Murthy’s Cataraman to be sector-agnostic while investing

Mr. Ratan Tata, Chairman, Tata Sons, receiving the Lifetime Achievement award for Exemplifying from Mr. N.R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman of the Board and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Ltd., at the TiE Entrepreneurial Summit held in Mumbai on Monday. Photo: Paul Noronha.

Infosys Chief Mentor N.R. Narayana Murthy, today said the venture capital fund set up by him will have a wide portfolio and not focus on any particular sector.

Murthy has formed a Rs 600-crore venture capital fund——Catamaran Investment Pvt. Ltd., to help incubate start—ups in the country.

“We will have a wide portfolio for both horizontal and vertical opportunities. By vertical, I mean we will be doing angel investing, early-stage investment, mezzanine-stage, late—stage investment. By horizontal, I mean any sector of economy,” Mr. Murthy said.

Mr. Murthy has put in Rs. 174.30-crore in the venture capital fund by off—loading his 0.13 per cent stake in Infosys while his wife Sudha Murthy, had sold two—million shares of her total Infosys holding to raise around Rs. 430-crores.

Mr. Murthy said that he was in touch with a lot of entrepreneurs and many of them have sent their proposals.

“We are waiting for our office and by March 15 we will be more active,” he said.

“We will be evaluating ideas, viability of business plan, scalability of business, leadership capability of entrepreneurs and market readiness and then will encourage the companies,” Mr. Murthy said.