India is a land of opportunities and a rapidly growing economy. The economy has created a nurturing ecosystem for countless startups thriving rapidly thanks to various factors such as ease of doing business, rising disposable income, and exposure to global cultures. One of the essential factors for any startup to operate smoothly is the funds. Apart from the setup costs, every early-age startup or any company incurs an operational cost, including office space rent, salaries, legal fees, etc. Therefore, it becomes paramount for startups to raise funds to support their operations and sustain over a longer period.
The lack of investment can close down many startups, which is when early-age inventors come to the rescue, which is why they are called angel investors. There are various angel networks in India that are actively investing in early-age startups and helping to sustain their operations and strategic planning.
With the lower equity demand and rising number of VC rejections for early startups, many startup founders are turning to angel investment networks. Besides early investment, angel investors and networks bring valuable mentorship and guidance. So if you are a startup founder looking for seed funding, here are five angel investment networks in India to look out for in 2023.
1 . InnoPitch
Social entrepreneurship is a critical aspect of the betterment of society while supporting the economy. Though there’s a myth that social startups struggle to raise funds, one angel network in India supports social startups and many other similar ventures, and that is InnoPitch.
With a vision to help startups establish a foundation, InnoPitc was established in 2021 as a startup funding platform. Innopitch supports the creator economy and strives to create a supportive ecosystem to help budding entrepreneurs. InnoPitch has invested in more than 80 startups and provided them with an opportunity to change this world for good.
Apart from assisting with the funding, they help founders connect with relevant angel investors in India. These top angel investors are known for their vision and bring their years of knowledge and industry expertise to help founders bring their goals to reality. You can learn more about them at their angel investors’ website: InnoPitch.in
InnoPitch generally invests in the following sectors:
- Rural entrepreneurship
- Social impact
- Women entrepreneurs
- Deeptech
- Fintech
- Logistics
- Packaging
- Community project
2. Calcutta Angel Network
Every angel investment network aspires to offer seamless support and guidance to its founders so they can lead their companies toward success. Calcutta Angel Network is no exception to that. It is one of the popular investment networks in India that offers strategic guidance and capital to the founder.
The key areas they function are mentoring, networking, raising funds, and education. Calcutta Anel Network looks for innovative capabilities, team quality, market size, competitiveness, and financial clarity to choose their investments.
Top funded startups: Catapult, Logic Roots, Klip.in, Ketto
3 . Let’s Ventur
Let’s Venture is a popular angel network in India. Let’s Venture prepares early-age startups for common speculations at various stages of raising angel investment. They also help the founders network with authentic investors and strategic planning.
Along with that, they also help founders with valuable mentorships and audit their existing operations and strategies to discover areas for improvement. This guidance allows founders to navigate their businesses effectively.
Let’s Venture generally invests in the following sectors:
- Aerospace
- Hyperlocal
- Consumer Internet
- Online Aggregator
- SaaS
- Advertising
- Agriculture
- Art and Photography
- Consulting
4 . Venture Catalyst
Venture Catalyst is known as the first integrated incubator in India. Started in 2016, Venture Catalyst quickly became a renowned name in the investment network community in India. Apart from the unique offerings of an incubator, it also offers services to be a part of Innoworks.
The network helps founders to meet, connect and raise from HNIs and extend their support and guidance for up to 1 month to close the deal and effectively utilization of the funds. The network has secured investments for more than 87 startups.
Venture Catalyst also ensures that startups can survive during the downtime in the pandemic and helps them strategize their recoveries post-pandemic. With a long-term vision to bridge the gap between the metro and lower-tier cities, they are determined to help entrepreneurs from Tier 2 and tier 3 cities secure funds and support their ventures. It has also facilitated various SMEs to enhance their supply chains, manufacturing, and leakages in operations. The official angel investors website of Venture Catalyst is Venture Catalyst.
Top funded startups by Venture Catalyst: Blowhorn, BjaratPe, Nupay, Jumpstart, etc
5 . Hyderabad Angels
Established in 2012, Hyderabad Angels involves industry pioneers, financial speculators and angel investors in Hyderabad and India. Based in Hyderabad, this angel investment network helps founders raise capital and secure resources worldwide. They also help founders to expand in international territories like Singapore, the US, the UK, etc. They have invested in over 25 startups and contributed more than 40 cores in angel investments.
Angel investment networks help startups in the first crucial stage and help them realize their potential. Each angel investment network mentioned above has unique offerings regarding the pool of investors, terms, and investment mechanism. The founders must analyze their needs and connect with the right angel network in India to raise capital for their startup.
Many founders who are not comfortable sharing the equity prefer revenue-based financing, where the investor receives some percentage of the company’s current gross revenues for the money they invested in the company. Revenue-based funding can also be a great way for investors to reduce investment risk and receive a payout from the company’s ongoing revenues.
