‘We have already crossed half of our FY26 investment targets’

Startup incubator IIMA Ventures is bullish on three broad innovation frontiers, including deeptech and frontier tech, digital acceleration and decarbonisation, its CEO and Managing Partner Priyanka Chopra tells S Shanthi in an interview.

- S Shanthi

thematic areas of focus, we have already crossed the halfway mark of our investment targets for this financial year. Overall, since our launch in 2002, we have invested in over 400 startups at pre-seed and seed stages. Cumulatively, startups supported by us have raised follow-on capital of over $3 billion.

What is the cheque size you are looking at for these investments?

We provide a mix of equity and grant-based funding at the pre-seed and seed stages, with cheques ranging from $5,000 to $250,000. Early last year, we launched our DeepTech Accelerator Fund in partnership with SIDBI. Recently, we have announced a Space and Defence Accelerator Fund in partnership with Jaivel Aerospace, focusing on spacetech, aerospace and defence startups. The average cheque size for both of these initiatives is in the $250,000 range. However, we must recognise that building and scaling disruptive startups require deliberate and persistent work. We do this through four strategic levers that go much beyond the cheques we deploy — coaching, connects for market access, helping raise co-investments and follow-on investment, and community building.

What are the sectors you are bullish on at present?