In a formal disclosure to the National Stock Exchange (NSE) and BSE, Info Edge (India) Ltd—the parent company of Naukri.com and an early backer of internet giants like Zomato and Policybazaar—has carved out its emerging technology bets as a standalone book for the first time.

The company revealed that its combined investment in artificial intelligence and deeptech has crossed ₹1,000 crore, with the current portfolio valuation jumping past ₹1,800 crore.

1. Splitting the Tech Scorecard

Info Edge’s strategy focused on getting into these frontier sectors around 2020, well before the global AI hype cycle reached a fever pitch. The ₹1,003 crore capital deployment is split across two distinct buckets:

PortfolioStartupsCapital InvestedCurrent ValuationMultipleGross IRR
Artificial Intelligence28₹614 Crore₹1,268 Crore2.1x~31%
Deeptech30₹455 Crore₹559 Crore1.2x~15%
Total Combined Book54₹1,069 Crore₹1,827 Crore1.7x—
  • The AI Momentum: Out of the 28 AI-focused startups, 15 have already successfully scaled to raise externally led follow-on funding rounds from prominent global investors like Peak XV, Insight Partners, SIG, and Vertex.
  • The Deeptech Cycle: Leadership noted that the deeptech book is significantly younger, with most investments targeting raw intellectual property (IP) creation and R&D stages. Consequently, these require much longer gestational development cycles.

2. Key Portfolios & Sovereign Alignment

The disclosure highlighted several domestic tech startups that have successfully aligned with major Indian government initiatives, unlocking significant non-dilutive capital:

The AI Front

Focusing heavily on enterprise software, generative AI infrastructure, and vertical SaaS, the portfolio features names like Aftershoot, Attentive AI, Lumiq, Pascal AI, and Phot.ai.

  • Gnani.ai: The voice AI startup was selected under the flagship IndiaAI Mission, securing ₹177 crore worth of government-backed GPU compute credits to build out localized, sovereign voice models.

The Deeptech Front

Covering robotics, semiconductors, aerospace, biotech, and clean mobility, key holdings include Unbox Robotics (a profitable warehouse swarm-robotics developer), Bharat Semi, Botsync, Matter Motors, and Clean Electric.

  • The ePlane Company: The electric air-mobility startup bagged ₹285 crore under the government’s Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) scheme—the single largest allocation granted under the program.
  • Manastu Space: The satellite propulsion startup secured an RDI allocation of ₹115 crore, subject to matching private-sector investment.

3. The Broader Multi-Billion Picture

While the AI and deeptech segments represent Info Edge’s high-conviction growth playground for the next decade, they remain small next to the firm’s mature consumer technology book.

[Consumer Tech] ──► Rs 2,755 Cr Invested  ──► Rs 37,214 Cr Value (13.5x Multiplier)
[AI & Deeptech] ──► Rs 1,003 Cr Invested  ──► Rs  1,827 Cr Value ( 1.7x Multiplier)
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[Total Startup] ──► Rs 4,900 Cr Invested  ──► Rs 41,300 Cr Cumulative Portfolio

The massive ₹37,214 crore consumer valuation is anchored heavily by realized and unrealized gains in listed champions like Eternal (the parent group hosting Zomato and Blinkit) and PB Fintech (Policybazaar).

4. Patient Capital and the IPO Exit Blueprint

In his letter to shareholders, Info Edge founder and executive vice-chairman Sanjeev Bikhchandani urged calculated patience regarding the paper gains. He noted that early-stage tech investing typically requires a tight seven to ten-year runway for true operational winners to pull away from the pack, and that several early-stage companies in the younger book naturally still carry early mortality risks.

Bikhchandani reiterated that the company’s investment strategy remains entirely focused on finding exceptional local founders domiciled in India before market consensus forms. Echoing the execution playbooks used for Zomato and Policybazaar, Info Edge explicitly stated its long-term preference for public market IPOs as its primary realization and exit framework for these 54 technology bets over the coming decade.