2025 was a year when the Government announced its commitment to fostering deeptech in India with path-breaking initiatives like ANRF and the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) framework. The IAN Group was fully in step, as it invested in, mentored, and helped scale startups with science-based solutions to solve real problems and address India’s strategic imperatives.
2026 promises to be the year when the foundation for deeptech startups in India gets fully laid, and Indian deeptech startups start building not only for India but for the world. It is a year welcomed with great excitement by both investors and entrepreneurs, and IAN is well prepared to play its role.
Indian talent has always been of global quality, but today it has also developed the self-confidence to compete globally. This is a remarkable shift in mindset, as it marks India as a potential global leader in innovation and entrepreneurship, which will define the next decade.
The government has recognised that in the new geopolitical scenario, where technology and supply chains are being weaponised at will, national sovereignty has become synonymous with technology sovereignty, and has acted in mission mode:
The RDI Fund to enable the development and commercialisation of research and innovation – a Rs. 1 lakh crore (~US$12bn) fund that enables innovation by startups and corporates ANRF (Anusandhan National Research Foundation) to provide strategic direction to research, innovation, and entrepreneurship Strengthening the Semiconductor Mission, Quantum Mission, Spacetech Fund, etc.
It bodes well that all of these initiatives have involved widespread stakeholder consultations, including with industry leaders. This will help make these programmes more relevant and, hopefully, faster and more outcome-oriented.
At IAN, we have prepared for this paradigm shift in the country and strengthened our 2-decade-old foundation so that we are able to contribute to nation-building while delivering strong returns to investors:
Strengthened leadership: We welcomed Chintan Thakkar as Group CEO & Senior Managing Partner. Chintan brings exceptional experience from one of India’s leading entrepreneurial successes, Infoedge. He brings both corporate and entrepreneurial insights, which will not only help us build a stronger IAN platform but also help our portfolio companies scale. Enabled funding corpus: The IAN Alpha Fund has raised a USD 100 million fund. This enables us to back founders with technology-based, innovative solutions solving real problems or those aligned with India’s strategic imperatives. It humbles all of us at IAN that iconic entrepreneurs, institutions, and the government support us. Focus on value creation: IAN continues to keep a strong focus on value creation for investors, while helping entrepreneurs scale by enabling non-dilutive funds, providing market access, supporting high-quality talent, and maintaining a sharp eye on governance and compliance.
As the IAN Board and team work arduously, we invite each of you to engage on this “best of the next” platform to build and nurture innovative solutions for India and the world, creating both value and wealth.
Saurabh Srivastava, Co-Founder, IAN Group | 
