Ratan Tata: How India's Top Industrialist Helped In Growing Start-Up Ecosystem

Ratan Tata, Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, passed away at the age of 86 on Wednesday, October 9, according to a late-night statement released by the company. 

Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran said in a statement, “It is with a profound sense of loss that we bid farewell to Mr. Ratan Naval Tata, a truly uncommon leader whose immeasurable contributions have shaped not only the Tata Group but also the very fabric of our nation.” 

Tata, who ran the Tata Group’s charity trusts was known as a philanthropist, a prolific investor and a mentor to young businesses and start-ups. Over the years, Tata invested in numerous successful startups, which he stated were a "learning experience” for him, rather than just putting money. 

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, Tata had shared that his shift from leading the Tata conglomerate to becoming an active investor in startups brought valuable insights—especially into the entrepreneurial mindset, the risks involved in startups, and the importance of domestic capital and government support in advancing innovation within India's startup ecosystem. 

A passionate dog lover, Tata once received a proposal from Shantanu Naidu, a design engineer at Tata Elxsi, to create collars for street dogs to prevent fatalities. This led to a close friendship, with Naidu becoming one of Tata's closest aides and the youngest general manager at Tata Trust. Tata later invested in Naidu’s startup, Goodfellows, which supports senior citizens, and is one of Tata’s well-known investments.  

Ratan Tata’s portfolio comprises start-ups across sectors sectors such as fintech, e-commerce, consumer electronics, healthtech etc.  

He invested in unicorns like Paytm, CarDekho, Ola Cabs, Lenskart, Urban Company, FirstCry. Other major start-ups include Zivame, Snapdeal, Abra, Upstox, BlueStone, Mailit, CashKaro, NestAway, HolaChef etc.  

The veteran businessman had recently sold 5 per cent of his stokes in Upstox and was said to have received a 23,000 per cent return on his initial investment. He had also received returns of Rs 2.96 crore or 448.9 per cent through his IPO exit in FirstCry, back in August this year.