Bajaj Finserv on Thursday said companies under its fold will invest ₹1,500-2,000 crore over a five-year period in AI innovation startups as part of the newly launched “Finserv Intelligence” program, a group-wide strategic initiative in applied research and innovation, focused on high-tech, low unit-cost, highly scalable solutions.The program will prioritise early-stage companies, from seed to Series B, with strong scalability potential across AI, cybersecurity, quantum technologies, fintech, and consumer technology platforms, according to a statement by the diversified financial services company. The investment will be managed by a dedicated investment team.Companies under Bajaj Finserv’s fold include Bajaj Finance, Bajaj Life Insurance, Bajaj General Insurance, Bajaj Health Insurance, Bajaj Finserv Asset Management, Bajaj Finserv Direct and Bajaj Alternate Investment Management (newly formed company, business yet to commence; regulatory approvals in process).Finserv Intelligence is designed as a holistic innovation ecosystem with a five-to-ten-year horizon for realisable impact. It will operate through an integrated model that brings together academic collaborations, investments in the start-up ecosystem, and in-house specialists.“Drawing on leading global and domestic innovation models, the initiative envisages R&D labs, centres of excellence, venture-led models and Scholars-in-Residence programme for capability building,” the company said.Bajaj Finserv said Finserv Intelligence has partnered IIT Bombay, with a MoU and Master Collaboration Agreement being signed to establish a joint research centre and define a joint Statement of Work spanning AI, cyber security, quantum technologies and the reimagining of physical retail experience.Sanjiv Bajaj, Chairman & Managing Director, Bajaj Finserv, said, “The next decade of value creation in financial services will belong to those who build technology that powers it... With IIT Bombay, we are putting India’s finest scientists and most ambitious founders at the centre of solving problems that matter to a billion-plus Indians.”Rajeev Jain, Vice Chairman & MD, Bajaj Finance, underscored that Finserv Intelligence offers founders something fundamentally different from capital alone.“Startups will plug directly into Bajaj Finserv’s enterprise ecosystem, our governance frameworks, financial discipline, operational depth and market insight, alongside flexible ticket sizes and committed follow-on investment.“Through direct engagement with our leadership, structured growth playbooks and hands-on mentorship, we will instil the principles that build enduring companies with frugal engineering, sharp unit economics, ROI discipline and rigor required to scale,” he said.Jain emphasised Bajaj Finserv group’s ambition is to be a strategic co-architect for deep tech founders, helping them evolve from promising ideas into market-ready, resilient institutions.Shireesh Kedare, Director, IIT Bombay, said, “Our collaboration with Bajaj Finserv strengthens the industry-academia partnership required to accelerate innovation and build scalable solutions for the future - especially in the domain of fintech.”Published on May 28, 2026