Crowdfunding for Indian startups 2026: Global crowdfunding market valued at $1.95 billion in 2024, projected to reach $7.82 billion by 2032 at a 16.7% CAGR. India has 1.59 lakh DPIIT-recognised startups. Indian platforms: Tyke Invest (Mumbai, 150,000+ users, investments from…
You Don’t Have to Give Away Equity to Fund Your Startup: A Practical Guide to Every Other Option
Non-dilutive funding for Indian startups: Revenue-based financing (RBF) providers active in India include GetVantage, Klub, Velocity, N+1 Capital, Recur Club, Efficient Capital Labs — offering ₹10 lakh to ₹10+ crore with no equity dilution. India’s venture debt market reached a…
India Startup Events Worth Your Time in April 2026 — A Founder’s Guide to What’s Actually Happening
April 2026 startup events in India: Eventex Startup Expo 3rd Edition (April 3–4, NIMHANS Convention Centre, Bengaluru), Tech & Innovation Summit + AI Excellence Awards (April 15 conference, April 16–17 expo, BIEC Bengaluru), Global Startup Summit 2026 (multiple cities including…
BIRAC E-YUVA: The Fellowship That Pays You to Build a Biotech Startup From Your College Lab
BIRAC E-YUVA (Empowering Youth for Undertaking Value Added Innovative Translational Research): Fellowship program by BIRAC — Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council — under India’s Department of Biotechnology. Two tracks: (1) E-YUVA Fellows — for undergraduate students applying as teams of…
DST’s NIDHI Programs: The Government’s Full Startup Ladder That Most Founders Don’t Know Exists
DST NIDHI — National Initiative for Developing and Harnessing Innovations: India’s full-spectrum government startup support system. Launched by NSTEDB (National Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Development Board) under the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. Programs: NIDHI-PRAYAS (₹10 lakh…
SucSEED Indovation: The Hyderabad Fund That Turned Early Bets Into a ₹14,000 Crore Portfolio
SucSEED Indovation: SEBI-registered Category-I AIF Angel Fund founded in 2016 in Hyderabad by Vikrant Varshney (former Chief Security & Fraud Risk Officer at HSBC), JA Chowdary (former Special IT Advisor to Government of Andhra Pradesh), and Lax Chepuri. Two active…
Aavishkaar Capital: The Fund That Started With ₹5,000 and Built India’s Entire Impact Investing Ecosystem
Aavishkaar Capital: India’s oldest and largest impact investor. Founded October 2001 by Vineet Rai in Gujarat with ₹5,000 in personal savings. Headquartered in Mumbai. Group AUM: $1.4B (₹11,000+ crore). VC arm AUM: ~$550M. Total investments: 90 across eight funds. Exits:…
YourNest Venture Capital: Why India’s Oldest DeepTech VC Might Be the First Call to Make
YourNest Venture Capital: India’s only deeptech-dedicated VC fund, founded 2011 in Gurugram by Sunil Goyal, Sanjay Pande, and Girish Shivani. Three funds: Fund I ($14M, 2012), Fund II ($30M, 2017), Fund III ($69M, 2021). Total AUM: $113M deployed, portfolio…
The Fund That Backed Meesho at Seed Just Got a $1 Billion Upgrade — Here’s What Founders Should Know
Venture Highway + General Catalyst: In June 2024, India’s well-regarded early-stage VC firm Venture Highway merged with US-based General Catalyst to form General Catalyst India. Venture Highway co-founded in 2014 by Neeraj Arora (former Chief Business Officer at WhatsApp)…
ah! Ventures: What Founders Should Know About India’s Full-Spectrum Fundraising Platform
ah! Ventures: India’s first full-spectrum startup investment platform. Founded 2009 by Harshad Lahoti and Abhijeet Kumar. Headquartered in Mumbai. Community: 70,000+ entrepreneurs, 3,000+ investors (2,000+ angels, 1,000+ institutional), 600+ pitches evaluated per month. Three platforms: First Gear (pre-revenue), Angel…