Speciale Invest, one of India’s leading deep-science and technology-focused venture capital firms, today announced the close of its third fund at ₹600 crore, exceeding its initial target of ₹500 crore. Fund III will support 18–20 new investments between 2025 and 2029, continuing the firm’s sharp focus on founders building from first principles in space, advanced manufacturing, energy, health, and artificial intelligence.
With Fund III, Speciale has evolved to become one of the largest funds in India investing at the pre-seed stage in deep-tech. This scale allows the firm to lead early rounds, take meaningful positions, and support founders through long gestation cycles inherent to hard-tech ventures.
The closing of Fund III comes as India celebrates its 79th Independence Day—a fitting milestone for a fund dedicated to strengthening the nation’s sovereign capabilities and global standing through technology.
Since its inception in 2018, Speciale Invest has been the first institutional investor in several of India’s category-defining deep-tech startups. These include Agnikul Cosmos (orbital-class launch vehicles), the ePlane Company(electric aerial mobility), GalaxEye (multi-sensor satellite intelligence), QNu Labs (quantum cybersecurity), Fermbox (synbio for industrial bioprocessing), Inspecity (in-orbit infrastructure), and Newtrace (next-gen electrolyzers), among others. The firm has consistently backed companies that build for India and scale to the world, establishing itself as the go-to partner for pioneering founders in deep science and tech.
Why Sovereign Edge Matters
In an era marked by rapid technological disruption, supply chain realignments, and geopolitical complexities, the ability of a nation to independently design, develop, and deploy critical technologies is a strategic imperative. Sovereign edge is not just about self-reliance—it is about resilience, security, and global competitiveness.
For India, this means building capabilities in space-based infrastructure, secure communications, quantum technologies, advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and dual-use defense innovations—technologies foundational to economic stability and national security. The COVID-19 pandemic, semiconductor shortages, and conflicts that disrupted global supply chains have underlined the risks of over-dependence on external sources for critical technologies.
Speciale’s Decade-Long Commitment
Long before “sovereign tech” entered mainstream policy discourse, Speciale Invest recognized that deep-tech innovation is strategic for India’s future. Since 2018, the firm has methodically invested in startups that can form the building blocks of India’s sovereign technology stack.
From Agnikul’s made-in-India orbital launch vehicles that ensure independent access to space, to QNu Labs’ quantum cybersecurity enabling secure communications, to Newtrace’s electrolyzers powering green hydrogen for energy independence—Speciale’s portfolio reflects a consistent commitment to nation-critical capabilities.
This focus has also been forward-looking. Speciale has not only invested capital but also helped founders navigate policy frameworks, global certification pathways, and dual-use markets, ensuring that Indian technologies meet and exceed global standards.
“We believe the next generation of global champions will emerge from India’s labs, R&D centers, and workshops. In a geopolitically complex and technologically interdependent world, building for India’s resilience and sovereign capabilities is not just a national imperative—it is also a generational venture opportunity,” said Vishesh Rajaram, Managing Partner, Speciale Invest.
“Deep-tech represents one of the most exciting frontiers for venture capital in India. The combination of world-class technical talent, increasing policy support, and global market access has created an unprecedented window to back companies solving some of humanity’s most complex challenges from India,” said Arjun Rao, Partner, Speciale Invest.
The Road Ahead with Fund III
Speciale Invest’s differentiated approach centers on being the first believer in companies building hard technologies with real-world impact. With Fund III, the firm will double down on sovereign-tech and deep-tech bets—across space-tech, dual-use defense innovation, frontier computing, and sustainable energy—while ensuring these innovations are globally competitive from day one.
The fund is backed by a strong base of returning LPs including family offices, institutions, and strategic investors, all of whom share the long-term conviction in India’s deep-tech potential.
As India emerges as a critical node in the global technology stack, Speciale Invest Fund III will ensure that Indian founders have the capital, conviction, and compounding partnerships needed to build breakthrough companies—at home and for the world.
About Speciale Invest
Founded in 2017 by visionary leaders Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao, Speciale Invest is a seed-stage venture capital firm dedicated to empowering deep tech founders who tackle complex global challenges. With a commitment to investing at the pre-seed and seed stages, the firm passionately focuses on five transformative themes such as Energy transition and planetary health, driving innovations in batteries, hydrogen, and materials; Advanced manufacturing and industrial modernization, spearheading advancements in robotics and semiconductors; Beyond Earth and space technology, exploring the frontiers of satellites and launch systems; Advanced software and computing, unlocking the potential of AI/ML infrastructure and quantum computing; Biosciences, pioneering breakthroughs in synthetic biology, bioengineering, and life sciences.
By merging capital with profound technical and strategic support, Speciale Invest is on a mission to nurture and elevate globally relevant companies that emerge from India
