India now has more than 2,07,000 recognised startups under the Startup India initiative, together creating over 21.9 lakh direct jobs. With that many founders in the arena, it can feel like there’s a startup event every other week. And that’s…
The Indian Founder’s Complete Guide to Crowdfunding in 2026: Which Platform, When, and What You Need to Know
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)…