SIDBI Venture Capital Ltd (SVCL), a 100% subsidiary of SIDBI, announces the first close of the Antariksh Venture Capital Fund (AVCF) at ₹1,005 crore, anchored by ₹1,000 crore from IN-SPACe. Registered as a Category II AIF with a 10-year tenure, AVCF, will invest across early and growth stages in Indian spacetech enterprises spanning launch systems, satellites and payloads, in-space services, ground services, earth observation, communications and downstream applications. This initiative, SVCL’s 12^th VC fund, advances the national objective of building a US$44 billion space economy by 2033.

AVCF is being launched with a target corpus of ₹1,600 crore. Following the execution of the Contribution Agreement with IN-SPACe as an anchor investor, SVCL has declared the first close and will now mobilise additional commitments from domestic and international investors, including institutional and sovereign investors, under the green-shoe option.

SVCL’s objectives are closely aligned with the country's key priorities and SIDBI’s mission to support MSMEs. This milestone will further advance the aims set out in India’s Space Vision 2047, driving technological progress and fostering greater involvement of private enterprises throughout the entire spectrum of space sector activities.

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Shri Arup Kumar, Managing Director and CEO, SVCL stated, “SVCL’s journey dates to 1999 with the National Venture Fund for Software & IT Industry as its first VC fund. Over the years, SVCL-managed funds have backed category-defining companies, including unicorns like BillDesk and Data Patterns. The Antariksh Venture Capital Fund, India’s largest spacetech-focused fund and among the largest globally, will play an instrumental role in advancing national space capability and competitiveness.”