Latest news with #VisheshRajaram
Time of India
12 hours ago
- Business
- Time of India
VC firm Speciale secures Rs 600cr in fund-III
Chennai: Speciale Invest, a venture capital firm backing deep-tech startups has raised Rs 600 crore for its third fund. It aims to invest in pre-seed and seed rounds in 18 to 20 startups designing and building critical technologies locally in what it calls a sovereign edge. The funds are expected to be deployed in four years with a ticket size of Rs 7 crore to Rs 10 crore, and keep the 50% of the funds for follow-on investments. Speaking to TOI, Speciale's Founder Vishesh Rajaram said the focus will be on space, energy, advanced manufacturing including, defense, robotics, semiconductors and quantum. "We are definitely going to double down on India's sovereign edge. We are looking for areas like global navigation satellite systems, drones that can operate in a GPS-denied environment. In select cases, where the technology aligns with our thesis, we will participate in Series A rounds," he said. Rajaram, who has backed notable deep-tech startups such as Agnikul Cosmos, The ePlane company, GalaxEye Space at early stages, said they will look for founders with academic research background and building solutions. Speciale's first fund has raised Rs 61 crore in 2018 with 18 investments and seven exits, followed by its fund 2, which secured Rs 300 crore in 2021 and a total of 17 investments and two exits. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Become Fluent in Any Language Talkpal AI Undo You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai | Gold Rates Today in Chennai | Silver Rates Today in Chennai Rajaram further said, "We are also looking for global market readiness from day zero and capital stack orchestration, where the startup goes beyond equity to blended financing such as debt, grants, to smooth scale-up. We have learned that capital efficiency and market timing along with founder-market fit are as critical as technical defensibility in deep-tech outcomes." Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
Economic Times
a day ago
- Business
- Economic Times
Speciale Invest's Fund III closes at Rs 600 crore; eyes investing in 18-20 deeptech startups
ETtech (L-R), Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner, Arjun Rao, partner, Speciale Invest Deeptech investment firm Speciale Invest said its Fund III was oversubscribed, closing at Rs 600 crore against a target of Rs 500 crore. The new fund will invest in sovereign tech and globally scalable intellectual property (IP) from India. The Chennai-based venture capital (VC) firm said it will back 18-20 early-stage deeptech startups in sectors such as artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, spacetech, climatetech, quantum systems, advanced manufacturing, and dual-use defence. The initial ticket sizes will range from Rs 7 to Rs 10 crore, with the flexibility to go higher in some cases. Vishesh Rajaram, managing director at Speciale, said the interest of institutional investors, family offices, and HNIs in the deeptech sector has grown significantly. 'Over 50% of Fund III capital is from repeat Limited Partners (LPs), and we also have new institutions and corporate VCs,' he told ET. Speciale said conviction in India's deeptech opportunity has strengthened. The firm will continue to invest in 'zero to one' startups at the pre-seed level. So far, the VC firm has bet on startups such as Agnikul Cosmos, GalaxEye, ePlane Company, Ultraviolette, CynLr, and QNu Labs. It has also made nine mergers and acquisitions (M&A) exits.'A large learning from our Fund I and II has been that this is the best time to build sovereign-edge technologies in the country and begin serving global needs,' said Speciale's Rajaram. He added that India's geopolitical position also calls for reducing dependence on certain foreign technologies. Out of the Rs 600 crore fund, Rs 300 crore will be reserved for follow-up investments. Speciale is not the only fund to focus on IP and advanced manufacturing. Last week, Accel announced a significant shift in its theses, eyeing IP-driven startups in sectors like aerospace, electric vehicle (EV) components, and medical devices. The firm, in January, announced an early-stage fund of $650 million, specifically for startups in India and Southeast Asia. In its Fund III, Speciale intends to increase the average ownership in startups. 'In Fund I, we owned about 5% of each company; in Fund II, around 10%; now, with Fund III, we'll target about 15%. The round sizes and company stages stay the same, but we aim for more ownership and a larger follow-on capital reserve of about 50%,' Rajaram said, who earlier was a principal at Ventureast, a $100 million early and growth stage capitalists noted that with startups thinking global first and looking at selling in global markets from day one, the existing timelines may come down by a year. Despite the growing trend, Rajaram reiterated that deeptech will need a long gestation period, and for a 'good exit, one that can return the fund, it will typically take 6-10 years.' Elevate your knowledge and leadership skills at a cost cheaper than your daily tea. As 50% US tariff looms, 6 key steps that can safeguard Indian economy As big fat Indian wedding slims to budget, Manyavar loses lustre Why are mid-cap stocks fizzling out? It's not just about Trump tariffs. The airport lounge war has begun — and DreamFolks is losing Stock Radar: UNO Minda eyeing fresh 52-week high in next few weeks; check target and stop loss for long positions Buy, Sell or Hold: Antique recommends buy on Siemens; Avendus upgrades SBI to Buy post June quarter results Stock picks of the week: 5 stocks with consistent score improvement and upside potential of up to 25% Weekly Top Picks: These stocks scored 10 on 10 on Stock Reports Plus
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Business Standard
a day ago
- Business
- Business Standard
Speciale Invest raises ₹600 crore fund to back Indian deep-tech start-ups
Venture capital firm Speciale Invest has closed its third fund at Rs 600 crore, surpassing its Rs 500 crore target as investor appetite grows for early-stage deep-technology companies. The fund will make 18–20 investments over the next four years in space, advanced manufacturing, energy, health, and artificial intelligence start-ups. The closing positions Speciale among India's largest pre-seed deep-tech investors. The firm plans to lead early funding rounds and support founders through the extended development cycles typical of hardware and science-based ventures. 'We believe the next generation of global champions will emerge from India's labs, R&D centres, and workshops,' said Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner, Speciale Invest. 'In a geopolitically complex and technologically interdependent world, building for India's resilience and sovereign capabilities is not just a national imperative—it is also a generational venture opportunity.' With Fund III, the firm will double down on sovereign-tech and deep-tech bets across space-tech, dual-use defence innovation, frontier computing, and sustainable energy, ensuring these innovations are globally competitive from day one. The fund is backed by a strong base of returning limited partners (LPs), including family offices, institutions, and strategic investors, who share long-term conviction in India's deep-tech potential. 'Deep-tech represents one of the most exciting frontiers for venture capital in India,' said Arjun Rao, partner, Speciale Invest. 'The combination of world-class technical talent, increasing policy support, and global market access has created an unprecedented window to back companies solving some of humanity's most complex challenges from India.' In an era marked by rapid technological disruption, supply chain realignments, and geopolitical complexities, Speciale said the ability of a nation to independently design, develop, and deploy critical technologies is a strategic imperative. For India, this means building capabilities in space-based infrastructure, secure communications, quantum technologies, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and dual-use defence innovations. These technologies are foundational to economic stability and national security. The Covid-19 pandemic, semiconductor shortages, and conflicts that disrupted global supply chains have underlined the risks of overdependence on external sources for critical technologies. Since its inception in 2018, Speciale Invest has been the first institutional investor in several of India's leading deep-tech start-ups. These include Agnikul Cosmos (orbital-class launch vehicles), the ePlane Company (electric aerial mobility), and GalaxEye (multi-sensor satellite intelligence). Others include QNu Labs (quantum cybersecurity), Fermbox (synthetic biology for industrial bioprocessing), Inspecity (in-orbit infrastructure), and Newtrace (next-generation electrolysers). Speciale said it has not only invested capital but also helped founders navigate policy frameworks, global certification pathways, and dual-use markets, ensuring that Indian technologies meet and exceed global standards.
Time of India
24-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
World Economic Forum features 10 Indian startups as Tech Pioneers; spacetech wins big
The World Economic Forum (WEF) has featured 10 Indian startups among its 2025 cohort of 100 'Technology Pioneers,' recognising emerging companies building breakthrough solutions across sectors like space tech , electric mobility , robotics, and healthcare. This year's selection highlighted India's growing role in the global deep tech ecosystem, with space startups making up the largest segment of India's representation. Startups such as Agnikul Cosmos, Digantara, and GalaxEye were recognised for their contributions in space launches, space situational awareness, and earth observation technologies, respectively. These space tech startups are currently preparing for major missions in the coming year, and recognition from WEF is expected to draw greater global investor interest in India's growing space economy. The selected startups will now work closely with WEF's platforms to contribute to global discussions on technology, sustainability, and inclusive growth. Agnikul, GalaxEye, and The ePlane Company were incubated at IIT-Madras , which has built a robust deeptech ecosystem. The ePlane Company is developing electric flying taxis aimed at easing urban congestion. 'We find this acknowledgement to be a great motivator for us to accelerate our developments in space tech by building new innovations in earth observation,' Suyash Singh, founder of GalaxEye, told ET. Live Events He added that with the startup announcing its second satellite last week amid growing demand for geospatial data, the recognition reaffirms their belief in the global relevance of their work. Discover the stories of your interest Blockchain 5 Stories Cyber-safety 7 Stories Fintech 9 Stories E-comm 9 Stories ML 8 Stories Edtech 6 Stories Other Indian companies recognised in the cohort include Exponent Energy, known for its rapid-charging battery systems for electric vehicles (EVs), CynLr for its work in robotics and machine vision, Freight Tiger for building a software-enabled freight network, SolarSquare for residential solar energy systems, Dezy for AI-driven dental diagnostics, and Equal for identity verification and consent-driven data sharing. Venture capital firm Speciale Invest, which backed four of the 10 Indian startups selected as Technology Pioneers - Agnikul, ePlane, CynLr, and GalaxEye, said the global recognition affirms not only their audacious vision across space launch, flying taxis, robotic vision, and multi-sensor satellite intelligence, but also marks a pivotal moment for India's rise as a deeptech leader. 'This milestone is a testament to their boldness, ingenuity, and the world-class innovation emerging from India,' said Vishesh Rajaram, managing partner at Speciale Invest. The Technology Pioneers community features 100 early-stage companies from 28 countries driving innovation across industries and borders. 'The geography of innovation is also evolving. While the United States remains the top contributor to the community, Europe's share has surged to 28% – up from 20% last year – reflecting the rise of strong tech ecosystems across the region. China and India are also emerging as major tech innovation hubs,' WEF said in a statement.
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Business Standard
24-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Agnikul, GalaxEye, ePlane Co among 10 Indian startups on WEF list
Ten Indian startups working on cutting-edge technologies— from artificial intelligence to space tech — have made it to the World Economic Forum's prestigious list of top 100 emerging companies for 2025. The annual list by WEF tech pioneers highlights the most promising global innovators shaping the future across sectors. The Indian startups featured in the list include Equal, GalaxEye, Agnikul, CynLr, Dezy, Digantara, Exponent Energy, Freight Tiger, SolarSquare, and The ePlane Co. 'At SolarSquare, our mission is to build India's most trusted residential solar brand. Our full-stack integrated approach is designed to make rooftop solar reliable and hassle-free,' Shreya Mishra, co-founder at SolarSquare, said. The company has already solarised almost 30,000 homes through their platform and by the end of 2025, it aims to double the count to nearly 60,000. Notably, four portfolio companies— Agnikul, ePlane, CynLr, and GalaxEye — of deep-tech investor Speciale Invest made it to the list. Vishesh Rajaram, the managing partner of the venture capital firm, said, 'This global recognition affirms not only their audacious visions across space launch, flying taxis, robotic vision, and multi-sensor satellite intelligence, but also marks a pivotal moment for India's rise as a deep tech leader.' Suyash Singh, founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of space-tech startup GalaxEye said, 'To be named along with other deep-tech pioneers from India and around the world is a proud moment for us. This recognition is a validation of our global vision of enhancing earth observation capabilities and providing actionable geospatial data to critical sectors around the world.' At present, the company is using its Series A funding of $10 million for the launch of its first satellite 'Mission Drishti,' which it targets to launch by the end of this year. Equal Identity is a platform enabling secure, real-time, consent-based data sharing for over 80 million people across financial services, insurance, healthcare, employment, and housing. In March 2025 alone, the company processed more than 101 million transactions and is likely to cross one billion annual transaction run rate in FY26, up from just 75,000 paid transactions in FY24. 'The trajectory highlights both the institutional demand for verified data and the trust in our privacy-first approach. As we look ahead, we're focused on strengthening this infrastructure further with deeper integrations, AI-led verification, and governance models that ensure personal data can be used responsibly to unlock access and opportunity,' said Keshav Reddy, the company's founder, adding that Equal's selection as a tech pioneer is a reflection of its scale, depth, and urgency of the infrastructure. Interestingly, last year, the same number of startups were part of the list. These included companies such as Amperehour, Cropin, Entri, HealthPlix, International Battery Company, Niramai, NxtWave, Pixxel, Sarvam AI, and String Bio.
