Ratan Tata is a well-known industrialist and philanthropist in India. Ratan Tata is awarded the highest civilian award of India, the Padma Vibhushan (2008) and Padma Bhushan (2000) for his good deeds. He is the former chairman of Tata Sons. Ratan Tata has invested in over 30 startups related to various sectors in his personal capacity. Some of the startups emerged as successful giants in their respective sectors and proved his extraordinary vision and investment style.

Here is the list of some of the startups which emerged as a successful giant and were funded by famous business industrialist Ratan Tata:

Paytm

Paytm is one of the leading fintech start-ups in India. Paytm was founded by Vijay Shekhar Sharma in the year of 2010. Paytm allows users to do a number of transactions such as making transfers, paying bills, recharge, etc. is based in Noida, a region adjacent to New Delhi. Ratan Tata invested an undisclosed amount in the company back in the year 2015 and take up a stake in One97 communication which is the parent company of Paytm. With this funding, he took a position on the board as a Business advisor.

Ola

Ola t is a unicorn startup company with a current valuation of US$ 6Bn was founded in the year 2010. The founders of the unicorn company are Bhavish Aggarwal and Ankit Bhati. The headquarters is situated in Bangalore, Karnataka. The ride-sharing company offers its services not only in India but in Australia, the UK, and New Zealand also. Ratan Tata invested in the company in the year 2015 in his personal capacity. Tata’s venture capital firm RNT Capital Advisors also made an investment of Rs 400 Crore in Ola.

Xiaomi

Ratan Tata has also invested in Xiaomi which has become the third-largest phone manufacturer in the world, although the amount was not disclosed. Xiaomi is a Chinese multinational company that was founded in the year 2010 by lei Jun. Xiaomi made its presence in the Indian market in 2014. It is a surprising and interesting fact that RatanTata is the first Indian who bought a stake in Xiaomi. Xiaomi is a very popular brand in India known for its cheap price and high tech features.

Snapdeal

Snapdeal is an Indian e-commerce giant that became the first tech company to secure funding from Ratan Tata. Snapdeal, India’s one of the largest marketplace was founded in the year 2010 by Kunal Bahl and Rohit Bansal. In 2014, Ratan Tata invested less than Rs. 5 crores by picking up a 0.17% stake in Snapdeal.

Cashkaro

Cashkaro is a website that rewards cashback and coupons to its users for visiting online retailers via their site. Cashkaro was founded in the year 2013 by Rohan Bhargava and Swati Bhargava. This Gurgaon based company claims to be the largest cashback website in India. Ratan Tata invested in the startup with an undisclosed amount in CashKaro in 2016.

Urban company

The urban company which was formerly known as Urbanclap is the largest home service platform. The urban company was founded in the year 2014. It was founded by Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Varun Khaitan, and Raghav Chandra. Ratan Tata invested in this startup with an undisclosed amount in the year 2015.

Urban Ladder

Urban Ladder, one of the popular online furniture selling websites was founded in the year 2012. The founders of the urban ladder are Ashish Goel and Rajiv Srivastava. The urban ladder is based in Bengaluru and providing services in 12 cities around India. In 2015, Ratan Tata invested an undisclosed amount in the urban ladder. It was the second e-Commerce Company which secured funding from Ratan Tata.

Lenskart

 Lenskart is one of the most popular online retailers that sell eyewear. Lenskart was founded in the year 2010. The founders of Lenskart are Peeyush Bansal, Amit Chaudhary, and Sumeet Kapahi. It has headquarters in Faridabad, Haryana. Ratan Tata invested in Lenskart in the year 2016 although the amount was not disclosed. Other than Ratan Tata, S Gopalakrishnan (of Infosys) & Wipro Chairman Azim Premji are key investors in Lenskart.

Cardekho

CarDekho is India’s one of the leading car search ventures which were founded in the year 2008. Ratan Tata invested an undisclosed amount in the GirnarSoft that is the parent company of CarDekho.com.  Other than Ratan Tata, some of the key investors of Cardekho are Google Capital, Hillhouse Capital, Sequoia Capital, and HDFC Bank.

Dogspot

Dogspot which is India’s biggest online platform for pets was founded in the year 2007 by Rana Atheya. It is also one of the leading online stores for pet supplies and other products. This Gurgaon based online platform is run by PetsGlam Services Pvt Ltd. Ratan Tata invested in Dogspot in his personal capacity although the amount was not disclosed. Other than Ratan Tata, Ronnie screwvala has also invested in Dogspot.