Indian PE-VC Investments Expands its APAC Share, Govt Announces Major R&D Boost The rebound was driven by a surge in venture and growth deals, sectors rooted in technology and new-age consumption.

By Entrepreneur Staff

You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media.

Freepik

India's private capital market is looking to find its footing again, with the total private equity-venture capital investments expanding its share to nearly 20 per cent of Asia-Pacific private capital flows, according to Bain & Company's India Private Equity Report 2025.

The rebound was driven by a surge in venture and growth deals, sectors rooted in technology and new-age consumption.

The BCG–Retailers Association of India (RAI) 2025 report, Winning in Bharat & India: The Retail Kaleidoscope, projects India's retail market alone to grow to INR 190 trillion (~USD 2.3 trillion) by 2034, expanding across both premium urban segments and value-driven rural consumers. The study highlights a "dual engine" structure: India, which is urban, digital, aspirational, and Bharat, which is value-seeking, distributed.

Investors are said to be tapping both with tailored strategies, urban D2C and lifestyle brands on one hand, and value FMCG and mass-market products on the other.

Avnish Bajaj, Founder and Investor, Z47 wrote, "Cross-border trade is unlocking new markets; financial services are democratizing access for millions; and consumer businesses are redefining how we consume, travel, and entertain."

Meanwhile, the BCG, Bain "How India Shops Online 2025" report estimates that the Indian e-retail market crossed USD 60 billion GMV in 2024, with projections to reach US USD 170–190 billion by 2030.

Top funding in the space includes Zepto raising USD 450 million in 2025, taking the company's valuation to USD 7 billion. Enterprise AI company Uniphore raised USD 260 million.

"Our customers want to move generative AI apps and agents from proofs-of-concept to full-scale deployment without friction," said Andrew Ferguson, Vice President of Databricks Ventures. "Uniphore's Business AI Cloud helps organizations streamline data access, model interoperability and agent orchestration, and ultimately, turn AI initiatives into real business outcomes."

On the policy front, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently spoke about the launch of INR 1 lakh crore Research, Development, and Innovation (RDI) Fund.

The fund will act as a major boost to the overall R&D ecosystem in the country, helping consumer goods and new-age technology sectors that thrive on valuable insights that founders get from research.

"It's a matter of immense joy that the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme Fund will also be launched, giving an impetus to several researchers across India," said Prime Minister Modi in an X post.

Rajat Tandon, President, Indian Venture and Alternate Capital Association (IVCA), said that the launch of the INR 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation Fund is a decisive step towards building India's innovation capital framework.

"It lays the foundation for a new era of public–private collaboration in research and technology, anchored in long-term, risk-taking patient capital. The framework announced today, where the Anusandhan National Research Foundation will steward the corpus and channel it through professional fund managers such as AIFs—resonates deeply with what IVCA and the industry have been advocating. This is a forward-looking step that will catalyse private sector R&D, deepen India's innovation capital, and accelerate the country's vision of Viksit Bharat 2047," said Tandon.

Entrepreneur Staff

Entrepreneur Staff

Editor

For more than 30 years, Entrepreneur has set the course for success for millions of entrepreneurs and small business owners. We'll teach you the secrets of the winners and give you exactly what you need to lay the groundwork for success.
Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.

Branding

Creating a Brand: How To Build a Brand From Scratch

Every business needs good branding to succeed. Discover the basics and key tips to building a successful brand in this detailed guide.

Innovation

It's Time to Rethink Research and Development. Here's What Must Change.

R&D can't live in a lab anymore. Today's leaders fuse science, strategy, sustainability and people to turn discovery into real-world value.

Marketing

How to Better Manage Your Sales Process

Get your priorities in order, and watch sales roll in.

Business News

AI Agents Can Help Businesses Be '10 Times More Productive,' According to a Nvidia VP. Here's What They Are and How Much They Cost.

In a new interview with Entrepreneur, Nvidia's Vice President of AI Software, Kari Briski, explains how AI agents will "transform" the way we work — and sooner than you think.

Starting a Business

Passion-Driven vs. Purpose-Driven Businesses — What's the Difference, and Why Does It Matter?

Passion and purpose are both powerful forces in entrepreneurship, but they are not the same.