Naukri parent Info Edge shares jump 4% as startup portfolio grows eight-fold to ₹41,300 cr

Shares of Info Edge (India), the parent company of job portal Naukri, rallied more than 4% on Tuesday, in an otherwise weak broader market, after the company unveiled strong performance of its startup investment portfolio.

Info Edge has invested around ₹4,900 crore across 135 startups spanning AI, deeptech, consumer technology, SaaS, fintech and B2B commerce, as per the official statement. The portfolio is currently valued at approximately ₹41,300 crore, implying an 8.4-times multiple and an estimated gross internal rate of return (IRR) of 33%.

“Total ₹4,900 crore invested in 135 startups across all sectors. This is now valued at ₹41,300 crore, implying a 8.4x multiple and 33% gross IRR,” the company said in a letter to the shareholders.

Cheering the news, Info Edge shares surged as much as 4.1% to ₹1,024.80 on the BSE, taking its market capitalisation to ₹65,860 crore.

Invested ₹1,003 cr in 54 AI, deeptech startups since 2020

Info Edge, in an exchange filing, said it has invested about ₹1,003 crore in 54 AI and deeptech startups since 2020, well before the global surge in investor interest in artificial intelligence.

"We made our first investments in these two themes circa 2020, well before AI became the consensus investment it is today," the company said. "Investing ahead of consensus, at the IP and R&D stage, has given us attractive entry points and close, long-term relationships with founders."

The company has backed startups across enterprise AI, consumer AI, robotics, semiconductors, spacetech, biotech and electric mobility through its investment platforms including Redstart Labs, Capital 2B and Info Edge Ventures.

As of March 31, 2026, Info Edge had invested ₹614 crore across 28 AI companies. The portfolio is currently valued at ₹1,268 crore, translating into a 2.1-times multiple on invested capital and an estimated gross internal rate of return (IRR) of about 31%.

Of the 28 AI startups, 15 have raised externally led funding rounds from investors including Insight Partners, Peak XV, SIG and Vertex.

One of the notable portfolio companies is voice AI startup Gnani.ai, which was selected under the IndiaAI Mission to help build sovereign voice AI foundation models. The startup has received government GPU compute credits worth ₹177 crore and was featured at the IndiaAI Summit 2026.

The company's deeptech portfolio comprises 30 startups with investments of ₹455 crore. These investments are now valued at ₹559 crore, implying a 1.2-times multiple and an estimated gross IRR of around 15%.

Info Edge noted that most deeptech investments were made at the intellectual property creation and research-and-development stage, often before the technologies were commercially mature.

"These are early days for AI and deeptech, but the numbers are encouraging so far," the company said.

As per the release, several deeptech portfolio companies have also benefited from government support. Electric aircraft startup ePlane secured ₹285 crore under the Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) scheme, the largest allocation among 22 approved proposals, while spacetech startup Manastu Space received ₹115 crore.

The release noted that consumer technology remains the biggest contributor to Info Edge's investment gains. The company has deployed ₹2,755 crore across 45 consumer-tech and consumer-AI startups, with the portfolio now valued at ₹37,214 crore.

The investments have generated a 13.5-times multiple on invested capital and an estimated gross IRR of 34%.

"This is the portfolio that produced Eternal (Zomato and Blinkit) and PB Fintech, and the value creation from staying invested in such businesses for long periods speaks for itself," the company said.

Info Edge added that artificial intelligence is increasingly reshaping consumer internet businesses, including its own operations.

"Within Naukri, AI is already influencing search, matching, recruiter productivity and candidate engagement," it said.

Looking ahead, Info Edge said future value creation is likely to be driven by three key themes - artificial intelligence, deeptech and consumer technology - as India enters a phase where globally relevant technology companies are increasingly being built from India, rather than just for India.

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