The late RATAN TATA, the former chairman of Tata Sons and one of India’s most respected industrialists, is widely admired for his leadership, ethics and vision. While he was best known for transforming the Tata group into a global powerhouse, what is often underappreciated is his quiet yet profound role in nurturing India’s STARTUP ecosystem. After retiring from active business leadership, he had emerged as a key supporter of startups, offering not just capital but also credibility, mentorship, and a values-based approach to entrepreneurship.
After stepping down as chairman of Tata Sons in 2012, he surprised many by entering the world of angel investing. Unlike typical venture capitalists or aggressive investors, he adopted a more personal and curated approach. His investments reflected his interest in innovation, sustainability, consumer welfare, and technology-driven projects.
His first prominent investment came in 2014, with Snapdeal, an e-commerce platform that was challenging giants like Flipkart and Amazon.
Rattan Tata had invested in over 50 startups, across various sectors, including e-commerce, healthtech, fintech, EVs and agritech.
Startups backed by Ratan Tata
1 Snapdeal– Ratan Tata was big believer in the e commerce story of India. In 2014, he invested an undisclosed amount of funding in the Gurugram- based e commerce giant, which went on to become unicorn and then saw swung in fortunes.
2 Ola– India’s leading ride-hailing service received a significant investment from Tata in 2015. His belief in Ola’s potential to revolutionize urban transport was a strong endorsement for then-young company.
3 Paytm– Ratan Tata invested in Paytm at a time when digital payments were just beginning to gain traction in India. His support helped boost confidence in Paytm’s ambitious mission to build a cashless economy in the country.
4 Urban Ladder-An online furniture and home décor company, Urban Ladder benefited not just from Tata’s investment but also from his strategic insights into retail and customer satisfaction.
5 Cure.fit-The health and wellness startup founded by Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori secured Tata’s backing for its integrated approach to fitness and preventive healthcare.
6 Zivame-The online lingerie platform got a boost with Ratan Tata’s investment, helping normalize and scale a business around women’s innerwear in a conservative Indian retail market.
7 Lenskart-Another transformative consumer startup, Lenskart redifined eyewear retail. Tata’s involvement helped the brand grow into unicorn, with credibility among investors and consumers alike.
8 Rebel Foods (Faasos)-The cloud kitchen pioneer received early support from Tata, allowing it yo scale its unique model of online food brands delivered through shared kitchen spaces.
9 Ola Electric-The story is that Ola investor and mentor once invited Bhavesh Agarwal (founder of Ola) to Chennai to demonstrate his personal electric vehicle project build on Tata Nano platform. This compelled Agarwal to launch Ola Electric. Tata invested Rs 14 Cr in this EV business in May 2019, through his associate company.
11 Urban Company- Urban Company was founded by Abhiraj bahl, Raghav Chandra and Varun Khaitan in 2014, where Tata invested after just one year of operation. At that time company was called Urban Clap, and was also backed by Snapdeal founders, which was also in Tata portfolio.
12 Tracxn- In 2016, Ratan Tata led a funding round for Bengaluru-based market intelligence platform. Like many of his deal as an angel, the size of the deal and his stake were not disclosed at that time. The company posted an 84.6% jump in its profits after tax to Rs 1.27 Cr in the June quarter (Q1) of FY 25 from 68.9 Lakh in the year-ago quarter.
13 Moglix- Along with e commerce marketplaces, Tata also brought his mentorship and early stage advice to Business to Business (B2B) marketplace company Moglix in 2016, just a year after its inception. The company went on to became unicorn in 2021.
14 FirstCry- FirstCry was one of the first vertical marketplaces to really take off in India. The company rightly identified that shopping for kids is much different from than shopping for products on Amazon and Flipkart. Tata had bought 77,900 equity shares for Rs 84.72 per share in 2016.
15 Innoviti-The digital payment solutions provider attracted Ratan Tata and Tata Sons attention thanks to its business model of empowering retailers. Tata Industries picked up 5% stake in this Bengaluru based company in 2007. Then, in 2014, it raised Rs 10 Cr funding from Tata capital and others.
Above are few of startups funded by Ratan Tata.
It is a testament to Tata’s vision that he identified many of the startups that have become the flag bearers of the Indian startups ecosystem. His criteria for backing a startup often includes;
- Purpose-driven leadership
- Disruption through innovation
- Potential for large-scale social or economic impact
- Business passion and integrity.
He once stated “ I invest in startups that excite me and where I believe the entrepreneur has integrity and the drive to make a difference”. This approach earned him immense respect among young founders who saw him as a mentor and role model rather than just a financier.
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Anil Malik
Mumbai, India
15th July 2025