BizDateUp acquires 54.5% stake in Cumma to expand startup infrastructure access in tier 2 and tier 3 regions

BizDateUp, an India-focused strategic investment firm, has announced the acquisition of a 54.5% strategic stake in Cumma for Rs 21 crore.

The firm said the acquisition supports its plan to combine capital, governance, and execution capability to support startup growth in India, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 regions.

The partnership aims to help founders move faster from ideas to execution, turning innovation into businesses, production, services, and employment at scale.

Cumma is a platform that allows startups to access government-backed innovation infrastructure such as incubators, accelerators, Centres of Excellence (CoE), R&D labs, testing facilities, co-working spaces, and production units.

While India has built an expansive innovation ecosystem, much of this infrastructure remains under-utilised and difficult to access. Cumma said it bridges this gap by offering on-demand, technology-driven access, enabling founders to reduce time, capital expenditure, and operational friction.

“This is not just an investment; it is a commitment to India’s entrepreneurial future. We believe the next wave of transformational startups will not be limited to metros, but will rise from emerging cities, manufacturing clusters, universities, and innovation centres across the nation. With Cumma, we are enabling founders to build faster, smarter, and stronger by giving them access to infrastructure that was previously out of reach,” said Jeet Chandan, Group Managing Director, BizDateUp.

“Partnering with BizDateUp marks the beginning of a new growth era for us. This collaboration gives us the capital strength, governance depth, and strategic clarity needed to scale nationally and deepen our role as the execution backbone of India’s startup ecosystem. Our mission is to ensure that every innovator, whether in a metro or a Tier 3 town, can access world-class infrastructure without barriers,” Cumma founders added.

After this acquisition, Cumma moves into an execution-led growth phase with BizDateUp’s strategic capital and governance support. The platform plans to scale across the country and help founders build sustainable, asset-backed businesses without needing to shift to metros.

Unlike traditional workspace platforms, Cumma operates as a purpose-built marketplace for innovation infrastructure. It integrates institutions, incubation systems, R&D environments and execution capabilities, reducing onboarding time, documentation efforts, and financial barriers for startups.

With existing institutional partnerships, Cumma has already unlocked several crores worth of innovation infrastructure. The startup now expects transaction-led revenue growth. It is projected to generate Rs 2.5-3 crore revenue in FY 2025-26, Rs 18-22 crore in FY 2026–27, and Rs 55-65 crore in FY 2027-28.

Over the next three to five years, BizDateUp and Cumma plan to support more than 25,000 startups, activate over 1,500 innovation facilities, unlock utilisation worth over Rs 5,000 crore, strengthen more than 50 Tier 2 and Tier 3 startup hubs, reduce infrastructure access time by up to 90%, and create three to five lakh direct and indirect jobs.