Last week, on December 4, the script flipped.

For once, venture capital investors felt what startup founders often do-the knot of uncertainty, the fear of being just another face in a crowd chasing the same opportunity.

Many, with backpacks still slung on, opted to return as the venue overflowed, with hardly any standing room.

Inside the crammed hall at a prominent hotel in Bengaluru, investors vied with each other for a moment with Abhay Karandikar, Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Government of India. Moments earlier the former IIT Kanpur Director had unveiled the broad contours of the Rs 1 lakh crore Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) fund-and VCs wanted answers: how it would be deployed, who would qualify, and whether their next fund could tap int

See Full Page