You will be missed, Ratan Tata.

Ratan Tata wasn’t just an industrialist and philanthropist, he transformed India’s startup ecosystem. He started investing in Indian startups way back in 2014 with his first bet on Snapdeal. Snapdeal didn’t turn out as planned, but Ratan Tata continued to actively invest into India’s startup ecosystem regardless. He wanted to learn and also support the digital future of the country. When Snapdeal’s founder, Kunal Bahl, asked Ratan Tata why he invested, he said that he could see that handheld devices would drive the next wave of retail, turning into India’s virtual stores. And while Snapdeal wasn’t a huge win, Ratan Tata went on to invest in over 40 startups, including names like Lenskart, Urban Company, FirstCry, Ola and Ola Electric, and Moglix, just to name a few. Ratan Tata may be gone, but his legacy in India’s startup ecosystem will live on, continuing to shape the future for generations to come.