Naukri parent Info Edge has made an investment commitment of ₹250 Cr ($26.5 Mn) to A88 Fund I, set up by A88 Trust to back early-stage India startups and generate long-term growth opportunities.

A88 Fund I was launched by A88 Trust, a trust registered with SEBI as a Category II Alternative Investment Fund, earlier in February, and would be sponsored by Info Edge’s subsidiary Smartweb. The fund would be investing in early-stage deeptech startups.

“…The objectives of the scheme will be to generate long-term growth for the contributors and support Indian entrepreneurial ecosystem by investing in early stage deep tech companies in India (or primarily focused in India),” the filing said.

In a separate development, Info Edge mentioned that it is also transferring its entire stake of 26.14% held in Shopkirana E Trading Pvt Ltd via Startup Investments (Holding) Limited (SIHL) to Udaan for a consideration of $32.97 Mn, and TIPL shall issue and allot 1,04,868 shares to SIHL. Udaan had announced the acquisition of the retail tech startup in July 2025 to deepen focus on profitability.

This is Info Edge’s second investment commitment within this week. The company’s committee of executive directors approved an investment of ₹15 Cr in its investment arm, SIHL. Earlier in November 2025, the company’s board also approved an investment of ₹100 Cr in its investment arm Redstart Labs, which invests in startups across deeptech subsectors and SaaS.

Info Edge’s increased interest in the Indian deeptech startup ecosystem aligns with a broader trend within the world’s third largest startup ecosystem. Deeptech investments have grown sharply in recent years, and of the over 90 new funds launched in 2025, around 21% has a primary focus on backing startups in the deeptech category.

Earlier this week, Inc42 reported that VC firm Celesta Capital is planning to launch an India-focused deeptech fund with a target corpus of ₹2,000 Cr. Prior to that, Unicorn India Ventures announced a partnership with IIT Madras’s university-based research park, IIT Madras Research Park, to launch a ₹600 Cr deeptech-focused fund to back at least 25 deeptech startups.

Shares of Info Edge ended today’s trading session 0.61% lower at ₹991.65.

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