Ideabaaz launches INR 100 Cr deeptech fund with BeyondSeed Capital
Ideabaaz has launched a ₹100 crore investment initiative with BeyondSeed Capital. Jeet Wagh, founder and CEO of Ideabaaz, said around 50 per cent of the initiative has already been closed.
The fund is intended to invest in startups featured on the show as well as companies sourced through Ideabaaz's wider ecosystem.
“We are more a media accelerator,” Wagh said. Ideabaaz's inaugural Startup Fest concluded in New Delhi with more than 12 strategic MoUs and partnerships. Among them were collaborations with JITO Incubation and Innovation Foundation (JIIF), Chitkara University, Trigen Wealth, MentorX and Jindagi Live Angels Network. The partnerships are aimed at creating stronger links between startups, investors, institutions and industry.
The festival also saw Ideabaaz commit ₹25 lakh each to 10 startups on its Cohort Demo Day. According to Wagh, the event generated around ₹20 crore of investor interest, although the commitments will need to go through due diligence before being converted into investments.
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A key announcement at the fest was Bharat Ascend, launched by IITM Global Research Foundation in partnership with Ideabaaz. The initiative aims to identify 100 high-potential ideas from tier II and tier III cities and emerging innovation ecosystems across India over 365 days, and help take them from ideas to prototypes, pilots, investable ventures, market-ready products and eventually globally scalable companies.
While consumer and D2C businesses can lend themselves more readily to television, Ideabaaz is seeking to bring deeptech and other capital-intensive sectors into the format. Wagh said the platform is expanding into areas including space tech, defence tech and advanced technology, with partnerships with institutions and venture capital firms helping source startups. The platform is also introducing a ‘TV readiness’ programme to help founders prepare for potential spikes in demand after their pitches air, including ensuring adequate inventory and technology infrastructure.
Ideabaaz claims that 60–65 per cent of the investment commitments made during its first season ultimately went through. For the second season, Wagh said the fund would provide an additional safety net, allowing Ideabaaz to invest through its own fund where external investor commitments do not materialise.
“The biggest opportunities of the next decade may not be visible through traditional investment lenses today,” Wagh said.
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