New fundAug 27, 2026, 02:18 UTC

Startup founders back TILT, a ₹250 crore impact fund for India's 'next billion

What's the deal? A group of Indian entrepreneurs and investors — including MakeMyTrip's Deep Kalra, Meesho's Vidit Aatrey, and BigBasket's Hari Menon — have launched TILT, an impact-focused investment platform with a ₹250 crore corpus. The fund, sponsored by The Nudge Foundation, will back early-stage startups from seed to Series A.

The details: Cheque sizes range from ₹2 crore to ₹16 crore, with plans for 20 to 25 investments and reserves for follow-on capital. The fund has a 12-year tenure, including a two-year extension. Two investments are being finalised.

Who's backing it? Beyond The Nudge Foundation, investors include Flipkart co-founder Binny Bansal, former TPG NewQuest executive Amit Gupta, the Raj & Indra Nooyi Family Office, and US-based Livelihood Impact Fund. "We have an equal mix of institutions as well as individual investors who have contributed to the fund," said founder and managing partner Atul Satija.

What's the endgame? TILT targets a funding gap facing startups that serve low-income communities, which often take longer to build product-market fit, distribution, and sustainable economics. It focuses on the "next billion" consumers — people earning between ₹1.5 lakh and ₹5 lakh a year.

Its thesis spans science- and technology-led businesses across agricultural value chains, climate resilience, informal work, MSME productivity, employability, financial inclusion, and AI applied to livelihood challenges.

Why now? TILT is a bet on patient, impact-first capital in India's underserved segment, where mainstream investors typically wait until growth and risk are clearer. Given its impact focus, Satija said backers "have been very flexible on the IRRs we eventually land at" — a trade-off that sets it apart from conventional venture funds.