Brookfield: the alternatives giant betting big on India's infrastructure

Brookfield is one of the world's largest alternative asset managers, overseeing more than $1 trillion in assets across renewable power, infrastructure, real estate, private equity and credit. With roots stretching back more than a century, the Canadian firm describes its philosophy as an "ownership mindset" — it buys, operates and grows businesses over decades rather than quarters.

The firm's global strategy is organised around what it calls the "three Ds": decarbonisation, digitalisation and deglobalisation. These themes guide how Brookfield deploys capital into the physical systems that underpin economies — from power generation and data centres to ports, telecom towers and logistics networks. Credit investing comes through Oaktree, which has been part of Brookfield's credit platform since 2019.

India is among the firm's highest-conviction markets. Brookfield currently manages around $30 billion in India, split across infrastructure ($12 billion), real estate ($12 billion), renewable power and transmission ($3 billion) and private equity and special investments ($3.6 billion). Connor Teskey, the firm's President, has said Brookfield expects to more than triple its India assets to $100 billion within five years. Ankur Gupta, Deputy Global Chief Investment Officer, has since suggested the firm could reach that target ahead of schedule, by 2030.

The firm's renewable power platform is a particular area of strength in India, built around utility-scale solar and wind portfolios as well as joint ventures such as Evren, its India renewables platform. Globally, Brookfield closed Brookfield Global Transition Fund II with $20 billion in commitments plus around $3.5 billion of co-investment capital in October 2025 — the largest private fund ever raised for the energy transition. Other notable holdings include Westinghouse, the world's largest nuclear facilities supplier, and Brookfield says it remains open to investing in nuclear energy in India if liability rules become friendlier.

For founders, the relevant Brookfield vehicles are its infrastructure, private equity and venture-adjacent teams. The firm's private equity arm invests across business services, industrials, financial services and technology, typically taking controlling stakes in established businesses and scaling them with Brookfield's operating expertise. Brookfield's returns in India have met or exceeded the targets of the pools of capital deployed, according to the firm's own reporting — a record that helps explain its aggressive expansion plans.

Brookfield's scale means it does not typically write seed cheques — its sweet spot is growth-stage and mature companies that need serious capital to build physical assets. But its platforms create ecosystems: energy developers, data-centre operators, logistics players and construction companies around them win supplier and partner contracts. Founders building in clean energy, digital infrastructure, construction technology or climate tech should watch Brookfield's deal flow closely, because its capital often sets the terms of entire sectors.