India has emerged as one of the hottest startup hubs in the world, currently the third-largest startup ecosystem globally. With over 1,40,803 DPIIT-recognized startups as of June 2024, the Indian entrepreneurial landscape is thriving—thanks to the backing of top venture capital firms in India.
In this guide, GrowthJockey explores the most impactful VC firms in India that continue to fuel innovation and growth for emerging startups.
A Venture Capital (VC) Fund is a kind of investment fund where funds pooled from investors—known as limited partners or LPs—are invested into early-stage, high-growth businesses with possible large returns.
Simply said, venture capitalists—who manage a money pool—invest in firms they think will become the next great thing—like Flipkart, Zomato, or Paytm in their early days.
Wealthy people, organisations, or family offices making fund investments— Limited Partners (LPs)
General Partners (GPs) are fund managers that oversee and decide on investments.
Portfolio Companies: Startups funded in turn for equity
Venture Capitalists follows the process:
VCs raise funds from LPs
Identify promising startups across sectors
Invest in exchange for equity
Offer strategic support, mentorship, hiring, and branding
Exit after 5–10 years with a targeted 3x–10x return
In this blog, GrowthJockey has reviewed the list of venture capital firms[1], top 20, helping Indian startups. Here’s a look at them:
Accel is a private equity company started in 1983, with headquarters in Palo Alto, California, United States. In India, Accel started operating in 2008 and has invested in many notable companies.
It is an early-stage VC fund in India with a track record of investing in 36 startups in 2024. Accel India’s focus areas are:
E-commerce
Travel tech
Insure tech
SaaS (Software as a Service)
B2B marketplaces
Logistics
Foodtech
D2C
It is one of India's earliest venture capital investors that has supported major companies like Flipkart, Freshworks, Swiggy, Vedantu, and many more.
During investment, Freshworks had only 6 employees. Today, Freshworks boasts more than 2,500 employees and a valuation of $3.5 billion.
Blume Ventures was established in 2010, and it is also a player in the early-stage startup ecosystem. It is a Bengaluru-based venture capital firm that typically gets 3-5x ROI. Its venture capital investments provide seed and pre-series A funding to companies.
This venture funding company’s focus areas are:
AdTech
Agritech
Manufacturing
SaaS
Beauty
Healthcare
It has an impressive list of startups that grew big, such as GreyOrange, Carbon Clean, Sugar Cosmetics, and Ola. One success story is Meesho, which was backed by Blume Ventures. It currently helps millions of women sell their products online.
Matrix Partners India has been affiliated with the global Matrix partners since 2006. It is a VC fund in India that focuses on the enterprise and consumer market at three levels:
Seed
Early
Early-growth
It has a portfolio of 162 companies and manages over $1 billion. The company mostly invests in startups across:
Consumer internet
FinTech
B2B
SaaS
Their impressive portfolio includes companies like Razorpay, Ola Electric and Practo. After Matrix Partner’s investment, Razorpay now handles approximately $5 billion annually.
Kalaari Capital was founded in 2006. It is an early-stage, tech-focused venture capital firm based in Bengaluru. Kalaari Capital stands out for its founder-friendly approach. It provides startups with capital and mentorship programs and supports their scaling.
They mainly deal with companies in:
IT
Mobile
Healthcare
SaaS
Media
Consumer tech
Cure. fit and Myntra are the companies that have flourished due to Kalaari Capital’s VC funding. Myntra has grown since its launch in 2007 and increased its value to $330 million when Flipkart acquired it.
Stellaris Venture Partners is one of the formidable venture capital companies that was established in 2016. They focus on:
SaaS
Financial services
B2B commerce
EdTech
EV
Healthcare
They recently funded India’s leading skincare brand, Mamaearth. They have also supported Mfine, Propelled, Whatfix, Zouk, and many more.
Sequoia Capital India is a venture capital investment company established in 2000. It primarily focuses on companies working on:
Technology
Consumer Internet
Healthcare
FinTech
Education
Its portfolio includes Zomato, BYJUS, Unacademy, Dailyhunt, CarDekho, and more. Unacademy’s rapid growth shows Sequoia Capital India's prowess.
Nexus Venture Partners emerged in 2006 and is famous for supporting product-first companies. It has $2.6 billion under management. The venture capital company zeroes in on companies operating in:
AI
Fintech
Commerce
SaaS
It has a robust portfolio with Delhivery, Postman, and Druva. Delhivery now serves 26.5k businesses.
SAIF Partners India is a leading venture capital company providing capital to Asian companies. But it is managed by Elevation Capital in Gurgaon. SAIF Partners is interested in investing in companies working in:
Internet & TMT
Healthcare
New Materials
Clean Technology
Their most notable investments include ShareChat, Paytm, Chaayos, Mosaic Wellness and many more.
The emergence of Norwest Venture Partners goes way back to 1961 in California. Their VC funding is invested in early to later-stage US, Indian, and Israeli companies. They have over 60 years of experience in funding companies in:
SaaS and enterprise
Consumer Tech
FinTech
B2B Tech
Healthcare
Technology IT services
Consumer Products
Their robust portfolio includes renowned names like Duroflex, Indusland Bank, Finnova Capital, Xpressbess, and Kotak Mahindra Bank.
Venture East has partnered with newer startups since 1997 and manages around $325+ million. The best part about this VC funding company is that it segregates funds and teams for its different focus areas:
Life science
Healthcare
Technology
They have invested for 20 years and supported businesses such as Acko, Portea, Edge Networks, Orion Edutech, IMEDX, and many more.
Venture Highway is one of the venture capital companies that also operates in Bengaluru, India. It was founded in 2015 and specialises in guiding early-stage startups. The industries they focus on are:
FinTech
SaaS
Consumer tech
They have an average investment size of $1 million, and its diverse portfolio has many notable names under its wings, such as Meesho, Cars24, Headout, Airmeet, Cityfurnish, Emitrr, Meragi and several others.
Vidit Aatrey, co-founder at Meesho, thanks Venture Highway for its strategic inputs, proactive involvement, and networking support.
Kae Capital is a renowned VC fund in India, founded in 2012. They have been funding startups in India for over a decade. They have two headquarters in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
Kae Capital mostly funds in pre-seed and pre-series A stages. They have had 14 successful exits out of the 82 startups they invested in. They mainly focus on:
Technology
Healthcare
Consumer Services
Cloud
E-commerce
Education
Its notable investments include Tata 1MG, Zetwerk, Porter, Wysa, 1K, and more.
Ankur Capital was founded in 2014 with headquarters in Mumbai and Bengaluru. They focus on companies operating in:
Technology
Climate and energy
Deep science
Agriculture
FinTech
They specialise in seed funding, mentoring, networking, and more. They have backed startups like JoshTalks, Rupifi, Captain Fresh, Big Haat, and more.
Omidyar Network India is a venture capital investment company based out of Mumbai. They are known to invest in early-stage startups that deal in early-stage enterprises and NGOs combating India’s problems.
Omidyar works with institutions that focus on:
Advancing Cities
Digital Society
Education & Employability
Emerging Technologies
Financial Inclusion & Well-being
Property Inclusivity
They have a robust portfolio of well-known companies, such as DrinkPrime, Healofy, Healthkart, Goodera, iMerit, and Quikr.
Orios Venture Partners is known as the technology VC funding company in India. It was founded in 2013 and actively started investing in 2021. Orios Venture Partners helps startups with seed investing, marketing, branding, and more.
They mostly invest in startups that work in these sectors:
B2C firms
Software
Hardware
Technology
They have invested in companies such as Ixigo, Country Delight, Miss Malini, Mobikwik, Unnati, Zostel, and more.
IvyCap Ventures nurtures early-stage ventures to kickstart their businesses. It was established in 2011 and is one of the leading homegrown VC funds in India. Its headquarters are in Mumbai, and its offices are in Bengaluru, Delhi, the US, and Singapore.
They fund companies in the early-to-growth stage that operate in:
Consumer Tech
HealthTech
FinTech
EdTech
SaaS
Some companies that thrived after partnering with IvyCap Ventures are Purplle, Bewakoof, GradRight Biriyani by Kilo and more.
Lightbox Ventures was founded in Mumbai in 2014 and has $450 million in assets. Its team consists of entrepreneurs, technologists, and investors who have been investing for the last 12 years.
Lightbox Ventures invests in companies working in:
Retail
Software
Healthcare
B2B
B2C
Of the many renowned companies in their portfolio, the mentionable ones are Furlenco, Nua, Amaha, Dunzo, Rupee, Melorra and more. Reliance Jio acquired a company called Embibe for $180 million in 2019.
Artha India Ventures is a venture capital company that invests in seed, pre-seed, and series-A companies. It helps startups thrive in this competitive landscape by mentoring and guiding them through their initial steps.
Their focus area lies in companies dealing with:
Hospitality
FinTech
Travel
Data Analytics
EdTech
They have curated a robust portfolio consisting of well-known companies like VPhrase, Instasafe, BookMyCab, Lyft, Exotel, and more.
Gemba Capital is a VC funding company that invests around $200,000-$250,000 per company. It was established in 2018 in Bengaluru and specialises in angel investing, early-stage, and venture capital.
Their focus areas are mostly:
AgTech
FinTech
EdTech
HealthTech
Consumer tech
Some known companies they mentored are Plum, Clickpost, Finly, SleepyCat, MyHQ, Wysh and ClearDekho.
Endiya Partners, founded in 2015, is headquartered in Hyderabad and manages around $100 million in assets. It provides monetary support and guides startups in their branding, marketing, business model, and team development.
They are a venture capital company that focuses on companies working in the following sectors:
Deep tech
FinTech
AI and mobility
Healthcare
Digital health
Life science
Their robust portfolio includes companies like Cell Propulsion, Cult. fit, Ekincare, Darwinbox, Gigforce, Mylo, and more.
Venture Capital Firm | Year Founded | Investment Stages | Focus Sectors | Notable Investments |
---|---|---|---|---|
Accel India | 2008 | Seed, Early, Growth | E-commerce, SaaS, B2B, Logistics, EdTech, D2C | Flipkart, Swiggy, Freshworks |
Sequoia Capital India | 2000 | Seed to Growth | Consumer Internet, Fintech, HealthTech, SaaS | BYJU'S, Zomato, Unacademy |
Blume Ventures | 2010 | Pre-Seed, Seed, Early | Tech, Infrastructure, HealthTech, EdTech, Fintech | Meesho, Unacademy, Purplle |
Matrix Partners India | 2006 | Seed, Series A | Consumer Tech, B2B, Fintech | Razorpay, Ola, Practo |
Kalaari Capital | 2006 | Seed, Series A | Consumer Tech, E-commerce, Digital Media | Myntra, Cure.fit |
Stellaris Venture Partners | 2016 | Seed, Series A | SaaS, EV, Healthcare | Mamaearth, Whatfix |
Nexus Venture Partners | 2006 | Seed to Growth | SaaS, Enterprise Tech, Consumer Internet | Delhivery, Druva |
Elevation Capital (SAIF Partners) | 2002 | Seed, Series A | Consumer Internet, EdTech, Fintech | Paytm, Urban Company |
Norwest Venture Partners | 1961 | Early to Growth | Healthcare, Fintech, Enterprise | Swiggy, Quikr |
VenturEast | 1997 | Seed to Growth | Healthcare, Life Sciences, Tech | Portea, Acko |
Venture Highway | 2015 | Seed, Series A | Tech, Consumer, SaaS | Moglix, ShareChat |
Kae Capital | 2012 | Seed, Pre-Series A | Consumer, Fintech, SaaS | HealthKart, Wysa |
Ankur Capital | 2014 | Seed, Series A | AgriTech, HealthTech, DeepTech | CropIn, Niramai |
Omidyar Network India | 2004 | Seed, Series A | Fintech, Education, Digital Identity | 1mg, Doubtnut |
Orios Venture Partners | 2013 | Seed, Series A | Consumer, Fintech, SaaS | Pharmeasy, Country Delight |
IvyCap Ventures | 2011 | Series A, Series B | Consumer, Healthcare, Education | Purplle, Clovia |
Lightbox Ventures | 2014 | Series A, Series B | Consumer Tech, E-commerce | Rebel Foods, Furlenco |
Artha India Ventures | 2012 | Seed, Pre-Series A | Consumer, Fintech, SaaS | Agnikul, LenDenClub |
Gemba Capital | 2019 | Pre-Seed, Seed | Fintech, SaaS, Consumer | MyHQ, BluSmart |
Endiya Partners | 2015 | Seed, Series A | Healthcare, SaaS, DeepTech | SigTuple, Darwinbox |
This blog highlights India’s vibrant startup ecosystem and 20 venture capital companies.
These firms support startups in the early, pre-seed, series A, and growth stages. Their strategic investments, mentorship, and global networks have not only accelerated the growth of many startups.
For instance, companies like Flipkart, OYO, TATA 1MG, and Swiggy have reached new heights and continue to shine bright.
Looking at these VC funds in India, we can only say that India’s startup growth will skyrocket.
If you are looking to market your offering to grow your brand, contact GrowthJockey, a premium venture builders.
The following four cities are known as the venture capital hub of India they are:
Bengaluru
Mumbai
Pune
Hyderabad
Venture capitalists form partnerships to pool funds to support smaller startups. In exchange, they ask for equity or stakes in the companies they invest in. If the startup successfully returns the invested money, the company can exit the venture capital companies.
A venture capital company, also known as private equity or financing, supports startups with long-term growth potential.