Top 10 Most Active Startup Investors in India

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Do you believe in your unique business idea? Do you think it can beat the best or create its own niche if you get the necessary support? Well, then it’s time to become entirely dedicated to taking your startup to new heights.

But that can only happen after you rise through the struggle of finding an investor who buys your idea. Thankfully, unlike a decade ago, today, we have a host of active investors that are proving to be angels to upcoming startups.

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Most Active Startup Investors

If you have a rewarding idea, you might get much more than you want from these active startup investors. So who are the right people to pitch your startup idea to? Check out this list of the 10 most active startup investors in India.

1. Rajan Anandan

Rajan Anadan is a high-profile investor and currently the managing director of Sequoia Capital and Surge. Previously he has held top positions for Microsoft India for a couple of years. He has also worked for Google India for 9 straight years. His interest in startup investment is well-known. For one, he’s been one of the driving forces behind the rise of several groundbreaking startups in India.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate also holds a degree from Stanford. Hence his high-profile jobs are just a testament to the man’s talents. He has invested heavily in successful startups like Rapido, Zenatix, Unacademy, Little Black Book Delhi, Dataweave, Wishberry, Buttercups, and more. Have a fantastic business idea that you see huge potential in? Convince Rajan to invest.

2. Anupam Mittal

Chosen by Business Week as one of India’s 50 Most Powerful People, Anupam has been the name behind many successful startups. The founder of Shaadi.com, Anupam, has also been the member and chairman Internet & Mobile Association of India (IAMAI). He has also co-founded H2 India. After bringing a revolution in the arranged marriage market, Anupam sought to support a host of startups.

Easily the most successful of his ventures is Ola Cabs. The graduate from Boston University has also founded Makaan.com and has invested in over 50 startups. He has a good hang of market potential and scalability, which has worked to his benefit. Anupam prominently invests in health, technology, consumer healthcare, and mobile startups. He has also invested massively in successful startups like myHQ and HackerEarth.

3. Gokul Rajaram

A graduate from the prestigious MIT, IIT Kanpur, and the University of Texas, Gokul is known as a technology stalwart. Gokul is the founder of Chai Labs and was a product director at the tech startup Facebook. The 46-year old Cavalier Lead at Square has an eye for caliber and gauges potential accurately.

His vast experience of working in top tech startups has made him a renowned consultant and startup advisor. The vision of the team is the determining factor behind Gokul’s investment. So if you have a vision for the future, it won’t be bad to pitch to him. Gokul typically invests in Analytics and AI, SaaS, Media, and Entertainment, along with Internet Service startups. Flipora, LivSpace, and Loop are some of the massively successful startups funded by him.

4. Ratan Tata

When it comes to keeping India first, no one is better than Tata. Ratan Tata has heavily invested in upcoming startups, supporting the growth of small businesses in India. The vivacious industry leader has mentored a host of companies with valuable advice. Ratan Tata has invested in some of the fastest-growing startups of the last decade, including Urban Clap, Moglix, Snapdeal, and even Xiaomi.

The type of industry is no bar for Tata to invest in. It’s your drive and vision that he gauges before investing. YourStory, GOQii, Nestaway, and Invictus, are some of the other high-profile startups Tata has funded. The next could be yours!

5. Anand Ladsariya

The ex-chairman of Chemexcil and the founder of Everest Flavors, Anand Ladsariya, is also a business tycoon who has boosted the startup ecosystem in India with his valuable investments. He is a renowned figure in the Indian chemical industry. He’s always looking to add to his kitty of startup investments. A strong core of workers is his priority when looking to invest in a new venture.

He’s an applauded investor in the Mumbai Angels as well as the Indian Angel Network. Oyo Rooms, Myntra, and Asiatic are some of the highly successful brands Ladsariya has funded so far. His areas of interest include location-based services, social media, content discovery, games, customer support tools, and web design sectors. But he’s always looking to evolve, and it might not be a surprise if he invests in your business idea heavily.

6. Vijay Shekhar Sharma

Having been there and done that, Vijay Shekhar- the Founder of Paytm, knows what takes a startup to massive heights from scratch. So it’s good news for you that he is also keenly interested in investing in upcoming startups. He has funded GOQii, ThePrint, Innerchef, Remitware Payments, and TapChief. Ranked as the Youngest billionaire of India in 2017 by Forbes, Vijay had the drive to invest in financial technology since his days at Delhi College of Engineering.

Vijay has a great mix of intelligence, street smartness, and a technologically driven approach. If you are looking to kickstart your technology-driven startup, Vijay would be an excellent person to pitch to. He would also provide you excellent consultancy.

7. TV Mohandas Pai

The current chairman of Manipal Global Education, Mohandas Pai, is a Padma Shree Awardee. He was previously the director and CFO of Infosys. Mohandas has been an active investor in early-stage technology startups over the years. He’s not the kind of investor who provides large sums based on potential, though.

Mohandas instead believes in small investments. He heavily supports women entrepreneurs and has a massive hand in the success of Shraddha Sharma’s YourStory. Mohandas has invested in and guided over a dozen successful startups and is the man to pitch for your upcoming technological startup. He is also interested in Media and Consumer Internet startups Zoomcar, Faircent, and Kaaryah.

8. Sandeep Tandon

The Harvard University alumni Sandeep Tandon is another investor heavily inclined towards finance technology and payment-based startups. He is the founder of one of India’s largest eWallet firms- FreeCharge, so his interests in this area are pretty obvious.

Sandeep invested in 23 startups in 2017 alone, with ZipLoan and Fashalot being among the more successful ones. Sandeep is also the managing director of Infinix Healthcare and Tandon Technolgy Ventures. Moreover, he is an active angel investor for technology startups. He is an active investor in Razorpay and Remitware Payments too. Unacademy and Inc42 are some other popular businesses he has provided his guidance to.

9. Sachin Bansal

The man who changed the eCommerce game in India, Sachin Bansal, is the co-founder of Flipkart. He spent over 11 years as the CEO and Chairman of Flipkart, taking it to unprecedented heights before selling it to Walmart. Sachin has come from the stage most of you currently are in. Having struggled to find investors at the early stages of his startup, he is now eager to support upcoming businesses like Flipkart.

After departing from Flipkart, Sachin founded BAC Acquisition Private Limited. This shifted his focus to building and buying technology-driven businesses from various industries. Bansal has decided on making the process of getting investments for new startups much easier. He has invested in a host of budding firms, including Ola, Unacademy, In Shorts, Ather Energy, and more. The billionaire entrepreneur also acquired the consulting firm MavenHive in 2019. Any rising firm would benefit massively from Bansal’s investment and experience. So you should consider pitching him for your technology, internet services, eCommerce, analytics, and SaaS startups.

10. Kunal Shah

Do you even watch TV if you don’t know about Cred? The widely marketed startup has been founded by Kunal Shah. He had previously founded another successful startup called Paisaback. It allowed retailers to setup promotional offers and cashback. Kunal has steadily become an active startup investor with his dynamic approach and ability to foresee market trends. The MBA Dropout from Narsee Monjee started as a junior programmer. Now, he is the founder of one of the fastest-rising startups in India.

He has started investing in a host of eCommerce, educational, and consumer internet-based startups. Kunal is also an advisor at AngelList. Razorpay, Shuttl, Mobile Premiere League, Runnr, Tapzo, TVF, and Unacademy are some of the successful ventures that Kunal has his hands in.

Conclusion

These were some of India’s leading investors that put their money on potentially unique and successful startups. These investors also know the market’s ins and outs. Thus, they prove to be excellent consultants. So the next time you have a business idea brewing, take it to one of them however you can. Remember, you have to start somewhere!