Industry Odisha Bureau, April 3: Despite being accorded due seal of approval by the Government of India (GoI) in October 2024, the nation’s first dedicated venture capital (VC) fund for the Space start-ups, investments are expected from the fiscal year (FY) 2027, according to an official blog posted on April 1, 2026 by the GoI-owned Press Information Bureau (PIB) of India, New Delhi.
As per the blog posted under the heading ‘Department of Space’, Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Science & Technology Dr. Jitendra Singh on April 1 informed Lok Sabha that India’s dedicated venture capital fund for the space sector is progressing steadily, with investment in selected startups expected to begin from the first quarter of FY2027.
In a written reply to an Unstarred Question in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament, the Minister concerned informed, “The Antariksh Venture Capital Fund, set up to boost India’s emerging spacetech ecosystem, has been operationalised with key institutional mechanisms now in place.”
Dr. Jitendra Singh stated, “The fund has been established by SIDBI Venture Capital Limited (SVCL) as the investment manager. The fund received registration from SEBI on October 31, 2025, and achieved its initial closing on November 10, 2025, with a committed corpus of ₹1,005 crore.”
Highlighting the progress made so far, the Minister noted that essential post-registration formalities, including appointment of custodian, registration with depositories for issuance of Alternative Investment Fund (AIF) units, and constitution of Screening and Investment Committees, have been completed, states the PIB post.
Dr. Jitendra Singh further informed that evaluation of spacetech startups is underway, with four proposals already at an advanced stage after receiving Pre-Investment Committee approval.
He emphasized that given the nascent nature of India’s spacetech startup ecosystem, many startups require structured guidance to align with institutional investment processes, the PIB post added.
The Minister underlined that “handholding support” is being extended to startups to help them streamline their data, improve documentation, and meet due diligence requirements. This facilitative approach, he said, is aimed at enabling startups to effectively access funding and scale up their innovations.
Dr. Jitendra Singh expressed confidence that, following detailed appraisal, third-party due diligence, and completion of documentation, the first round of funding approvals and disbursements is expected in early FY2027, reflected the PIB post.
