startup investment portfolio

When the country is experiencing an entrepreneurship boom in the market, for big industry tycoons if there is a perfect time to invest in start-ups, it is now. With start-ups going on a crazy funding spree, Ratan Tata stands out as the most important investor, saving many just when their bank balance was down to the last few zeroes.

From ecommerce to auto, Tata’s investment portfolio is as varied as it can get. There cannot be a better way to spend your retirement. After his retirement, he said young innovators should be encouraged and he stands true to his words. The list is becoming longer, with investments in 10 start-ups in this year alone.

Here’s a complete guide to the start-ups who went on to become some of the greatest in the space after his investments.



1. Altaeros Energies- Boston-based Altaeros was founded in 2010 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to commercialise the world's first airborne wind turbine. Operating up to 2,000 feet (600 metres) above ground, the Altaeros BAT generates over twice the energy of similarly-sized tower mounted wind turbines.

When: Early 2014

2. Snapdeal- Snapdeal got its funding from Tata when their bank balance was down to the last $100,000. Tata is believed to have invested less than Rs 5 crore, buying 256 shares from Snapdeal's angel investors including Kenneth Glass

When: August 2014.

3. Bluestone- The online jewellery retailer was founded by IIT graduate Gaurav Singh Kushwaha and Vidya Nataraj. Bluestone was valued at Rs 135 crore when it raised funding from Kalaari Capital, when Tata also co-invested.

When: September 2014

4. Urban Ladder- The online furniture etailer was founded by IIM-Bangalore MBAs Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivatsa in July 2012.

When: November 2014

5. Swasth India- The Mumbai-based healthcare startup provides medical services to low income population. The company was founded by former consultants and IIT Bombay graduates Sundeep Kapila and Ankur Pegu

When: Invested Rs 2 crore in December 2014

6. CarDekho- The Jaipur-based online auto classifieds player was founded in 2007 by Amit and Anurag Jain, both IIT Delhi alumni. The company also runs other portals like BikeDekho and PriceDekho.

When: February 2015

7. Grameen Capital- This is a Mumbai-based investment advisory company.

When: March 2015

8. One97 Communications (Paytm)- The Noida-based Company has successfully transitioned from a value-added services player to an online wallet Paytm.

When: March 2015

9. Xiaomi- Founded by serial entrepreneur Lei Jun, the Chinese smartphone maker, launched in India last year, became an instant hit in the market with their products.

When: April 2015

10. Kaaryah- Ratan Tata's latest investment is a women's non-casual wear is Kaaryah, founded Nidhi Agarwal Kashyap.

When: June 2015

11. Holachef- Launched in 2014 by Saurabh Saxena and Anil Kalra, this is a food-tech start-up where amateur and professional chefs can come together and sell their meals.

When- September 2015

12. Ola- In less than three months after Ola announced a $400 million funding round, led by Russian investment firm DST Global, Tata announced its investment in the online car services company, which valued the company at $2.5 billion.

When- July 2015

13. Infinite Analytics- Founded in 2012 by MIT graduates Akash Bhatia and Purushotam Botla, this is a US based predictive marketing and Analysis Company. The company deals with deep machine learning and predictive analytics by merging data from multiple sources to create a 360-degree view of the user.

When- August 2015

14. Ampere- Ampere sells electric vehicles, cycles, trolleys and scooters. It also sells vehicles for differently-abled. It was founded by Hemalata Annamalai.

When- July 2015

15. Lybrate- Healthcare communication start-up, Lybrate connects doctors with patients anonymously throughout India anywhere and anytime. They raised $10.2 m in Series A funding from Ratan Tata, Tiger Global, Nexus Venture Partners.

When- July 2015



(Image credits: Indiatimes, cardekho, kaaryah, bluestone, swasth india, twitter, cupoworld)