Rahul Chandra

Eternal Capital (India), an early-stage VC fund started by former bharatpe COO Dhruv Dhanraj Bahl, has rebranded itself as Sadev Ventures. The firm said the new name aligns with its family office identity and values. With this change, Sadev Ventures will continue its India-first focus while also helping portfolio companies expand globally through support from international LPs and strategic partners. Read full article link in the commment 👇 #sadevventures #eternalcapital #vc #rebrand #startupnews

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🚨🚨 Gupshup has raised $60 million, as it explores domicile shift for India #IPO. 💰💰 Most of this is in the form of equity funding from venture capital firm Globespan Capital Partners, while the remainder is debt from EvolutionX Debt Capital. 🎯🎯 Gupshup will use the fresh #capital to expand its AI-driven #messaging platform and accelerate go-to-market execution across high-growth regions—including India, the Middle East, Latin America, and Africa. 📍📍The funding comes as Gupshup sees growing #enterprise adoption of conversational #AI tools. Read the full story by Ajay Rag on ETtech.

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🚀 Building India's Next-Gen Collections Infrastructure: DPDzero Raises $7M (~₹61Cr) Series A DPDzero (Fund IV) has raised $7M in Series A funding led by GMO VenturePartners, GMO PaymentGateway,Inc. We participated in the round along with SMBC Asia Rising Fund, IndiaQuotient, Sinarmas Group, and others. Founded by Ananth Shroff and Ranjith B.R. Ramachandra, DPDzero is reimagining debt collection for Indian lenders by combining behavioral data, AI-powered agents, and empathy. They aim to build a high-performance, ethics-focused collections infrastructure for India's financial institutions. The fresh capital will fuel the expansion of their AI-led multilingual collections platform and help establish a professional network of field collection agents. The company has already demonstrated impressive traction, growing revenue 6X in the past 18 months, and works with leading lenders including Tata Capital, Moneyview, L&T Finance, and Manappuram Finance Limited. "Collection has been the ignored stepchild of lending; it's low tech, low intelligence, and worryingly, low ethics, as well," says Ananth Shroff, CEO. "We are building the collections company India has been waiting for—reinventing everything from the ground up, bringing back the dignity it really deserves." Sajith Pai, Partner at Blume remarked "When we first backed DPDzero, we bet on two relentless founders chasing an unsexy but massive problem. Today, they've built a product lenders love, scaled revenues 6X, and are winning serious institutional trust." As digital lending expands across India, DPDzero is ensuring that collections evolve to become more efficient, ethical, and borrower-friendly. To know more, please click the following link: https://lnkd.in/dhje2_Ab Karthik B. Reddy, Ashish Fafadia, Sanjay Nath, Arpit Agarwal, Sajith Pai, Rohit Kaul, Ria Shroff Desai, Mitul Mehta, Alok Mehta, Deepika Jain, Sarita Raichura, Gautham Sivaramakrishnan, Vikram Gawande, Elton C.

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Natasha Malpani, former partner at Kae Capital, has announced the launch of Boundless Ventures, a ₹200 crore early-stage fund focused on backing AI-native startups from India. The fund will invest at the pre-seed and seed stages, supporting companies across consumer AI applications, infrastructure, agent tooling, vertical use cases like healthcare and logistics, and even Make-in-India AI hardware. Raised entirely from Malpani’s personal network of friends and family, the fund has already made six investments. Its portfolio features SuperHealth in healthcare, Armatrix in robotics, Piersight in spacetech, Knot in quick fashion delivery, along with two stealth ventures in AI infrastructure and consumer AI. Sharing her vision, Malpani said, “Founders who can marry technical depth with cultural fluency will be the ones who set the terms of the next wave. Boundless exists to back those founders before the world catches on. I built Boundless as the fund I needed as a founder: sharp, fast, and rooted in trust.” Beyond capital, Boundless Ventures aims to empower founders with storytelling, market access, and network building. With her experience of founding Boundless Media and scaling Dice Media, Malpani brings both operational and creative expertise to fuel the next generation of AI-driven ventures.

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Pratekk Agarwaal, Founder and General Partner, GrowthCap Ventures, features in this month’s 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴, unpacking how an operator-first approach and high-conviction investing are shaping a differentiated model for early-stage venture capital in India. With a focus on fintech, SaaS, and deeptech, GrowthCap partners with founders early—offering capital and hands-on support from regulatory navigation to enterprise partnerships. Guided by the philosophy of “𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘧𝘪𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦”, the firm blends strong returns with social impact through the GrowthCap Foundation. Structured with operator DNA and driven by clarity over hype, GrowthCap backs founders with conviction, leveraging deep domain experience to build sustainable, scalable ventures. With Fund II on the horizon, the firm is set to double down on AI-first, infrastructure, and embedded finance plays. Read the full 𝘍𝘶𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘍𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 feature here: https://lnkd.in/gq47Xzp4 #FundInFocus #VentureCapitalIndia #OperatorVC #FintechIndia #ImpactInvesting

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Startup Central | UK-based Tide becomes a unicorn after $120 Mn fundraise: CEO Oliver Prill on growth plans and what’s next👇 Full Interview: https://lnkd.in/dBF6uwRM Sumita Kareer Dr. Oliver Prill Tide

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🚨 Lending infra startup FinBox raises $40M in Series B led by WestBridge Capital Bengaluru-based FinBox, which builds digital credit infrastructure, has raised $40 million in Series B funding led by WestBridge Capital, with participation from A91 Partners and Aditya Birla Ventures. The fresh capital a mix of primary and secondary will be used to accelerate technology development, expand globally, and launch new AI-enabled products. Founded in 2017 by Rajat Deshpande, Anant Deshpande, Nikhil Bhawsinka, and Srijan Nagar, FinBox powers digital lending and embedded finance for over 130 clients, including HDFC Bank, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Tata Capital, and Aditya Birla Capital. The platform currently processes 50 million credit decisions monthly and has enabled $9B+ in loan applications, while helping lenders halve fraud rates and expand access for new-to-credit borrowers. 📖 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gjxJKdwU By Sayan Sen #FinBox #Fintech #FundingAlert #DigitalLending #YourStory

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#Update Inflection Point Ventures (IPV), an Indian angel investment platform, has launched IPV International, a new USD 110 million fund. Registered as a Category I Angel Fund under GIFT City's IFSCA, it's now operational, broadening cross-border investment access for global and domestic investors. The fund, which saw its first close in April 2025, has already invested in Singapore-based deeptech startup Cellivate Technologies. While sector-agnostic, IPV International will focus on high-growth areas, targeting early to pre-Series A startups with ticket sizes from USD 100,000 to USD 1 million. Its structure simplifies participation for NRIs, OCIs, and foreign nationals, and eases regulatory hurdles for Indian residents investing abroad, leveraging GIFT City's flexible framework for global startup ecosystems. This launch builds on IPV's six-year investment track record and 220-company portfolio. Read the story: https://ow.ly/RxUf50WxRIj #AngelInvesting #VentureCapital #IPVInternational #StartupFunding #GiftCity #IndianStartups #CrossBorderInvestment #GlobalStartups #EarlyStageInvesting #DeepTech

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VC Firm a99 VC To Launch Third Fund With $100 Mn Corpus India’s venture capital ecosystem is buzzing with yet another major announcement. A99 Capital, one of the country’s emerging #VC firms, is set to roll out its third fund with a corpus of $100 million (~₹830 crore), strengthening its position as a growth enabler for Indian startups. https://lnkd.in/gpCUtcAA

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Mudit Kumar Joins Ideabaaz as Co-Founder & COO Mumbai-based startup discovery and funding platform Ideabaaz has named Mudit Kumar as its Co-Founder & Chief Operating Officer, marking a significant step forward in its mission to democratize access to startup capital and mentorship across India — especially in emerging cities. With nearly 20 years of experience in private banking, strategic investing, and startup mentorship, Mudit brings deep financial expertise and a founder-first mindset. His leadership journey includes key roles at LGT Wealth India, ICICI Securities, and Aditya Birla Group. At LGT Wealth India, he advised ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, and startup founders — while actively investing in early-stage ventures across climate tech, spacetech, healthtech, legal tech, and fintech. https://lnkd.in/eCKwXTKU Raj Nayak | Jeet Wagh | Ashwin kumar | #StartupIndia #LeadershipNews #Ideabaaz #StartupFunding #Entrepreneurship #MuditKumar #FounderNews #StartupEcosystem #InclusiveInnovation #COOAppointment #WealthToWisdom #EarlyStageInvesting #IndianStartups #MediaUpdate

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Bengaluru-based digital gold savings platform Gullak has raised $7.5M in Series A funding, led by Chiratae Ventures, with participation from White Venture Capital, SamVed VC, and existing investors Y Combinator, GMO Fintech Fund, and Rebel Fund. Founded by Naimisha Rao and Dilip jain, Gullak is reimagining India’s deep-rooted relationship with gold, enabling families to accumulate gold digitally in small amounts and redeem it seamlessly across leading jewellers like Tanishq, Kalyan, and Malabar. With over 300,000 active users, 1,000+ kg of gold purchased, and 80% retention at 12 months, the startup is now gearing up for brand building, expansion into tier ii & tier iii cities, and scaling its partnerships with jewellers nationwide. As global gold prices surge past ₹1 lakh per 10 grams, Gullak believes the next decade belongs to digital gold. Read more at: https://lnkd.in/g5Q23BzV #startupstory #fundingnews #digitalgold #fintech #indiastartups #ycombinator #seriesa

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ROHIT BAFNA's 888vc has introduced its first INR 175 Cr ($19 Mn) AIF, targeting early-stage Indian deeptech startups in AI and sustainability. Over three years, investments will range from INR 2 Cr to INR 4 Cr, focusing on scalable tech ventures. Founded in 2022, 888VC has already invested $12 Mn across 20 startups like EcoRatings and Finly, valuing its portfolio at over $500 Mn. Addressing funding gaps, this AIF complements government initiatives like the INR 1 Lakh Cr RDI scheme and efforts from firms like Speciale Invest and Yali Capital. #Deeptech #StartupFunding #IndiaAIF #DeccanFounders

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Elev8 Venture Partners has successfully closed its maiden ₹1,400 Cr ($160M) fund, underscoring strong conviction from Indian family offices, UHNIs, and institutional investors. With a focus on high-growth, tech-driven startups across consumer, enterprise, and financial services, Elev8 is bringing patient, long-term capital back to India’s growth-stage ecosystem. This milestone not only reflects investor confidence in Elev8’s thesis but also signals the continued maturity and deepening of India’s venture capital landscape. Parth Doshi Divy Chopda Ashpi Gupta Abhisekh Shah Navin Honagudi #BreakIntoVC #VentureCapital #PrivateEquity #IndiaInvesting #Elev8VenturePartners

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📰 In the News | Inc42 Media As India’s startup ecosystem matures, secondary exits are emerging as a critical lever for liquidity - both for VCs and LPs. In conversation with Inc42, our Founder & Managing Partner Pearl shared insights on why secondaries are taking centre stage: “For VCs, secondary funds are also a good way to give exits to LPs that might have come into one fund and move that investment into the second. If they like the asset a lot, they don’t have to prematurely exit and can hold it until IPO.” Read the full feature to understand how this shift is reshaping India’s venture ecosystem 👇 🔗 https://lnkd.in/ghZG_UuE ---- #EximiusVentures #PreSeed #VC #FounderFirst #Inc42 | Palak Nikhil

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