Mumbai-based multi-stage Vc firm Venture Catalysts announced the successful closure of a ₹150 crore ($18 million) funding round on September 8, 2025. The round comprised a blend of primary transactions—bringing fresh capital for the company’s expansion—and secondary transactions, through which existing shareholders sold shares to new investors, ensuring liquidity while retaining control. The fresh capital raised values the company at approximately $200 million (₹1,750 crore) post-money.
A Diverse and High-Profile Investor Base
This round attracted a prominent mix of new and existing investors. New investors include public market veteran Ashish Kacholia and group, Authum Investments, Shah Rukh Khan’s family office, actress Aishwarya Rai, Hardik Patel of Finquest, Mukul Agarwal, Utpal Sheth, LNB Group, and Vinod Dugar of RDB Group. Existing backers reaffirming support include marquee names like Radhakishan Damani (DMart founder), Kamal Agarwal (Haldiram), Enam Securities, Capri Global, and startup founders Aman Gupta (boAt), Ritesh Agarwal (OYO), Nirmit Parikh (Apna), and Srinath Ramakkrushnan (Zetwerk).
Read this: Elevation Capital Launches $400M Late-Stage Fund for IPO-Bound Startups
Strategic Plans for the Fresh Capital
Venture Catalysts intends to utilize the proceeds predominantly to:
- Expand their leadership teams across investing, product, and platform functions
- Launch new funds, particularly increasing their Category II Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs) portfolio
- Enhance technological capabilities with AI-enabled tools to improve due diligence and reporting to Limited Partners (LPs)
- Geographically expand into India’s major startup hubs, strengthening on-ground presence
Co-founder Anuj Golecha underscored the importance of AI-driven collaboration and speed to enable a stronger and more vibrant ecosystem of investors and founders.
Growth from Angel Network to VC Powerhouse
Since its inception in 2016 as an angel investment network, Venture Catalysts has evolved into a multi-pronged platform managing over $500 million across various funds. Approximately $200 million has already been deployed via syndications over the past nine years, supporting more than 400 startups—including notable names like BharatPe, InsuranceDekho, Renee Cosmetics, Wiom, Zypp Electric, and Kissan Konnect. The firm’s AIF portfolio includes sector-focused funds such as 100 Unicorns, Beams Fintech Fund, Elev8 Venture Partners, and Spyre PropTech Venture Fund, positioning it as a leading domestic venture capital platform in India.
Some Recent Launched Fund for Early Stage Startups
Speciale Invest, a Chennai-based VC, recently closed its ₹600 crore ($70 million) third fund in just two months—overshooting its ₹500 crore target. Mainly backed by Indian HNIs, family offices, and strategic investors, the fund will invest in 18–20 deep-tech startups at the pre-seed and seed stage, reserving half for follow-on rounds. Check out full information of this fund here.
Inflection Point Ventures (IPV) just launched IPV International, a $110 million (₹960 crore) angel fund under GIFT City’s IFSCA framework, targeting early-stage to pre-Series A startups in India and globally. Investments will range from $100,000 to $1 million per company, with the first closing in April 2025 and the debut investment already made in Singapore’s deep-tech Cellivate Technologies. Check out full information of this fund here.
Natasha Malpani, former partner at Kae Capital, has launched Boundless Ventures, an early-stage fund with a corpus of ₹200 crore aimed at investing in India’s rapidly growing AI startup ecosystem. The fund primarily focuses on pre-seed and seed-stage companies working across consumer AI applications, infrastructure, agent tooling, healthcare, logistics, and Make-in-India AI hardware. Check out full information of this fund here.
This significant funding round reinforces Venture Catalysts’ commitment to fostering innovation and supporting startups at every growth stage, while deepening their technological and geographical footprint in India’s startup ecosystem.
