How Ratan Tata chooses the startups he invests in

The chairman emeritus of Tata Group, Ratan Tata, has invested in over two dozen startups and calls himself an accidental investor. But the 81-year-old does have his reasons for choosing some startups over others. Find out how he chooses the startups to invest in.

"If the founder has passion and innovation, he needs to be supported. I am more intuitive than a numbers person and I also recognise that not all investments are going to be positive, some may fail and some may have problems for different reasons, but that is life."

"What I am intrigued by is a start-up that has an interesting concept which excites me. If it doesn't excite me, I really don't need to make an investment in that company."

"In my case, it is intuition. Talking to the founders, drawing conclusions from their attitude, maturity and seriousness means more to me than any other thing."

"Opportunities for start-ups exist, but they must be grabbed by the tenacity, imagination, and courage of the founders."

"A promoter's fire in the belly, ideas and solutions they offer, are the drivers of his investment decisions."

 "A founder who has a passion to stay with something and build it into a sustainable company, is somebody I tend to support."

"Some entrepreneurs talk of a high burn rate, high advertising rate, and so on, with no outcome, so it doesn't impress me. But an entrepreneur who has a feeling of responsibility towards his investors, is somebody who will have all my support."