The Angels who bless new entrepreneurs

They are the key investors behind success of many startups such as Flipkart, Makemytrip, RedBus

India is passing through a golden period when it comes to startups – be it in IT space or agriculture. Even the central government realized the importance of startups and announced a whopping Rs 10,000-cr venture fund for them in the recent Budget. Not to be left behind, software body Nasscom embarked on a 10,000-startups initiative. But it is the Angel Investors who have been investing millions of dollars into new ventures in India and nurturing them into successful companies across the country for the past several years. And they are ones who played key role in the success of companies such as Flipkart, Snapdeal, Makemytrip and RedBus which now boast of turnovers running into hundreds of crores. So, we are giving a snapshot of some angel investors who are on the hunt for new business ideas in India. Approach them if you have big bang business ideas and dream of becoming an entrepreneur.

Indian Angel Network

Established in 2006, Indian Angel Networks, IAN for short, invests up to $1 million (about Rs 6 crore) in early stage ventures and startups. The IAN is a unique platform in the sense that it brings together highly successful CEOs and entrepreneurs from India and around the world, who are keen on investing in early stage ventures. So, the new entrepreneurs who receive funding from this network also get high quality mentoring as a bonus. The other advantage here is that the IAN invests wide range of sectors including agriculture and food processing to retail. It funded several successful startups including Eureka Technologies, Mukunda Foods, Innovize and xSi Semiconductors.

Canaan Partners

US-based Canaan Partners which has been investing in Indian companies since 2000 focuses on tech and healthcare startups. It also mentors and provides management inputs as well. The company has invested $200 mn (about Rs 1,200 cr) in several Indian startups, including BharatMatrimony. It also funded ventures such as iYogi, mCarbon, CarTrade and Naaptol. And its India Team focuses on the sectors like consumer internet, enterprise and managed services, mobility, financial services and healthcare IT.

Hyderabad Angels

Established as not-for-profit company, Hyderabad Angels helps high potential startups get funding from individual angel investors. With successful entrepreneurs such as Srini Raju, J A Chowdary and B V R Mohan Reddy on its board, it has startups such as Mylabyogi and Indian Money in its portfolio.

SRI Capital

Established by Shashi Reddi, Hyd-based SRI Capital funded several startups including Hello Curry, Edutor, GIBSS and Oximity. Its investments range from from $50,000 to $500K in the early stage startups for a significant minority stake. It also has an incubation centre in Hyderabad. Reddi set aside Rs 100 crore of his own money for these investments.

Nexus Venture Partners

Nexus Venture Partners, which operates both in India and the US, invests up to $10 million (Rs 60 cr) in early-growth companies. It also provides seed capital up to $5 lakh (Rs 3 crore) for highly-potential startups and additional investments at later stages. Companies such as Olx, Salorix and Netmagic received funding from it.

SAIF Partners

SAIF Partners invests in both early and growth stage companies. Normally, it provides funds anywhere between $2 million to $75 mn, but in multiple rounds of investments. One of the leading venture capitalists in the country, it has so far invested $1 billion in India, focusing on technology, media telecom, financial services, tourism as well as manufacturing. The long list of successful companies funded it by include MindTree, JustDial and iXigo.

Helion Venture Partners

Flush with $605 million, Helion Venture Partners invests mainly in Indian startups. Its focused areas are outsourcing, financial services, internet, mobile, healthcare and education. It funded companies such as Taxiforsure, Makemytrip, Komli and YepMe

Seedfund

Set up in 2006 by a group of like-minded individuals, the Mumbai-based SeedFund invested in over 30 early stage startups till date. Some of its successful startups which received funding from the company include MyDentist, CarWale and Level10 Comics.

Lightspeed Ventures

Lightspeed Venture Partners, which entered into India in 2004, makes investments ranging from $1 million to $25 million. It invests in several stages. Lime Road, Itz Cash, Asklaila, Fashionara and Tutor Vista are some of the startups which got investments from the LVP.

The Morpheus

Started by two successful entrepreneurs six years ago, The Morpheus invested in 58 startups in the country till date. It also operates a Startup Acceleration Program for potential business ideas and guides them through crucial early stage growth. Its portfolio comprises CloudEngine, Dwll.in, Padhaaro and Pocket Science.