[[{“value”:”
Noida-based Info Edge, the parent company of Naukri.com, has delivered nearly tenfold returns on its long-term startup investments, underlining its stature as one of India’s most influential early-stage backers.
In its annual shareholder letter for FY25, the company reported that its Rs 3,959 crore investment across 111 startups (including capital from Info Edge and other limited partners) over the past 18 years has ballooned to a fair market value of Rs 36,855 crore. That translates to an estimated gross internal rate of return (IRR) of 36%, founder and vice chairman Sanjeev Bikhchandani said.
Among Info Edge’s most prominent wins are Deepinder Goyal-led Zomato and online insurance aggregator Policybazaar, both of which the company backed at a nascent stage. With a combined investment of Rs 1,075 crore in the two firms, Info Edge’s shareholding is now valued at over Rs 31,500 crore.
The companies’ collective market capitalisation exceeds Rs 2.5 lakh crore, cementing their place as anchors of the portfolio.
Four phases, one vision
Tracing Info Edge’s journey as a financial investor, Bikhchandani outlined four distinct phases since 2007. The first spanned from 2007 to 2012, producing the early successes of Zomato and Policybazaar. The firm remained cautious between 2012 and 2015 as it awaited visible outcomes.
The third phase, from 2016 to 2019, saw bets on ventures like Adda247 and logistics startup Shipsy, which have since attracted marquee investors including Westbridge Capital and Google.
The latest phase began in 2019 with the launch of the SEBI-registered Info Edge Venture Fund (IEVF), expanding the firm’s investing bandwidth across three funds—IEVF, Info Edge Capital, and Capital 2B—through four schemes.
The total fund corpus now stands at Rs 3,422.94 crore, of which Info Edge has committed Rs 1,613.75 crore. Singapore’s Temasek, through its subsidiary MacRitchie Investments, has almost matched this with Rs 1,593.75 crore in commitments.
Early signs of promise in deeptech
In parallel, Info Edge is also placing bets on early-stage deeptech startups via its wholly owned subsidiary, Redstart Labs. Several of these portfolio firms—such as TrueMeds, Geniemode, and Attentive.ai—have already raised follow-on funding from investors like Accel, Matrix, and Tiger Global.
Bikhchandani noted that while these AIF-backed ventures are still in early stages, they are showing strong revenue growth, profitability and potential leadership in their domains.
One standout is Bluestone Jewellery and Lifestyle, Info Edge Capital’s largest investment, which has received backing from Prosus, Peak XV, and Steadview Capital. It has also reportedly filed for an IPO with SEBI, adding to the momentum within the portfolio.
“We have invested in 111 companies across the years, not including investments in startups in the spaces that Info Edge has operating businesses,” Bikhchandani wrote. “Out of these, 76 have gone on to secure institutional co-investments.”
The investment activity now contributes between 30% and 40% of Info Edge’s overall value, second only to its recruitment business, Naukri.com.
Bikhchandani, who founded the company in 1995, said that the formula of backing tech-led and tech-enabled startups has proved to be scalable, sustainable, and repeatable, making Info Edge not just a tech operating firm but also a standout investor in India’s startup economy.
“}]]
Read More Indian Startup News : Latest Posts