SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd (SVCL) has completed the first close of its Antariksh Venture Capital Fund (AVCF) at ₹1,005 crore, anchored almost entirely by a ₹1,000 crore commitment from IN-SPACe, the government’s nodal body for private-sector participation in space. The fund is India’s largest dedicated spacetech vehicle and one of the largest globally.
India’s Largest Spacetech Fund Targets ₹1,600 Crore Corpus
The Antariksh Fund is targeting a ₹1,600 crore corpus, with plans to raise the remaining capital from domestic and international institutional investors under its green-shoe option. This marks SVCL’s 12th venture capital fund, reflecting its long-standing role in nurturing India’s deep-tech and MSME-driven innovation landscape.
Backing Launch, Satellite, and In-Space Service Innovators
The fund will invest across early and growth-stage spacetech startups operating in launch systems, satellite design, payloads, in-orbit services, communications, ground infrastructure, earth observation, and downstream software applications. SVCL said the investment thesis aligns closely with India’s Space Vision 2047 and the national ambition to build a $44 billion space economy by 2033.
Strengthening National Space Competitiveness
Arup Kumar, Managing Director & CEO of SVCL, said the firm has backed category-defining companies since its first fund in 1999, including unicorns like BillDesk and Data Patterns. He added that the Antariksh Fund will play a pivotal role in advancing “national space capability and global competitiveness” at a time when private space ventures are accelerating across launch, sensing, and orbital services.
A Push for Innovation Through Public–Private Collaboration
SIDBI and SVCL run multiple credit and equity programmes supporting MSMEs and startups. With IN-SPACe anchoring nearly the entire first close, the fund represents a coordinated national push to empower homegrown spacetech companies with risk capital and long-term backing.
Final Take
India’s spacetech ecosystem is entering a decisive scale-up phase. With the Antariksh Fund’s first close, SVCL is positioning itself at the centre of the country’s next wave of frontier-tech innovation.
