TILT Launches Binny Bansal-Backed ₹250 Cr Fund For Impact Startups

The/Nudge Foundation’s impact investment platform TILT has launched a ₹250 Cr (about $26 Mn) venture fund to back early-stage startups building solutions for India’s “Next Billion”. 

Cofounded by Atul Satija and Richa Singh, TILT builds on the work of The/Nudge Foundation, a nonprofit focused on livelihoods and social entrepreneurship. 

The fund will primarily invest in startups from the seed to Series A stages, with cheque sizes ranging from ₹2 Cr to ₹16 Cr. 

The fund is backed by the US-based Livelihood Impact Fund, an impact-focused organisation that supports initiatives aimed at improving incomes and livelihoods. 

Other backers include MakeMyTrip founder Deep Kalra, former TPG NewQuest cofounder and partner Amit Gupta, BigBasket cofounder Hari Menon, Flipkart cofounder Binny Bansal, the Raj and Indra Nooyi Family Office, and Meesho cofounder and CEO Vidit Aatrey. 

Backing The ‘Next Billion’ 

TILT said the fund would provide patient capital to businesses that may require more time to establish product-market fit, build distribution networks, and develop sustainable economics. 

It will invest in science- and technology-led startups operating across agricultural value chains, climate resilience, informal work and emerging employment models, MSME productivity, employability, financial inclusion, market access, and distribution. 

The fund will also back startups applying technology and AI to livelihood-related challenges. 

Impact-focused startups serving low-income communities often take longer than conventional venture-backed businesses to establish their models and scale distribution. Mainstream capital, meanwhile, typically enters after a startup’s growth prospects are clearer and its risks have reduced, creating an early-stage funding gap for such ventures, TILT said. 

Besides capital, TILT will support its portfolio startups with research, market development, partnerships, ecosystem infrastructure, and access to markets and institutions. 

“India’s Next Billion is increasingly ready for scalable market solutions. Our focus is on backing founders early, giving them the time to build resilient models, and aligning capital more closely with the realities of the markets and communities they serve,” TILT cofounder and managing partner Singh said. 

Meanwhile, Satija said the platform aims to back more than 150 startups and improve the lives of 100 Mn people over the next 15 years.

“For the past eight years, The/Nudge has worked alongside hundreds of entrepreneurs building solutions across livelihoods and some of India’s most complex challenges. TILT takes that work forward through a dedicated pool of patient, impact-first capital,” he added.

TILT builds on The/Nudge Foundation’s eight years of work with livelihood-focused social enterprises. During this period, the nonprofit has supported more than 190 social enterprises and provided around ₹180 Cr in grants. 

Early-Stage Funding Push 

The launch comes amid a flurry of new fund launches targeting seed and early-stage startups in India.

Yesterday, Micromax Informatics launched a ₹250 Cr ($26 Mn) family office to invest in deeptech startups across India and overseas. The investment vehicle will back startups from the pre-Series A to Series B stages.

Last month, it was reported that Groww’s cofounders are looking to float their second investment fund with a target corpus of ₹400 Cr to ₹500 Cr to back seed and early-stage startups. 

Meanwhile, venture capital firm 3one4 Capital has partnered with British International Investment to launch a $15 Mn (around ₹141 Cr) initiative to back underrepresented sectors and founders in the Indian startup ecosystem.

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