Antariksh Venture Capital Fund: SVCL Leads in Spacetech Investment

Antariksh Venture Capital Fund, initiated by SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd (SVCL), has successfully completed its initial closing at Rs 1,005 crore. This impressive sum is primarily supported by Rs 1,000 crore invested by IN-SPACe. The fund, which focuses on spacetech, aims for a total capital of Rs 1,600 crore.

Investment Focus of the Antariksh Venture Capital Fund

The fund plans to allocate investments across both early and growth stages of Indian spacetech startups. These startups engage in various sectors, including launch systems, satellites and payloads, in-space services, ground infrastructure, earth observation, communications, and downstream applications.

SVCL’s Commitment to India’s Space Vision

This marks SVCL’s 12th venture capital fund and is in alignment with India’s goal of establishing a US$44 billion space economy by 2033. Following this initial closure, SVCL intends to pursue further commitments from both domestic and international institutional and sovereign investors through the green-shoe option.

Advancing National Priorities in Space

According to SVCL, the fund represents a leap towards fulfilling the priorities set out in India’s Space Vision 2047, complementing SIDBI’s mission of empowering MSMEs and fostering innovation.

Visionary Leadership in Spacetech

Arup Kumar, Managing Director and CEO of SVCL, expressed that the firm has been instrumental in supporting various groundbreaking companies since launching its first fund in 1999. This includes backing notable unicorns such as BillDesk and Data Patterns. He elaborated that the Antariksh Venture Capital Fund stands as India’s largest spacetech-focused fund and is among the biggest globally. It is expected to significantly enhance national space capabilities and competitiveness.

Supporting India’s MSME and Startup Ecosystem

In combination with SIDBI, SVCL operates numerous credit and investment initiatives aimed at bolstering India’s MSME and startup landscape.